What happens when you take a founder back to where it all started? This is the backstory.
I did not expect this reaction from Abhiraj when we revisited the first Urban Company office last week in Delhi - a tiny 110 sq ft hole-in-the-wall spot that even he hadn't visited in 10 years.
When we decided to shoot something with Abhiraj and Mridul to mark the IPO, I had a thought: what could be more meaningful than celebrating where UC's groundwork was laid in 2014?
Without wasting a moment, I became a detective. Dug through old trademark applications to find the address. Tracked down the current tenant using MCA data. Cold called them to explain why a random person needed access to their office. They understood our mission. The building secretary was a tougher sell. I then scouted the location in advance to ensure everything was in order for the D-Day.
The second Abhiraj stepped into that building, everything changed. His face lit up with pure joy. With each familiar turn, the excitement grew further. He got us to take the long route, retracing the exact path he walked to work 11 years ago.
Then came the moments I hadn't anticipated. He reconnected with old building residents who still remembered the young founders from a decade ago. Some who were present there that day purely by coincidence, but they all had stories. That moment made everything worth it for me.
Abhiraj pulled out his phone, showing us photos from October 2014 when they moved in - the office opening puja, their first rental cheque, those iconic wooden panels, bench that survived 11 years. It felt surreal, to say the least
The shoot? Went completely off-script. Pure, candid emotion. Better than anything I could have planned.
Urban Company went public today. But for a few minutes last week, we got to stand in the room where it all began.