'Just Sit Yourself Down And Meditate': This Ex-Google Exec Raised $92 Million With Support From Sundar Pichai And Sequoia Capital India

Caesar Sengupta knows what it feels like to jump from a corporate empire into complete uncertainty. He spent 15 years at Google, where he led major products like Google Pay and helped launch the company's Next Billion Users initiative. Then he walked away to start something of his own: Arta Finance.

Since its launch in 2021, Arta has raised over $92 million in funding, with backing from Sequoia Capital India, Ribbit Capital, and Google CEO Sundar Pichai, CNBC says. But for Sengupta, the biggest win has been learning how to keep his mind clear in a high-stakes world.

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Startup Pressure Made Him Rethink How He Operates

Leaving Google meant giving up structure and replacing it with volatility. In a corporate environment, risk feels managed, even distributed across departments and leadership, but startups offer no such safety net, Sengupta told CNBC.

At a startup, Sengupta said, "you're just much more fragile." He described the mental rollercoaster that hits when launching a startup later in life. Some days you feel energized, other days you wonder what mistake you made, he explained.

Sengupta said the pressure affects not just work, but also personal well-being, touching areas like health, family, and identity. He described how easy it is to get "completely drawn in" to the point where mental clarity disappears and physical health declines. According to CNBC, those challenges ultimately pushed him to reflect on his routines and adopt habits that help him reset, including what he now describes as his greatest edge: meditation.

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Sengupta Uses Meditation As a Survival Skill

"There's so much noise in the world," Sengupta told CNBC, pointing out that founders get pulled in every direction unless they learn how to filter.

He told CNBC he wishes someone had told him sooner to meditate. "Dude, like everything else [will] be fine. Just sit yourself down and meditate," he recalled thinking after discovering the practice. Now, he tries to sit quietly for five to ten minutes each evening, using that time to reset his mind and energy before another full day.

Meditation is not always still, he explained. Sengupta says cycling is one of the only times he truly feels unreachable, free from notifications, meetings, or any demand for his attention. “So forcing myself to be on that thing for an hour or two just makes me meditate," he told CNBC.

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His Business Is Built on Wealth, But His Mindset Is Built on Stillness

Arta Finance wants to give middle-class professionals access to financial strategies that were once limited to high-net-worth investors. According to its website, users from leading global companies, including Google, Stripe, Meta (NASDAQ:META), and Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), use the platform to access curated investment opportunities across private and public markets.

Arta Finance says it also integrates advanced AI to deliver personalized insights and automated portfolio guidance. Members can explore structured products, public equities, and private alternatives while receiving support from a global community of vetted investors and experts.

As Arta Finance expands its reach, Sengupta continues to emphasize the importance of meditation as a foundational practice that helps him stay grounded amid the unpredictability of startup life. As he told CNBC, filtering out distractions and maintaining mental clarity is critical for navigating the challenges entrepreneurs face daily.

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