These Guwahati pals built Rs 40 crore business with college project in just 4 years, got rejected 30 times

Three college friends decided they would not join the job market after graduating. They thought their path to success would go through innovation. They were right. They worked for six months in their college's science lab and came up with a product that has made them millionaires. Their company Zerund Manufacturing Private Limited was started with a paltry sum of Rs 20 lakh four years ago, now it has grown leaps and bounds to be valued at Rs 40 crore. This is the story of David Gogoi and his two friends Mausam Taluqdaar and Rupam Chowdhary.

The trio were civil engineering students. Three years ago, they were completely broke. Their project was being rejected. But they didn't lose hope or confidence in their product.

David said one of his professors had told them the construction industry is devoid of innovation. They decided to make an eco-friendly brick made from waste material. It took them 6 months to come up with the desired product. After college they invested themselves in building their business, Dainik Bhaskar reported.

Their brick is special. It is 15 percent cheaper than the regular brick and keeps the home cool. They are thinner than the traditional bricks. They are made with ash, cement, limestone and plastic. They are mostly made up of waste materials. 

They told the daily that their financial condition was very poor when they started the company. They used to use a beat up scooter. They had only Rs 75,000 to build the company. They were rejected 30 times by potential investors. Then a venture capitalist gave them Rs 20 lakh. 

The main idea behind their business was that the demand for construction would never diminish. 

David said they had made two visiting cards for themselves -- one showed them as the company directors, other as salesmen. 

They want to sell licenses to various other companies.