In the tranquil, long-lived communities of Okinawa, Japan, lies the essence of a profound philosophy known as Ikigai. This ancient practice, literally translating to ‘a reason for being’ or ‘a reason to live,’ is believed to be a cornerstone of their remarkable longevity and well-being. 

At its heart, Ikigai is about finding that sweet spot where your passions, talents, what the world needs, and what you can be compensated for – all converge. It is not necessarily about grand ambitions, but rather the pursuit of what brings joy and meaning to your daily life, fostering a deep sense of purpose and fulfilment. It is the intrinsic motivation that encourages one to wake up with enthusiasm each morning.

The Japanese have been living by this philosophy for a long time. For some, Ikigai comes naturally. Others are still searching for it. And many do not even realise that it is something they need to go looking for. That’s the thing about Ikigai: it is not always obvious or loud. But it lives quietly within all of us, waiting to be discovered. And when you do find it, it brings a deep kind of happiness, one that gives meaning not just to the big wins but also to the small, ordinary moments. 

For me, this deeply personal quest for Ikigai unfolded in four distinct phases and culminated in an unexpected yet incredibly rewarding journey with DriveU, the company I founded. 

The first phase

My professional odyssey began in the demanding, exhilarating crucible of Silicon Valley – a place where innovation is not just encouraged, it is relentlessly pursued. 

With a deep-seated love for all things tech, nurtured by an education-focused Indian upbringing and refined at NITK Surathkal, I dove headfirst into this competitive arena. 

My career there was a dynamic tapestry of successes and lessons: founding multiple companies, navigating the painful reality of shutting a few down, celebrating the joy of selling others, and even stepping in as chief executive officer to orchestrate the rescue of struggling ventures. 

Each experience, whether a triumph or a setback, sharpened my entrepreneurial instincts and solidified my expertise in the tech landscape. This period cemented my love for technology and the art of creation, forming the first crucial leg of my Ikigai.

The second phase

Over these formative years, the privilege of working alongside stalwarts like Dr. Prabhu Goel, Andreas Bechtolsheim, co-founder of Sun Microsystems and the first seed investor in Google, and fellow NITK alumnus Rajeev Madhavan, founder of Magma Design Automation, was invaluable. 

Their mentorship and collaboration instilled in me a profound sense of confidence – not just as a manager, but as a leader capable of either launching a new enterprise or steering an established one towards renewed success. This rich tapestry of experiences formed the second crucial leg of my Ikigai: the mastery of my craft and the confidence to lead effectively in the dynamic world of technology.

The third phase

Yet, despite accumulating professional accolades and entrepreneurial cred, a pervasive sense of emptiness lingered. My roots in Bengaluru, a city once known as a tranquil "pensioner's paradise" and an education hub, resonated deeply. 

Witnessing its incredible transformation over the past four decades into an innovation powerhouse, arguably second only to Silicon Valley and Shanghai, sparked a profound desire within me. 

The third leg of my Ikigai revealed itself: the deep yearning to give back to the country that had given so much to me. The idea of contributing to India's burgeoning tech ecosystem rather than continuing to build offshore felt like a compelling call to purpose at this stage of my life. I also envisioned collaborating with the many close friends I had made in Silicon Valley, bringing their support and expertise to this new chapter.

The fourth phase

As fate would have it, this yearning converged with a tangible business opportunity. 

My career in high-performance computing hardware and software design in Silicon Valley had little to do with the mobility challenges facing India’s fast-growing metros.

As fate would have it, I met a couple of bright young alumni from my alma mater who had just founded TaxiForSure, a cab aggregator. I was intrigued and decided to invest some money into the fledgling startup, not realising how big it would get. Big, it did. In 2015, it was acquired by Ola Cabs for a tidy sum. 

I had always envisioned starting something from scratch in India and here was an opportunity that beckoned to me. We noticed that when car owners hired a full-time driver, the driver was being utilised for a fraction of the time and he sat idle for most of the day. Here was an opportunity to aggregate fractional use of a driver instead of hiring one’s own. We quickly assembled a team and built a robust tech-driven platform to launch DriveU. The idea clicked beyond our expectations, and the rest is history. 

As Steve Jobs famously said: “You cannot connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards.” 

We assembled a world-class tech, operations, marketing and finance team. What we struggled the most over was convincing venture capitalists to believe in us. They were just unable to fathom that DriveU could ever scale to become a profitable company. Many shunned us. I do not blame them, because what we proposed was a one of a kind platform –  not your typical copycat from the West. There was no such tech-driven platform anywhere else – in India or in the West.  

To me, DriveU was not just another business venture. It was a chance to align my passion, experience and newfound purpose. The vision resonated strongly with my Silicon Valley network, many of whom became not just cheerleaders but crucial financial supporters, investing in DriveU's growth. 

The initial hurdles were numerous, as with any startup, from building a robust tech platform to establishing trust in a nascent market. However, fuelled by the conviction that we were building something truly meaningful, we carried on.

With limited investment, the team cleverly devised ‘marketing hacks’ to spread the word. One of our popular use cases was ‘after-party’ drops. We convinced Diageo, an alcoholic beverage supplier, to promote our service by saying ‘your product can kill or injure people. Why not ask your customers to use DriveU to safely get home?’ And they did!

Today, DriveU is a thriving company, 170-people strong, operating across 10 major Indian cities. More profoundly, it is not just creating jobs; it is a lifeline for thousands of drivers across India, providing them with reliable income and dignity. 

We have built a profitable enterprise generating over Rs 100 crores in annual revenue. This tangible impact, the ability to create value both economically and socially, forms the powerful fourth leg of my Ikigai. It is about living a purposeful life, where every strategic decision and operational effort contributes to a larger, more meaningful whole.

My hope is that each reader finds their own Ikigai, that profound 'reason for being' that allows them to live a life filled with purpose and fulfilment. For founders building in India, the question is not just "What problem am I solving?" but "Why am I solving it?" Because when your journey is anchored in purpose, the road may be hard, but every step becomes meaningful. That is what I found with my journey, and I hope you find it too. 

Ramprasad Shastry is the co-founder and CEO of DriveU. 

The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.