For many aspiring entrepreneurs, the transition from employee to CEO can be scary. But for QUEST Cohort 34 alum Hrithik Bansal, it was a natural evolution to move from freelancing to starting his own software development firm, Premier Pixel. I had the opportunity to speak with Bansal, the founder of a new startup, Premier Pixel. Reflecting on his journey, Bansal shared how he transitioned from working with his previous employer to launching his own company, bringing some of the existing customers along. “I knew I wanted to do something on my own. It evolved from me being a freelancer to growing my team. I wanted to learn more and gain managerial experience,” Bansal explained.

Premier Pixel provides tech services, helping companies optimize their workflows and overcome operational challenges. In his own words, “I go to companies and ask about their bottlenecks—what issues they feel need to be solved. It’s about recognizing what resources you have, understanding what the customer wants, and aligning incentives so that it works for everyone.” Bansal also highlighted a common misconception in the tech industry. “Everyone thinks AI is the solution to everything, but there are teams struggling with basic processes—some don’t even know how to use Excel or there’s no consistency in their work.” Premier Pixel works with clients across various industries from property management to tech firms.

Bansal’s long-term vision is to develop a new tech product that addresses these business challenges. “I want to create something unique, innovative, and product-based,” he said. His current experiences are helping him identify the right market needs. “The market responds to what it needs—you have to be in tune with that and stay flexible,” Bansal noted. “I need to find a problem by talking to people and understanding their pain points. Hopefully, that problem is widespread enough to build a viable business while solving it.”

Bansal credited QUEST for shaping his problem-solving approach. “From a QUEST perspective, it’s all about talking to customers, identifying their problems, conducting interviews, and doing primary research. You use all that information to figure out how to provide value,” he said. He also emphasized the benefits of hands-on experience: “When you’ve worked with companies as a consultant in college, you learn how to analyze problems and develop solutions using data-driven insights.”

For current QUEST students—especially those interested in startups—Bansal offered key advice: “You have to be fully committed to your idea. In a startup, the product depends on you showing up every day. Your work directly impacts the customer experience. You have to invest a lot of time, and to do that right, you need to be genuinely excited about its success. Ultimately, incentives align—the product’s growth is the company’s growth, which is your growth as well.”

Thanks to Hrithik Bansal for sharing his insights with us and best of luck with Premier Pixel!