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Man quits investment banking career, joins brother to launch startup: ‘We raised $1.5 million’

After graduating, both brothers initially pursued different career paths before ultimately deciding to join forces and launch their own venture.

Updated on: Jul 16, 2026, 11:40:43 IST
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The entrepreneurial journey is often a lonely road, but brothers and co-founders, Hasan and Omair, proved that having just one believer can change everything. Taking to Instagram, the duo shared a nostalgic post reflecting on their transition from corporate employees questioning their future to successful entrepreneurs. Having built an app that has already amassed over 100,000 downloads, the brothers revealed their biggest milestone yet: raising $1.5 million from top-tier investors and advisors.

Brothers Hasan and Omair Sarwar, who now run a startup. (Instagram/@peekabox.app)
Brothers Hasan and Omair Sarwar, who now run a startup. (Instagram/@peekabox.app)

“Find someone who believes in your dreams before the world does. Looking back, it’s honestly been a crazy few years,” read a post shared on the official Instagram page of “Peek A Box”.

Also Read: ₹90 lakh after tweeting about needing 2 crore funding">Indian co-founder raises 90 lakh after tweeting about needing 2 crore funding

It continued, “We went from two brothers with an idea, questioning whether we should leave our jobs, to building an app that’s now been downloaded by over 100,000 people. But the biggest lesson isn’t about the downloads, the fundraising, or the milestones.”

The post is accompanied by a series of visuals showing before-and-after life updates of the brothers. One of the slides highlights how much they have raised for their startup. “Now, we raised $1.5m with top-tier investors and advisors behind us.”

What did social media say?

An individual praised, “Proud of you boys, come a long, long way.” Another commented, “Proud of you both! The goats.”

Also Read: Meet the IIT Kanpur-educated founder who made $8 million in a single day

A third expressed, “Amazing story well done!” The fourth wrote, “Amazing journey and it’s only the beginning!”

Who are Hasan and Omair Sarwar?

The brothers completed their higher education at the University of Warwick. Soon after, Hasan started his career as an investment banker while Omair focused on real estate after his stint as a management consultant.

They left their job and started “Peekabox” in 2025. It is a UAE-based “Food-tech platform for stores to list their surplus food at a discount for customers.” The company partners with bakeries, restaurants, cafés and grocery stores.

“I spoke to my brother Omair about it, and from that first conversation, it just clicked,” Hasan told Gulf News when asked why he decided to leave the field of investment banking.

“We both felt we had the commercial instinct to make this work, not as a charity, but as a real business that creates a win-win for retailers and consumers,” he said.

 
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Trisha Sengupta

Trisha Sengupta is a Chief Content Producer at Hindustan Times with over six years of digital newsroom experience. Specialising in high-engagement storytelling, she blends viral trends with traditional journalism to cover the intersection of technology, finance, and human emotion. Her reporting spans real estate and personal finance struggles in hubs like Bengaluru and Gurgaon, the NRI experience, and corporate shifts like tech layoffs. Trisha also frequently tracks global figures and writes human interest stories. Offline, Trisha is an avid reader, history enthusiast and solo traveler. She balances her journalism career with family life while actively integrating AI tools into her modern storytelling approach.

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