India, July 10 -- An IIT Kharagpur alumnus has shared how he walked away from a prestigious PhD program at just 22 to build an AI startup. Spotting a generational shift when ChatGPT launched, he and his college friend rejected stable, high-paying career paths to move to San Francisco. Today, their AI venture has successfully raised $61 million and actively serves major clients.

San Francisco-based Varun Vummadi took to LinkedIn to reflect on his journey. "I walked away from a PhD program at 22 to start a company with Esha Dinne. I met Esha Dinne freshman year at IIT Kharagpur. We shared the same dorm and wavelength. We spent four years obsessing over the same things. Paul Graham essays, machine learning projects, late-night conversations...