Fueler at TAPMI Bengaluru: Entrepreneurship Unplugged

Recently, TAPMI Bengaluru of Manipal Institute of Technology invited me to speak at Episode 4: Entrepreneurship Unplugged. I had an incredible time at the session and interacting with the students.

Walking into TAPMI's campus felt special. The energy was different. You could tell these students were genuinely interested in entrepreneurship and building things, not just following a traditional career path.

I am Riten, the founder of Fueler. Fueler is a portfolio platform that helps people get hired through their work, not just resumes. Companies on Fueler hire through assignments and real proof of skills

In the session, we spoke about:

• The early days of building Fueler from a small town in Agartala
• How big tech companies actually grew (spoiler: it wasn't overnight)
• Different ways students can use the internet to land real opportunities

I shared our journey of bootstrapping Fueler with zero savings, taking freelance projects to survive, and slowly building a platform that now helps thousands of people showcase their work. The students were surprised to learn that most successful startups took 6-7 years to become mainstream, not the overnight success stories they read about.

We also discussed practical ways students can use the internet to their advantage. From building portfolios to networking on LinkedIn and Twitter, to finding remote opportunities that pay well. The goal was simple: show them that they don't need to wait until graduation to start building their careers.

Meeting the Dean

The best part was meeting Cdr. (Dr.) S Navaneetha Krishnan (Retd.), the Dean of the college. One of the coolest deans I've ever met. He's an avid reader and even gave me a book to take home.

We had a great conversation about entrepreneurship, education, and how institutions can better prepare students for the real world. When educators believe in startups like ours, it means everything. It shows that the system is evolving and recognizing the importance of proof of work over just traditional credentials.

How was this session great?

The students at TAPMI asked thoughtful questions about entrepreneurship, portfolio building, and career opportunities. Their energy and curiosity reminded me why we built Fueler in the first place: to help students and professionals showcase their work and land better opportunities.

Many students came up after the session to ask specific questions about their own career paths. Some wanted to start their own ventures. Others wanted to know how to land better internships. 

Big shoutout to TAPMI Bengaluru for the invite and the warm welcome. Looking forward to more such sessions where we can inspire students to build, learn, and showcase their proof of work.

What is Fueler Portfolio?

Fueler is a career portfolio platform that helps companies find the best talent for their organization based on their proof of work.

You can create your portfolio on Fueler, thousands of freelancers around the world use Fueler to create their professional-looking portfolios and become financially independent. Discover inspiration for your portfolio

Sign up for free on Fueler or get in touch to learn more.