From flunking classes to flipping failures, Jatin Ahuja’s story is not your typical entrepreneurial tale. In this raw and riveting TEDx talk, he shares how he broke out of the repetitive patterns of life, built a food empire from scratch, lost it all, and rose again—stronger and smarter. After the rise and fall of Uncle Jack’s, betrayal from a close partner, and watching his 100-crore dream dissolve into debt, Jatin didn’t give up. He rewrote his destiny by founding the JAY Foundation—a 250-crore conglomerate that stands as a testament to resilience and reinvention. This is a story for every black sheep out there—the ones who never quite fit in but are destined to stand out. Ankush Arora is the founder of Uncle Jack’s, a widely loved American-themed quick-service restaurant chain that started in Chandigarh in 2016. Drawing inspiration from the street food culture of New York, the brand became known for its gourmet burgers, loaded fries, freak shakes, and creative presentation — including fries served in jars and pop-culture-inspired menu items. What began as a small venture with an investment of ₹2 lakh quickly scaled into a multi-crore business. Under Ankush’s leadership, Uncle Jack’s expanded to over 20 outlets across Punjab, Haryana, and Delhi, with ambitions to cross 100 stores nationwide. An electrical engineer by education, Ankush also studied marketing and business management at Harvard Summer School. His sharp sense of branding, focus on quality, and deep understanding of consumer trends have helped position Uncle Jack’s as one of India’s most exciting homegrown food brands. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx