How Vishal Deshpande turned a ₹20 textbook rental idea into MoViSon, a student-first, tech-driven ecosystem focused on affordability, access, and impact in education.
At a time when engineering degrees are seen as a safety net, Vishal Deshpande chose to step away from one. Not because he lacked ambition or ability, but because he couldn’t ignore a problem staring him in the face every single day.
“I saw the real struggles of lower and middle-class students, expensive books, limited access to resources, and people dropping out not because of lack of talent, but lack of affordability,” he recalls.
That realization didn’t come with dramatic background music or a single “aha” moment. Instead, it built up quietly, semester after semester, watching classmates struggle to buy books they’d use for a few months and then discard.
What began as empathy soon turned into action and eventually into MoViSon, a student-first, tech-driven venture that aims to reduce the cost of education at scale.
Today, Vishal is the Founder and CEO of MoViSon, leading the company with the same hands-on approach that defined his early days as an engineering dropout turned entrepreneur.
Vishal’s professional background doesn’t follow a conventional résumé format. He didn’t climb corporate ladders or collect brand-name job titles. Instead, he learned business the hard way by building one.
“I started building businesses early, learned everything hands-on,” he says.
“There was no backing, no system, and no shortcut.”
Dropping out of engineering wasn’t a rebellious move; it was a practical one. Vishal had identified a real, recurring problem and believed solving it mattered more than completing a degree that didn’t align with his path.
That decision would define his approach going forward: practical, grounded, and relentlessly focused on real-world impact.
India’s education ecosystem has long struggled with affordability, but Vishal noticed a specific inefficiency others had accepted as normal.
“Engineering books are expensive, change every year, and are used only for a short period,” he explains.
“Yet students are forced to buy them.”
What made this worse was the lack of alternatives. There were sellers everywhere, but no organized, student-focused rental system powered by technology. Books were treated as one-time purchases instead of reusable assets.
“The gap was clear: high cost, low reuse, and zero accessibility,” Vishal says.
“That’s what pushed me to start.”
His first solution was almost deceptively simple: rent textbooks for ₹20.
No heavy tech. No fancy branding. Just a direct response to a painful problem.
That modest experiment would become the foundation of MoViSon.
Starting MoViSon wasn’t glamorous. Vishal began with almost no capital and no external support. Every piece of the business—sourcing books, managing inventory, convincing students, collecting returns—had to be figured out from scratch.
“The biggest challenge was trust,” he admits.
“Convincing people to rent instead of own wasn’t easy.”
Ownership had been ingrained into the student mindset for decades. Renting books felt unfamiliar, even risky. Vishal tackled this the only way he knew how: staying close to users.
“I stayed lean, tested small, learned fast, and improved step by step,” he says.
“Instead of scaling blindly, I focused on what actually worked on the ground.”
There were no shortcuts, just iteration, patience, and persistence.
Every startup has a moment when theory meets reality. For Vishal, it wasn’t a funding announcement or a press feature—it was something far more meaningful.
“The turning point was when students came back for the next semester,” he says.
“And when they recommended it to others.”
Repeat usage and word-of-mouth validation confirmed something crucial: MoViSon wasn’t just a clever idea—it had a real problem–solution fit.
“That repeated trust showed me this could scale beyond a small experiment,” Vishal explains.
“It could become a long-term business.”
From there, growth came organically. Not fueled by hype, but by usefulness.
While MoViSon began with textbook rentals, Vishal never intended to stop there. He saw books as the entry point into a much larger opportunity.
“Over time, it grew into a student-focused platform that goes beyond just books,” he says.
Today, MoViSon is building services around:
“What makes us stand out is that everything is designed from a student’s point of view,” Vishal emphasizes.
Instead of pushing products, MoViSon focuses on reducing unnecessary costs and improving access, using technology and data as enablers, not distractions.
“We’re not trying to sell more,” he adds.
“We’re trying to build a sustainable system around education.”
In an ecosystem obsessed with rapid scaling and viral growth, Vishal’s approach is refreshingly grounded.
“I focused on survival before scale,” he says.
Operating lean wasn’t a temporary phase; it was a philosophy. MoViSon grew only when the foundation was strong enough to support it.
This discipline has allowed the company to grow steadily while staying aligned with its original mission: affordability, reuse, and convenience for students.
Looking ahead, Vishal sees MoViSon evolving into something much larger than a rental platform.
“In the next five years, I see the company becoming a complete student-first business ecosystem,” he says.
Books will remain the foundation, but the structure around them will expand—connecting students with learning tools, career opportunities, and brands in ways that add value rather than interrupt.
“The goal isn’t just to scale in numbers,” Vishal explains.
“It’s impact.”
Reducing the cost of education while creating sustainable value for students, partners, and the business itself remains the north star.
Vishal doesn’t romanticize entrepreneurship. His advice is practical, earned through experience rather than theory.
“Focus on solving a real problem,” he says.
“Keep your life lean, and build something that can survive without hype.”
He believes consistency matters more than raw talent, and patience matters more than speed.
His personal mantra captures his approach perfectly:
“Plan, analyze, action, repeat.”
“Stay disciplined, improve every cycle, and let results speak for you,” he adds.
Despite leading a growing company, Vishal remains deeply connected to the students he serves. That closeness—born from lived experience—is what gives MoViSon its edge.
His journey is a reminder that impactful businesses don’t always start with big capital or big names. Sometimes, they start with a ₹20 solution and a founder willing to listen.
If Vishal Deshpande’s journey resonated with you, here are ways to follow his work and connect with MoViSon:
I am an entrepreneur, marketer, and mentor with a certification in entrepreneurship from IIT Delhi, one of the most prestigious institutions in India. I have a passion for connecting businesses with their ideal customers, solving real-world problems, and inspiring the next generation of founders.I founded and lead DevoByte, a digital marketing agency that provides a range of services, from SEO a
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