New horizons of entrepreneurship: Insights from Pankaj Bansal

No two horizons ever tell the same tale. One may speak of endings, another of beginnings, and some of the courage it takes to imagine what lies beyond. For some, leadership isn’t about clinging on forever. It is about reading those horizons, remaining inquisitive, learning on the go, and having faith in the process. 

"Zindagi mein jo bhi seekha, woh raste mein seekha (all of the knowledge I have gained has come from my experiences),” says Pankaj Bansal, co-founder of PeopleStrong and one of the early champions of India’s HR tech industry, while reflecting on building companies, creating categories, and shaping Bharat’s future of work. 

In an exclusive Humanscope episode, People Matters CEO Pushkar Bidwai sat down with Pankaj on his journey from starting businesses to creating an industry, to now influencing the job revolution in Bharat, and how his ideology has influenced his career path.

In entrepreneurship, “jo ubhra so doob gaya, jo dooba so paar” — the ones who float often sink, while the ones who dive deep eventually find shore. Here are some insights from this podcast conversation.

When HR wasn’t an industry — Yet

When Pankaj and Shelly co-founded PeopleStrong, HR wasn’t even recognised as an industry in India. It was dismissed as a cluster of small placement firms and training outfits. Surprisingly, a trip to the US showed that there were listed HR firms with sales comparable to those of Reliance Industries.

“We said, why not in India?” Pankaj recalls. The dream wasn’t just to build a company but to build an entire category.

But the decision wasn’t purely professional. “My sister wasn’t married, my son was young, my father was retiring, and I was broke,” he says. What kept him going was the belief that HR deserved to be seen as a serious industry, and the support of friends who told him, go for it, Pankaj, you can do it.

The highs, the lows, and the surrender in between

Asked whether entrepreneurs should leap with naïve optimism or plan with precision, Pankaj doesn’t hesitate: “Have a business plan, have a partner. Resilience comes from people around you.” He recalls three defining moments:

1. Running out of cash yet choosing to celebrate with his team, only to see funds arrive the next morning.

2. A painful split with a co-founder, proving that even spiritual bonds can fray under pressure.

3. Losing Shelly to cancer was a personal and professional blow that forged deeper strength.

“These moments taught me surrender,” he says. “You’re not the doer. Something higher drives things.” 

The courage to be vulnerable

Do entrepreneurs today allow themselves to be vulnerable? Pankaj thinks so. At least the best ones. He shares how colleagues once told him, bluntly, “We don’t like this egoistic Pankaj.” The feedback stung, but kept him grounded. “Surround yourself with people who can punch you with love,” he says. 

For him, service is honour (“Khidmat cheyazmat”) and leadership is not about ego but about serving others. Whether it's helping team members buy homes, designing HR systems for India’s biggest companies, or supporting the Prime Minister’s Office in confidential projects, Pankaj measures success not in valuation but in impact.

Beyond B2B and B2C: A human-to-human lens

As AI and automation accelerate, Pankaj feels that businesses aren’t B2B or B2C but rather human-to-human. Pankaj challenged the obsession with killing competitors: “If your focus is to kill your opponent, you’re on the wrong path. Focus on your vision.”

He points to Microsoft’s reinvention, from a company once feared to one now loved, as proof that corporations thrive when they put people at the heart of decisions.

“You can win by building a good mousetrap or by creating a great destination. I’ll always choose the destination,” Pankaj says. In the long run, businesses are remembered not for the traps they set, but for the value and trust they create.

Every ending is a new beginning

As the conversation drew to a close, Pankaj’s journey showed that entrepreneurship was not only about valuations or exits but about vision, resilience, and service. Building companies and even entire industries isn’t a one-time milestone but an ongoing responsibility.

In an age swept up by AI, automation, and the noise of disruption, his reminder rang clear: the future was never about outpacing rivals or chasing valuations. It was about shaping ecosystems where people, businesses, and ideas could rise together. That was the revolution Bharat truly needed, and the one he had set out to build. And just as no horizon ever truly stops the sky, Pankaj’s story reminded us that what seems like an end is only the start of another chapter. 

Watch the full episode on People Matters YouTube Channel.

Our new podcast series, Humanscope explores the journeys of extraordinary individuals who challenge norms, seize opportunities, and lead with purpose, shaping workplaces and communities for the better.