Letting Go With Clarity: A Founder Reflects on DrWheelz, Rotto, and What Comes Next

 Some business decisions are measured in numbers.

Others are measured in silence, clarity, and timing.

When Rotto acquired DrWheelz, it marked more than a strategic move in India’s evolving mobility ecosystem. For founder Balaji Mohan, it was a deeply personal transition—one that came with gratitude, restraint, and the understanding that sometimes the most founder-like decision is knowing when to step aside.

In this conversation, he reflects on building his first startup from scratch, the lessons that only on-ground execution can teach, and why this transition allows him to focus fully on his next venture, RoamPrime.

1.⁠ ⁠DrWheelz has just been acquired by Rotto. How are you personally processing this transition, given that this was your first startup? 

It’s been emotional, honestly. DrWheelz was my first real build—where I learned what it means to stay with a problem long after the excitement fades. Letting it move on feels less like closing a business chapter and more like allowing something you deeply care about to grow beyond you. There’s gratitude, pride, and a quiet pause before moving forward. 

2. You’ve described this moment as an emotional one rather than just a business outcome. What made letting go particularly difficult—and meaningful—for you?

 When you build something from scratch, it carries your decisions, mistakes, and belief systems. Letting go is difficult because it’s personal. But it’s meaningful because it signals trust that the foundation is strong enough to stand without you holding it every day.

3. From building DrWheelz over the years, what were the most important lessons that only real on-ground execution could teach you? 

That reality is always harsher—and more honest—than planning. On-ground execution teaches humility. It teaches you that customers don’t care about intent, only outcomes. Most importantly, it shows you that consistency beats brilliance every single time.

4. Many founders struggle with the decision of when to step aside and let a company grow beyond them. How did you arrive at that clarity in this case? 

Clarity came when I realised that holding on was no longer adding value. Sometimes, to run faster, you have to shed your antlers. This transition wasn’t about walking away—it was about stepping aside so the company could move forward with greater speed and scale.

5. How does Rotto provide the right environment for DrWheelz to scale further, compared to continuing independently? 

Rotto brings a strong technology backbone and a clear focus on speed and systems. DrWheelz brings years of operational learning. Together, the combination allows the service to scale more efficiently than it could have independently. That alignment gave me confidence.

6. This transition has also allowed you to sharpen your focus on RoamPrime. What problem in the used two-wheeler market compelled you to go all in on it? 

The used two-wheeler market suffers from a deep trust deficit—around quality, pricing, and ownership transfer. It’s fragmented and largely unstructured. RoamPrime exists to bring clarity, transparency, and process into a space that affects millions of everyday commuters.

7. In what ways have your experiences with DrWheelz directly influenced how you are building RoamPrime differently from day one? 

DrWheelz taught me that technology must serve operations, not the other way around. At RoamPrime, we’ve built systems around inspection quality, inventory aging, and ownership transfer from day one—because those are the real pain points customers feel, not the ones founders imagine.

8. Trust and transparency are recurring challenges in the used mobility space. How is RoamPrime addressing these gaps at a structural level? 

By standardising what’s traditionally subjective. We focus on documented inspections, clear pricing logic, faster ownership transfer, and internal tools that track inventory health. Trust isn’t built through claims—it’s built through systems that remove ambiguity.

9. Looking back, what advice would you give first-time founders who are emotionally attached to what they build but also want to think long term? 

Attachment is natural, but ownership shouldn’t become identity. Build with care, but don’t hold so tightly that growth gets constrained. Sometimes the most founder-like decision is knowing when to step aside.

10. As you enter this next chapter, what does success look like for you personally—beyond valuation or scale? 

Success is building something that genuinely solves a problem, creates dignity for the people working within it, and earns customer trust over time. If that’s intact, scale and valuation eventually follow.

Editors Note: This interview is part of our ongoing series on founders navigating transitions, focus, and long-term value creation.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

RoamPrime: https://www.roamprime.in/

Balaji Mohan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/balaji-mohan-2b617a4a/