In a city where failed founders often retreat into salaried safety, Padmanaban Ebbas (40) is rewriting the playbook — one food order at a time. Each evening in Bengaluru, Ebbas dons his Swiggy uniform not out of necessity, but to rebuild his startup dreams — by distributing flyers promoting his services as a full-stack developer.
His unconventional strategy recently caught fire on social media. A customer posted a photo of his flyer on X, detailing Ebbas’ 19 years of experience in web and mobile development, UI/UX design, and machine learning — complete with personal contact info. The post quickly went viral, drawing widespread admiration for his hustle.
“I’m not in financial distress, I’m building connections,” Ebbas told TOI. After completing his engineering in 2006 and briefly working in IT, he launched a startup in 2008. Post a sabbatical and another venture disrupted by the pandemic, he’s now leveraging Bengaluru’s streets to spark fresh leads.
Despite job offers following the online buzz, Ebbas remains focused: “I don’t want employment — I want to build again.”
In India’s gig economy, using food delivery as a B2B client pipeline is rare — if not unheard of. While many former entrepreneurs settle into consultancy or corporate roles, Ebbas’ street-smart approach — combining coding and customer interaction — is a testament to bold, grassroots innovation.
Read also: