Suchit Dash of Dubsmash, Reddit Talks Entrepreneurial Resilience at Farley Class

Dash emphasized the importance of optimism and endurance during an interactive talk

For entrepreneurs, there often comes a point — or many points — when the odds are stacked against their idea. Some entrepreneurs will take the option to shut down completely. Others will pivot, push forward, and persevere.

Suchit Dash (BSE ’07), cofounder and president of Dubsmash and vice president of video at Reddit, has been through many turning points during his time leading Dubsmash. Since the short-form video app launched in 2014, it made a viral explosion to popularity — hitting 1 million users in 27 days — and in 2020 was acquired by Reddit. The make-or-break quality that got him through these turning points? Resiliency.

During the Farley Center class Entrepreneurial Endurance, Leadership and Mindest on November 11, taught by professors Billy Banks and Trish Thomas, Dash gave a presentation about the importance of resiliency in entrepreneurial success. He shared real scenarios from his journey at Dubsmash — and asked students to reflect at certain points about how they, if they were in his shoes, would make decisions along the way.

The interactive format encouraged students to pause 10 times during Dash’s presentation, consider a crossroads, and choose a path forward from options A, B, or C. The students and Dash talked about why they chose options at each turning point and discussed how their decisions might impact the company’s success.

“Entrepreneurs need to know how to bounce back, and bounce forward, and Suchit’s stories resonated with everyone," Thomas said. "We were all on the edge of our seats as we listened to his amazing journey. Suchit has bounced higher than anyone I know.”

Though the exercise gave students a look inside the mind of an entrepreneur, Dash reminded students that entrepreneurs rarely have the luxury of surveying a group of advisers at every crossroads.

“Being an entrepreneur is pretty lonely,” Dash said. “You don’t have a classroom you can poll. You have to be instinctual, and you have to take care of yourself.

“Entrepreneurship is a brutal marathon. Your mindset is the only thing you can control.”

Dash ended his talk by sharing important lessons he learned and giving advice to students who are considering embarking on their own entrepreneurial journeys.

“You have to be irrationally optimistic to keep going. You have to believe good is around the corner, even if the odds are stacked against you,” Dash said.