At first glance, Illumeably Media doesn’t come across as a traditional media company. The name itself becomes a tongue twister for most people but chances are that you’ve watched a video or read an article by Illumeably. Today it is ranked in the top 500 news sites of the world and generates 7 figure revenue. Just like its name, the story behind the conception of Illumeably is unconventional.
What today is a renowned name in creating motivational video content across Facebook and YouTube, was once an escape from the rut of a 9-5 job. Illumeably was founded by Rishi Jethi in 2017 when after graduating with a degree in computer science, Rishi was struggling to find purpose and direction. Up until this point, Rishi’s life had been full of risks and if he knew anything about himself, the safe option was just not for him.
Hailing from a conservative Indian household, Rishi had to bear the burden of his parents’ expectations. Rishi became a high school dropout knowing full well that in a family setup like his, anything less than a Grade A was unpardonable. He was trailing an uncharted territory for most Indian kids but he was not about to live a less than exciting life. He remembered how his mom broke down in the principal’s office thinking about his future. Even though he didn’t know what future had in store for him, he assured her that he would figure it out and come to a decision that would be best for him.
A couple of months later, Rishi bagged an engineering internship and shortly after that, he was accepted into University of California, Berkeley, the number 1 public university in the world. Rishi wasn’t supposed to be at any of these places and yet, he was able to push above his weight and break out of the mold regardless of how tough the situations got.
So when he graduated from Berkeley, these were the very things he reflected upon while making a career choice. In his heart he knew his story could make a difference and inspire those who were crowded by hopelessness about the future. Something inside him told he needed to make a video about how perseverance helps in overcoming any hurdles that life throws at us. The morning after posting the video on Facebook, Rishi found out that it was viewed by over 5 million people and shared more than 100,000 times.
The numbers were way beyond Rishi’s expectations and immediately a light bulb went off making him realize his real purpose. With the last $500 he had saved from his internship, he founded a media company that revolved around the simple purpose of uplifting others and bringing light into their life. Today Rishi Jethi creates unique content not just for his website but also for his YouTube channel where he features path-breaking stories of people who went above and beyond to do the right thing. His content has become a daily dose of motivation for millions of people across the globe.
He was so moved by this idea that when it came time for him to decide on a name, he wanted to incorporate the word “illuminate”. That is how Illumeably came into existence, bearing the prefix “illume” and the idea of illuminating the lives of others.
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