‘We left Bengaluru but…’: Kota founder reflects on life away from India’s startup capital

Shubham Bansal reflects on leaving Bengaluru for a quieter life, noting the trade-offs of missing out on tech innovation and connections.

While many people on social media rant about leaving Bengaluru due to traffic, infrastructure issues, or rising costs, one startup founder took to X to share a more introspective take — not on why he left the city, but on everything he lost by doing so. Eight years after leaving Bengaluru, Shubham Bansal opened up about the opportunities, experiences, and energy he’s missed out on — and how he’s managed to stay in sync with the city’s unmatched startup pace by staying connected from afar.

A Kota founder shared what he lost by leaving Bengaluru eight years ago in an X post. (Representational image generated by AI)

Here is the post

“We didn’t just leave the city,” Bansal wrote. “We left our college friends. We gave up the front seat to India’s startup boom. We missed conversations about exciting futures and said no to life-changing career opportunities. We even got the news about AI late.”

Bansal, who originally hails from Kota, Rajasthan, said the decision to leave Bengaluru was driven by the city’s crumbling infrastructure and lifestyle fatigue. But as years passed, the trade-offs became more evident. From being early adopters of new tech and ideas, he said, he and his wife gradually became “mass users” — arriving late to the innovation party, missing the grand opening.

While their life in their hometown is peaceful and enjoyable, he admitted that one emotion still lingers: the fear of missing out.

“Call it FOMO, or my insane curiosity to learn and experience new things — it’s always itched me,” he wrote.

To bridge this gap, Bansal says he became part of online growth communities, started writing on LinkedIn and X to draw in people from diverse backgrounds, and makes sure to visit Bengaluru every 6–8 months to stay in touch with India’s startup pulse.

“Just one visit gives me sufficient exposure to everything going on in tech and innovation,” he said. He’s currently in Bengaluru for a week, meeting other founders in the consumer business space.

Bansal’s post resonated with many. One user replied, “Same for me. Work from home for the past five years has actually left me behind. Once you’ve experienced Bengaluru tech, it’s hard to stay away. Out of touch, out of sight, out of mind.”

Another user offered a thoughtful reflection: “A peaceful, slow life also comes at a cost. I guess individuals have to decide what they want to compromise. But if life is enjoyable even without being in Bengaluru, isn’t that worth it?”