A Delhi-Bengaluru flight turned into an unforgettable moment for a Bengaluru entrepreneur when a fellow passenger - a pilot - unexpectedly recognised his startup. Udayan Walvekar, founder and CEO of GrowthX, a social learning platform for growth leaders, shared the story on X, calling it a true "small world" moment.
Mr Walvekar said he was on the flight when a pilot sat next to him. Midway through the journey, she asked if she could borrow a book he wasn't reading. That simple request sparked a conversation that led to a surprising revelation - before becoming a pilot, she had worked at hedge fund DE Shaw.
Her background instantly piqued Mr Walvekar's interest. As he explained what GrowthX does, she interrupted, saying, "I don't know why, but I've heard of something like this before." She then asked, "Do you folks do some kind of a retreat?"
When Mr Walvekar confirmed that GrowthX hosts an annual offsite, she went further, "Was it in Goa? Like 200 people? Two months ago?"
Mr Walvekar was floored. "Yes... how do you know?" he asked.
The pilot then revealed that she had met some GrowthX members at an airport, where they spoke about the retreat.
"She smiled and said she had met some of our members at the airport. They were headed to the offsite. She spoke to them and got curious about what we do, that's when the members explained what GrowthX is," Mr Walvekar wrote.
"What a small world," he added.
As their conversation continued, the pilot gave Mr Walvekar an insight into the world of aviation - describing the intricacies of flying a 200-ton aircraft at 40,000 feet, the layers of redundancies that ensure safety, and the continuous training that pilots undergo even when they're not in the cockpit.
The entrepreneur was particularly impressed by the pilot's "quiet confidence" and the energy of someone deeply dedicated to their craft.
He concluded his post, writing, "First Officer 'A'-if you're reading this, I hope you get that fourth stripe soon. Rooting for you!"
Was flying back from Delhi to Bangalore today. A pilot sat next to me. Mid flight, I was working and she asked if she could borrow a book I wasn't reading. One thing led to another, and we started chatting.
— Udayan Walvekar (@udayan_w) March 22, 2025
Turns out, she was at the hedge fund DE Shaw before becoming a pilot—…
Founded in 2019 by Udayan Walvekar and Abhishek Patil, GrowthX helps professionals and founders learn how to build and scale businesses in India by providing structured learning programmes, frameworks, and insights.
It began as a response to a critical gap in India's startup ecosystem. This February, GrowthX partnered with Zero1, Zerodha's media network, to help more people learn how to build and grow businesses in India.
