Fueler in Google Office

Coming from Agartala, a small town in Northeast India, I never imagined I would walk into Google's office one day. But last week, it happened.

I'm Riten, founder of Fueler, and this is a story about how proof of work can take you from anywhere to everywhere.

Last week, I received an invitation to visit Hyderabad for a special event. Fueler was selected as one of the few startups from Northeast India to explore Telangana's startup ecosystem. When I saw "Google Office Visit" in the itinerary, I had to read it twice to believe it.

For someone who started building Fueler from a small room in Agartala with zero savings, this felt surreal.

The moment I stepped into Google's Hyderabad campus, everything felt different. The energy, the culture, the people, it was inspiring beyond words.

During my visit, I had the opportunity to speak with:

• Google's Product Managers who build tools used by millions
• Regional Heads who understand the Indian market deeply
• Managers who have years of experience scaling products

Meeting The Google Team

What surprised me most was how supportive and kind everyone at Google was. They didn't treat us like small-town founders trying to make it big. They treated us as equals, as builders solving real problems.

I came prepared with questions about the biggest challenges we face at Fueler:

• How do we scale our platform while keeping it simple for users?
• How do we build trust with companies so they hire through proof of work instead of just resumes?
• How do we expand beyond India and help people globally showcase their work?

The Google team didn't just give generic startup advice. They extended real help. They offered to collaborate on the specific challenges we are facing. They shared insights from their own journey of building products for billions of people.

That moment sitting across from Google's team, discussing how to make Fueler better, was one of the best moments of my entrepreneurial journey.

What This Means for the Fueler Community

If you're part of the Fueler community, this visit means a lot for you:

Stronger Partnerships: We are building relationships with world-class companies. This opens doors for Fueler members to land better opportunities, internships, and jobs.

More Trust: When companies see that Google is supporting startups like Fueler, they trust the platform more. This means more companies will hire through proof of work instead of traditional resumes.

Better Resources: Access to insights, tools, and guidance from industry leaders helps us build Fueler into a platform that truly serves you.

The Journey From Agartala to Google Office

Four years ago, I started Fueler in Agartala. No fancy office, no big funding rounds, no connections in the startup world.

Just a problem I wanted to solve, why are talented people getting rejected from jobs just because their resume doesn't look impressive?

I have freelanced for 4+ years, worked with 70+ brands globally, and seen how proof of work matters more than certificates. I wanted to create a platform where anyone, from any background, can showcase what they can do - not just what their degree says.

We bootstrapped Fueler. My team and I took freelance projects to pay bills while building the product. There were days when we wondered if we could survive another month. There were nights when we questioned our decisions.

But we kept going. Because it wasn't just about us. It was about millions of people like us who deserve opportunities based on their skills, not their college names.

A Message to Small Town Founders

If you're building something in a small town, a tier-2 city, or a place most people have never heard of, listen carefully: 

Your location is not your limitation.

I come from Agartala. Most people don't even know where it is on the map. But that didn't stop me from:

• Building a platform used by 60,000+ people
• Getting invited to Google's office
• Speaking at TEDx IIT Guwahati
• Creating a community that believes in proof of work

What matters is not where you come from. What matters is:

• The problem you are solving
• The people you are helping
• The work you are putting in every single day

What's Next for Fueler

This visit to Google's office is not the end. It's just the beginning.

We are working on:

Making Fueler better: Easier to use, more powerful features, better design

Helping more people get hired: Partnering with companies globally to hire through assignments and proof of work

Building the world's largest community: Where talented people from any background can showcase their work and land opportunities

Expanding globally: Helping people worldwide, not just in India

The Bigger Picture

Four years ago, I was a computer science graduate from a small town with a simple question: Why can't talented people get hired based on what they can do?

Today, I'm sitting in Google's office, discussing how to build Fueler into a world-class platform.

This journey taught me three important lessons:

Insight matters: Understanding the problem deeply helps you build the right solution.

Courage matters: Taking the first step, even when you have nothing, changes everything.

Perseverance matters: Surviving the tough days, the rejections, the doubts - that's what builds great companies.



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.