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Meditation Retreat Led Ex-JPMorgan Associate to Take 70% Pay Cut and Build Tartan, Raising $6 Million

He now measures success by daily satisfaction rather than titles or large salaries.

Overview

  • Meet Semlani said a 10-day silent retreat gave him the clarity to quit JPMorgan, and he left in February 2018.
  • He took about a 70% pay cut to join a startup serving international students, pared back expenses, and lived with his parents.
  • He was laid off in late 2019 as that startup struggled to raise funds, shortly before the COVID-19 lockdowns.
  • He used that period to cofound Tartan, which he describes as a data-infrastructure platform.
  • He says Tartan has raised more than $6 million from global investors, and the journey reshaped his definition of success.