Dhritiman Mitra Investment Banker and Political Strategist: Insights on Harnessing AI for India's Future
"I still remember the number. I was rejected in 22 interviews. And that was, I think, the lowest point of my career."
"I almost drove around 30 million customer acquisition at Myntra. I spent almost half a decade at Myntra. It was a great organization. I only have fond memories about it."
"I did my MBA from IIM Ahmedabad. I actually got to meet a lot of people who came from various backgrounds. Some are coming from a bureaucracy. Some have pure engineering background, some have aviation background."
"I come from Bihar, Bengal, wherein politics is something which is a dinner table discussion every day. You speak with your parents, you speak with your siblings, you speak with your relatives, friends. No one can take politics out of you."
"I really want people in that particular age group that it's never too late. Maybe you are doing pretty well in your career. But if you want to do something that is outside the scope of your career, just go for it."
Dhritiman Mitra grew up in Bihar in a middle-class home where a stable government job was the height of ambition. He absorbed 22 interview rejections, scaled Myntra to 30 million customers, earned an MBA from IIM Ahmedabad, and then, at 29, walked away from a comfortable career to co-found Evernile, a firm that pairs a mid-market investment banking practice with an AI and data science practice, while also working inside India's largest political organisation. He tells Annie why it is never too late to take the plunge, how he made peace with constant uncertainty, and what drives his determination to make a mark. Essential listening for any ambitious young professional weighing security against the life they actually want.
What you'll learn
- Why Dhritiman believes it is 'never too late' to take the plunge, even when your career is already going well
- How he absorbed 22 interview rejections, the lowest point of his career, and what finally turned it around
- What scaling Myntra to 30 million customers taught him about real scale and about being surrounded by people who inspire you
- Why his IIM Ahmedabad MBA mattered most for the diversity of backgrounds it exposed him to, not the credential
- How he navigated family expectations when he left a stable job for entrepreneurship and politics
- Why a childhood spent reading biographies gave him a lifelong drive to 'make a mark'
- How he learned to live with the constant uncertainty of running a business and doing politics at the same time
- Why he sees AI as a productivity multiplier, and where he fears it will displace India's entry-level workforce
Key moments from the conversation
From a Bihar government-job household to taking the plunge
Dhritiman grew up in Bihar, a province he describes as having lagged in India's growth since independence, in a middle-class home where his father was a serviceman at Central Bank. The aspiration drilled into his generation was simple: get a good, secure job, raise a family, retire. Entrepreneurship was not something people aspired to. His whole story is about slowly, then decisively, stepping off that pre-written path, a journey any young professional raised on 'play it safe' will recognise.
Twenty-two rejections: the lowest point that redirected everything
Early in his career, stuck in a job he did not enjoy, Dhritiman applied out and was rejected in 22 interviews, a number he still remembers exactly. He calls it the lowest point of his career: he disliked what he was doing and began to believe he simply was not good enough. He even considered giving up the private sector for a government exam, like many others back home. Then he got into Myntra, and everything changed.
Five years at Myntra: 30 million customers and people who inspire you
Myntra, India's largest fashion marketplace and part of the Flipkart Walmart group, was Dhritiman's turning point. Leading customer growth, he drove around 30 million customer acquisitions over nearly five years. More than the numbers, he credits the people: talented, motivated seniors who inspired him through their own work and taught him everything from strategy to how to write an email. It was there he decided he wanted to become a business leader.
IIM Ahmedabad: the room full of different backgrounds
His MBA at IIM Ahmedabad, India's most premier management institution, was his second turning point, but not for the credential. After the verticalised world of a single company, he was suddenly among peers from bureaucracy, engineering, aviation and beyond. One batchmate, Varun, already the national head of policy and research for the BJP's youth wing, became a mentor and showed him he could channel a lifelong interest into something tangible.
Politics in the blood: why Bihar and Bengal debate at the dinner table
Dhritiman explains that in Bihar and Bengal, politics is an everyday dinner-table conversation, something you absorb from parents, siblings and friends whether or not you are formally involved. He traces it to Kolkata's history as the British-era capital, where European professors like Derozio inculcated liberalism and the habit of questioning. That cultural inheritance, alongside his Myntra and MBA experience, is what eventually pulled him into active policy work.
Leaving comfort at 29, and the conversation with his father
After his MBA, Dhritiman returned to a stable tech job, and within a year knew it was not working. Almost 29, he realised he could not honestly serve both a full-time employer and the ad-hoc demands of politics, so he quit and co-founded Evernile with two friends. His family was supportive but his father was unhappy for a few months, asking why he would leave a life of comfort and a set trajectory. Annie draws a direct parallel to her own parents' surprise when she chose entrepreneurship over academia.
The 'Wikipedia page' ambition, and living with uncertainty
Asked why he rejected comfort, Dhritiman points to a childhood spent reading biographies of great people and a fascination that, of billions alive, only a few leave a mark. He tells his nephews to do something that earns them a Wikipedia page. He is also candid that he sat on that ambition for 10 to 12 years before acting, and that learning to live with daily uncertainty, the bad surprises and the unexpectedly good ones alike, was the skill that made the leap survivable.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Dhritiman Mitra?
Dhritiman Mitra is an Indian entrepreneur and political strategist working at the intersection of policy, technology and finance. He is the co-founder of Evernile, a firm combining a mid-market investment banking practice with an AI and data science practice, and a member of the policy research and training division of the BJP's youth wing (BJYM). He previously helped scale Myntra, holds an MBA from IIM Ahmedabad, and is a Raisina Young Fellow.
What is Evernile?
Evernile is the firm Dhritiman Mitra co-founded with two partners. It runs two practices: a mid-market investment banking practice specialising in capital markets and mergers and acquisitions, and an AI and data science practice. He oversees both day to day, alongside his work in the BJP youth wing.
How many job rejections did Dhritiman Mitra face?
Twenty-two. Early in his career, stuck in a job he disliked, he was rejected in 22 interviews, a number he still remembers exactly and calls the lowest point of his career. He had even considered leaving the private sector for a government exam before landing a role at Myntra that changed his trajectory.
Why does Dhritiman Mitra say it is 'never too late' to take the plunge?
Dhritiman left a comfortable, stable career at almost 29 to co-found Evernile and pursue politics. His message to people around that age, especially those doing well but afraid to take the leap, is that it is never too late: if you want to do something outside the scope of your current career, just go for it.
What does Dhritiman Mitra think about AI's impact on jobs in India?
He sees AI as a major productivity multiplier, at his own firm it took the team from running two or three mandates in parallel to nine or ten, and stresses that mindset matters: those who feel threatened by it tend to fail. His concern is India's large entry-level IT services workforce, and he argues corporates should take responsibility for upskilling junior staff into higher-value roles rather than mass-firing them for cost-cutting.
Who is Dhritiman Mitra?
Dhritiman Mitra
Co-Founder · Evernile
Dhritiman serves as a National Member of the Policy, Research, and Training (PRT) team at BJYM, the youth wing of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). As part of the world's largest political youth organisation, he works on integrating technology and data into national political projects, designing youth focused policy research, and supporting training frameworks for party workers. In addition to his role at BJYM, Dhritiman is a Co-Founder of Evernile Group, combining a mid-market investment banking practice specializing in capital markets and mergers and acquisitions with an AI and data-science practice that builds decision-support solutions for businesses and institutions. Previously, Dhritiman held growth and product leadership roles in India's consumer ecosystem. At Myntra (Flipkart Group), India's largest fashion e-commerce platform, he was responsible for scaling the platform's user base by over 30 million customers. By education, Dhritiman completed his MBA from the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIM A) and pursued Computer Science Engineering.
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