I got bored: Indian Microsoft employee quits Rs 1 crore job to launch startup for farmers

Ruchit Garg, a former Microsoft employee, decided to leave his high-paying job of Rs 1 crore per annum to pursue his entrepreneurial dreams. Dissatisfied and feeling out of place after six years with Microsoft, Garg left the tech giant in 2011, stating that he had grown bored.

He expressed a desire to run a business and had dabbled in entrepreneurship in 2004. In 2011, witnessing the startup boom in the US, he decided to re-enter the entrepreneurial landscape. Garg, who hails from a family of farmers, particularly wanted to make a meaningful impact in the agricultural sector. His startup, Harvesting, aims to assist small-holder farmers in India by providing them with essential resources and helping them sell their produce both online and offline.

“Harvesting helps small-holder farmers make more money,” he explained. “You can think of it like next-generation Amul. We help farmers with anything they need to grow their crops and help them sell their produce (goods) online and offline.”

Ruchit Garg had initially been working with Microsoft in Hyderabad for three years before being shifted to the company’s headquarters in Redmond.

Despite earning a substantial amount per annum, his passion for entrepreneurship and the desire to contribute to agriculture led him to quit his job. His grandfather’s background as a farmer in Uttar Pradesh inspired him to create Harvesting, which claims to have benefited over 37 lakh farmers in India. Garg’s journey from a corporate executive to an agricultural entrepreneur reflects resilience and determination, shaped by his early struggles and financial constraints.

His dedication to entrepreneurship was cultivated during his time at the Indian Railways library in Lucknow, where he developed a passion for reading case studies in the Harvard Business Review. Garg’s success story includes an invitation to Harvard University in 2018 to speak about financial inclusion for smallholder farmers, a moment he considers deeply gratifying and a testament to his journey from financial constraints to achievements in the field of entrepreneurship.