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Google’s Head of Startups was once rejected by the tech giant, joined Zomato instead
For Ragini Das, being appointed as the Head of Google for Startups, India is a “full circle” moment – she is joining the same company that once rejected her
For Ragini Das, being appointed as the Head of Google for Startups - India is a “full circle” moment. After all, she is joining the same company that had rejected her 12 years ago.
In a post shared on social media, Das, founder of the women-only professional networking community Leap.club, recalled how getting turned down by Google in 2013 turned out to be a blessing in disguise, allowing her to join Zomato instead and pursue entrepreneurship.
She shared a brief overview of her professional journey in her X post, where she wrote: “Life has come full circle, and I’m excited to share that I’ve joined Google as Head of Google for Startups - India.”
From Zomato to Leap.club
In 2013, Ragini Das sat for two interviews – one at Google and the other at Zomato. She did not make it to Google, but she did crack the Zomato interview and became one of the startup’s early employees.
For Das, the six years she spent at Zomato “changed everything”. She quickly climbed the corporate ladder and was a part of the global growth team for Zomato Gold by the time she quit in 2019.
“Zomato helped me identify my career moat, gave me lifelong friends, an incredibly steep learning curve and the resilience to eventually co-found Leap.club,” she wrote on X.
(Also read: Who is Ragini Das? Google appoints Leap.club co-founder as Head of Startups, India)
Launching Leap.club
In 2019, Das decided to leave Zomato to pursue entrepreneurship. She founded Leap.club, which she describes as her “most defining chapter”.
“It gave me purpose, an identity and I can proudly say, changed lives for thousands of women,” she said on X. “Through this journey, I had the privilege of connecting with founders tackling some of India's most pressing challenges.”
A full circle moment
When Leap.club paused operations in June this year due to financial challenges, Das took some time out to focus on herself. She was not sure what the next step would be – until she saw an opening at Google that aligned perfectly with her career goals.
“Sometime in August, I came across a role at Google that perfectly aligned with my journey. The role sat at the intersection of 0–10, founders and everything I've built over the years. It kinda felt like destiny,” she revealed.
She concluded her post by saying that she is excited to bring the global impact of Google for Startups to India.
