Meet man, IIT-IIM graduate, who left Rs 1 crore job to do 'guard duty', now his company is worth Rs 1670 crore, he is...

At a time when most people dream of climbing the corporate ladder and enjoying high salaries in luxury offices, Abhishek Kumar chose a completely different path. An IIT Kanpur graduate with an MBA from IIM Ahmedabad, Abhishek had a successful career and had even become a Vice President at Goldman Sachs. But he gave it all up, not for a break, not for a documentary, but to spend time shadowing security guards in Indian residential societies. This unusual decision was not for show; it was the beginning of something that would later become one of India’s most trusted community living apps, MyGate.

A Strong Educational Background and Career Start
Abhishek studied at Delhi Public School, R.K. Puram, one of the most respected schools in the country. He then pursued engineering at IIT Kanpur, followed by an MBA at IIM Ahmedabad. With such a top-level education, he entered the finance industry and worked at Goldman Sachs for six years. He eventually became a Vice President, but despite his achievements, he felt something was missing.

Abhishek’s career change wasn’t random. It began in 2016 when he connected with Vijay Arisetty, a Shaurya Chakra awardee, former Indian Air Force pilot, and an alumnus of NDA and ISB. Vijay believed in the future of smart and secure community living in Indian cities. He saw a growing need for safety, convenience, and digital tools in residential societies. Alongside him were Abhishek and Shreyans Daga, another accomplished professional from IIT Guwahati and ISB.

To fully understand the problems on the ground, Abhishek literally stepped into the shoes of a security guard. He shadowed them for weeks and even did a 12-hour shift himself, from 8 am to 8 pm, to see daily challenges up close.

What is MyGate?
Together, the trio co-founded MyGate, a Bengaluru-based mobile app designed to manage and secure residential communities. What started as a digital gatekeeping tool soon became a complete platform. Today, MyGate handles more than 720,000 requests every minute and has processed over 6 billion entries across India.

The app offers features like visitor management, resident services, local business discovery, property listings, and even society ticketing. Over 6 million service tickets have already been solved through the platform.

Built on Real Experience
Unlike many startup founders who rely on user data and office meetings, Abhishek took the hands-on approach. His time spent with guards helped him design a product that truly meets people’s needs. Thanks to their hard work and grounded thinking, MyGate has grown into a Rs 1,670 crore company, according to Tracxn, and continues to redefine urban living in India.

This is a reminder that real change often begins when you step out of your comfort zone and walk in someone else’s shoes, literally.