Rohan Mukherji is a serial entrepreneur and community builder who believes in execution, trust, and helping founders grow through curiosity and action.
"Can you build something that would help people, make people's lives a little bit better?"
For Rohan Mukherji, the road to entrepreneurship began not with grand ambition, but with a simple question. A curiosity. A desire to solve something small, meaningful, and deeply human — how can you press a button and play sports with friends nearby?
That early question evolved into a six-year startup journey, a pilot with Manchester United, and eventually a career dedicated to helping others build. But beneath it all lies a consistent thread: a belief in doing work that matters — and in doing it alongside others who care.
Rohan’s first leap came at UC Santa Barbara, where Zimride (now Lyft) opened his eyes to peer-powered transportation. Inspired, he left his engineering degree behind and co-founded IBreathe Sports.
“We were the early users and drivers of Zimride... We just started building a company we felt would be useful.”
IBreathe wasn’t just about technology. It was about creating connection — getting people off their screens and onto the field. Along the way, the startup secured high-profile partnerships and laid the foundation for Rohan’s core philosophy: help people, execute relentlessly, and adapt fast.
Startups, for Rohan, are less about the dream of riches and more about the richness of building.
“It’s just balancing the desire of guaranteed cash with the benefits of launching products you can use yourself and feel happy about.”
He turned down big tech offers after Carnegie Mellon, choosing instead the messy, unpolished world of zero-to-one. That choice came with tradeoffs — financial uncertainty, emotional strain — but it also brought growth.
“The happiness comes from action... The ‘E’ in ‘CEO’ stands for execution.”