Sachin Bansal’s Intense Work Ethic at ‘Navi’: No WFH, 80-100 Hours a Week

Sachin Bansal, the co-founder of Flipkart, opened up about his latest venture, Navi, a fintech startup he founded in 2018 shortly after departing from Flipkart. 

In a recent interview, Bansal revealed that he dedicates a staggering 80 to 100 hours per week to his new endeavor, often sacrificing weekends for work commitments.

Expressing his relentless work ethic, Bansal acknowledged that his intense schedule might not be popular with everyone, stating, “Sometimes people hate me.” Despite this, he remains steadfast in his commitment to Navi, which offers a range of financial services including personal and home loans, UPI, insurance, mutual funds, and gold-related products.

Bansal emphasized that he does not expect his team members to match his own work hours, recognizing that his dedication stems from the belief that building a successful business requires meticulous attention to detail and continuous effort.

Regarding the work environment at Navi, Bansal made it clear that remote work is not an option for the company. 

According to Bansal, remote work is no longer accommodated at the startup. While acknowledging that some team members might resent his stance and the long hours he dedicates each week, Bansal clarifies that he doesn’t anticipate his colleagues to match his workload, despite the expectation for everyone to work from the office

He views work from home as a temporary measure adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic, firmly stating, “We were very clear that we want to be work-from-office. Work from home was a temporary phenomenon in my mind. It was never a permanent one. We are 100 per cent work from office. Zero work from home.”

Additionally, Bansal disclosed that he has ceased his activities as an angel investor and hinted at Navi’s plans for an IPO in the near future. 

Despite a previous attempt, which he attributed to bad timing, Bansal expressed optimism about the potential IPO, suggesting that Navi will pursue this goal once the company is fully prepared.