The rejection of the ₹42 crore offer had ripple effects.
Some called Aarav foolish.
Others, brave.
But among Rootlink's community—vendors, artisans, farmers—it sparked something electric.
Word spread like wildfire:"Aarav bhaiya ne bech diya hota toh sab bigad jaata… par usne nahi kiya."(If Aarav had sold out, everything would've changed... but he didn't.)
Trust solidified.New vendors came knocking.And more importantly, young entrepreneurs started reaching out.
It started with an email.
Subject: Need 15 minutes of your time, Sir.
Sender: Naveen Meena, 21-year-old from Alwar, Rajasthan.
He had started a tiny home-based business teaching his mother's pickle recipes via workshops—online and offline—but didn't know how to scale, source jars, or sell consistently.
Aarav responded.
The next week, Naveen was in the Gurgaon office, wide-eyed and overwhelmed.
"Sir, sab karna chahta hoon, par samajh nahi aata kaise…"(I want to do everything, sir... but I don't know how.)
Aarav smiled. "You'll learn. And we'll help."
The Rootlink Grassroots Incubator was born.
No heavy funding.No equity grabbing.
Just a simple model:
Identify local product entrepreneurs (farmers, women's SHGs, rural youth)
Provide them access to packaging, branding, and digital literacy
Train them in logistics, pricing, and quality control
Feature them on Rootlink's platform and in stores
Let them grow—with dignity
The first batch had 12 members.
By the third month, they were 80.
There was Reema, a weaver from Kutch, who had never sold a product outside Gujarat.Akash, a millet farmer from Karnataka, who now had his own pancake mix brand.And Shabana, a widow from Bareilly, who had turned her papad business into a statewide best-seller.
Every Thursday, Aarav taught one session himself.
Not as a CEO. Just as a big brother who had once stood in the same dust.
He called the program "Udaan" — The Flight.
The System noticed.
**New Initiative Detected: Udaan (Grassroots Incubator)Initial Impact Score: 7.6/10Social Reach: HighBrand Affinity Boost: +22%Suggested Strategic Move:
Apply for Government MSME Partnership Grant
Initiate Impact Story Campaigns across Social Media
Explore tie-up with EdTech Platforms for Skill VideosProjected 12-Month Impact: 700+ Entrepreneurs Empowered**
Aarav looked at the projections and smiled.
"Let's go beyond impact," he said to the team one morning. "Let's create legacy."
And slowly, the headlines changed.
Not just "Young Founder Builds Rural Marketplace."But:"Rootlink Turns Villagers Into Founders.""Pickle to Pancakes: India's Grassroots Boom Begins.""Startup Grows, But Doesn't Leave People Behind."
One evening, sitting beside his mother in their small living room—she was doing better now, treatments improving—she looked at him and said softly:
"Aarav… ab lagta hai tu sirf kama nahi raha… kuch badal raha hai."(Aarav… now it feels like you're not just earning… you're changing something.)
He looked at her, emotions knotting in his throat.
And he realized—he had never really wanted to be rich.
He wanted to be useful.
And in doing that…He had built more than a company.He had built a runway.And the whole nation was ready to fly.