About me

“True entrepreneurship isn’t just about building unicorns—it’s about empowering the dreamers in India’s heartland to create sustainable livelihoods and lasting impact.”

My Story: From Corporate Dreams to Bharat’s Ground Reality

I grew up in Odisha, chasing the same dream as many middle-class kids: corporate success, foreign degrees, and Silicon Valley glory.

Life had other plans.

But in 2015, while building Classystreet, my e-commerce venture in handloom sarees, I discovered something bigger:

• India’s most resilient entrepreneurs were not in Bangalore’s tech parks, but in Sambalpur’s handloom villages, Gujarat’s cotton fields, and Varanasi’s silk workshops.

• These artisans were running profitable, sustainable businesses for generations, yet lacked access to digital markets.

• What they needed wasn’t VC capital—it was digital storytelling, e-commerce access, and market linkages.

That realization changed my mission: from chasing unicorns to building Bharat-first entrepreneurship frameworks.

My Mission: Democratizing Entrepreneurship Across Bharat

Vision: Make entrepreneurship accessible, understandable, and achievable for every Indian dreamer—regardless of geography, English fluency, or background.

Core Pillars:

• Local Wisdom, Global Reach – Helping artisans, farmers, and small businesses go digital

• Tier 2/3 City Innovation – Spotlighting founders outside metros

• Vernacular Entrepreneurship – Empowering Hindi, Tamil, Bengali, Odia-speaking entrepreneurs

• Sustainability over Unicorns – Profit-first, valuation-second growth

• Community-Led Models – Businesses rooted in trust, tradition, and relationships

My Work: Where Bharat Meets Business

1. As NITI Aayog Mentor for Change

Over the years, I have had the privilege of mentoring thousands of students across Atal Tinkering Labs in Odisha, guiding them to transform raw ideas into structured innovations.

In addition, I have worked with hundreds of ITI students under Skill Odisha, helping them understand entrepreneurship, digital tools, and pathways to self-employment.

I have also collaborated with Tata Trusts, mentoring 300+ tribal women artisans in Jajpur, Odisha to adopt digital storytelling and expand their markets.

Furthermore, in partnership with the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) under the Ministry of Commerce, Government of India, I have trained hundreds of exporters on building sustainable global business strategies.

Through initiatives with the MSME Department, Government of Odisha, I have supported hundreds of artisans and small entrepreneurs in digitising their businesses, strengthening supply chains, and creating sustainable livelihoods.

Beyond these structured programs, I continue to guide individual founders—such as a Tamil Nadu agri-tech entrepreneur who successfully raised institutional funding, and a Gujarati textile innovator who built a sustainable supply chain spanning 50+ villages.

2. Founder of Classystreet

• 200+ artisan partners across 15 states

• ₹1+ Crore direct artisan income generated

• 2,000+ crafts preserved & promoted globally

• Zero Middleman Model ensuring artisans earn directly

3. Webverbal – Democratizing Business Knowledge

Webverbal fills the gap left by metro-centric, English-heavy startup content.

• Experience-Based: Lessons from failures & successes, not just theory

• Local Context: Insights rooted in Bharat’s consumer behavior

• Accessible: Business knowledge explained in simple, relatable terms

• Community: Building peer-learning circles for founders

My Writing Philosophy

Every article on Webverbal carries real-world learnings from Bharat’s founders.

Expect to find:

• Unfiltered Founder Stories – struggles + solutions

• Bharat Market Insights – Tier 2/3 consumer behavior, cultural nuances

• Practical Frameworks – models tested in Indian conditions

• Personal Reflections – balancing growth, failure, and inner clarity

Why Bharat Needs Its Own Entrepreneurship Framework

The Silicon Valley playbook doesn’t work everywhere in India.

• Cultural Context: Trust > transactions; family-driven decisions

• Market Realities: Digital divide, infrastructure gaps, language barriers

• Success Metrics: Profitability, livelihoods created, and community impact > fundraising

Webverbal’s Evolution

We’re expanding into a Bharat-first entrepreneurial ecosystem:

• Vernacular content in Hindi, Tamil, Bengali, Odia

• Founder mentorship circles

• Local market research reports

• Partnership networks for Tier 2/3 startups

• Upcoming platform: MyBrandPitch → tools for grassroots founders to craft brand stories

Quick Facts About Me 

• Full Name: Debansh Das Sharma

• Experience: 10+ years as entrepreneur & mentor

• Roles: Founder (Classystreet, Webverbal, MyBrandPitch), NITI Aayog Mentor for Change

• Impact: 200+ artisans, 300+ mentees, 2000+ crafts preserved

• Expertise Areas: Bharat entrepreneurship, handloom sector, digital transformation, grassroots innovation

• Languages: English, Hindi, Odia, learning Tamil

• Media Mentions / Collaborations: Tata Trusts, NITI Aayog programs, grassroots entrepreneurship initiatives