‘There is gold in your data’ – 40 quotes from Indian startup journeys

From design to data, witness the memorable journey of Indian entrepreneurship in these excerpts and stories! StoryBites is a weekly feature from YourStory, featuring notable quotable quotes in our articles of this past week (see the previous post here). Share these 40 gems and insights from the week of October 9-16 with your colleagues and networks, and check back to the original articles for more insights.

It isn’t necessary to be the first in the market or the one with the deepest pockets. What is important is that is there a market for what you are building! - Bhavin Turakhia, Directi

Celebrate the diversity rather than fearing about it. - Ishaan Sethi, Delta

Virtual workforces are the way forward even in regular and permanent roles. - Amit Dua, Signity

Taming free-flowing rivers by building massive dams poses a threat to the rivers, the ecology, and the communities that live by them. - Amita Bhaduri, India Water Portal

Hydropower is seen as clean in terms of air pollution, but the ecological impact of any dam on a river is immense, irreparable and long lasting. - Debadityo Sinha

Riverbank erosion must be classified as a disaster. Currently, it is not and the affected population is not entitled to get any relief through compensation. - Sayanangshu Modak, Ecological Security

There is a huge gap between the research labs and the farmers’ fields. - Vijay Kumar Mani, I Support Farming

Even the poorest farmer in the remotest village in India should also get an opportunity to look at a book, and be able to afford one. - Akshaya Routray and Satabdi Mishra, Walking BookFairs

Medical tech is a very tricky space to be in. The quality has to be the best in the world, while the cost has to be affordable. - Prasanth Perugupalli, Spectral Insights

India is set to become the third biggest solar market globally in 2017 and is expected overtake Japan. - India Solar Handbook 2017

As bikes have been commonplace in India, riders have swiftly embraced the option to book a motorbike ride via the Uber app. - Chan Park, Uber

In the case of 3D graphics, the production value of the game and the medium are co-dependant – the only entertainment medium of this kind in the world. - Jensen Huang, Nvidia

It’s raining chatbots. Chatbots don’t ask for raises and can give good customer experience in real-time at scale. - Animesh Samuel, Light Information Systems

There is gold in your data. Let the insights drive your strategies and execution. - Mayank Reddy, Manthan

Wallets is the new king of fintech, resulting in the death of payment banks. - Bipin Preet Singh, MobiKwik

You have to be light on assets because you can outsource manufacturing and delivery. - Krishna Mehra, Taro

The transportation and mobility industries are seeing huge changes globally. - Bhavish Aggarwal, Ola

Back in 2013, $5.14 billion was our one-day GMV. Now we can achieve it in one hour. - Daniel Zhang, Alibaba

The fear of incapability in managing the fear sometimes eats up an individual. - Shiva Raman Pandey, eWellness Expert

Grace is the one extra step that great leaders take to help solve a situation today but for the impact to last for a long time. - Suruchi Maitra, UnitedLex

While technology has transformed many a corporate process, purchasing activities have remained static. - Asokan Sattanathan, Aahaa Stores

Brands have the advantage of creating disproportionate value. - Mahesh Lingareddy, Smartron

Voice is the easiest technology to use to democratise internet and apps usage. - Satish Gupta, Slang Labs

If you have a purpose which is bigger than you, all your problems will become tiny. - Keshav Sharma, ‘Rewire for Massive Success’

Frontier tech startups are surely one of the places with potential for growth in the future. - Varsha Tagare, Qualcomm Ventures India

In an industry where competition is tough, it is extremely essential to keep evolving to stay ahead of the curve. - Zorawar Kalra

Idea is money. – Vikash Jaiswal, Gametion

Creativity and logical thinking have to go hand in hand. - Nabhojit Ghosh, 48East

For financial institutions to meet the evolving financial demands of the 21st century and ensure compliance, fintech partnerships are the way forward. - Sundararajan S, i-exceed

For professionals with a significant level of expertise and higher-level cognitive skills such as doctors and accountants, AI will play a big role in enhancing the job, rather than replacing it. - Joy Parekh, Imarticus Learning

India is witnessing a heightened interest in Blockchain technology across sectors. – JA Chowdary, IT Advisor, AP

When we talk about the gap in the training scenario, despite engineering and MBA degrees, young employees find it difficult to solve problems in ambiguous situations. - Kunal Gupta, TinkerLabs

Wallets are now mainstream. Hence, a wallet will be at par with any bank account as money transfers become more simplified. - Sanjay Swamy, Prime Venture Partners

While companies start small and go on to prove themselves, they also need the support of large companies to go to the next level. - Reggie Bradford, Oracle

Art is the easiest way to start a conversation, share knowledge and spur learning. - Bhushan Bagadia

Till the human soul is alive, folk music will flourish. - Abhinav Agrawal, Anahad Foundation

Technology has infiltrated every space, right from aerospace to healthcare to banking. – Priyank Kharge, IT Minister, Karnataka

The need to learn Mandarin is at its peak now. - Shraddha P Kumar, YRCA

For startups to be successful, it has to ‘Think global and act local’. - Srinivas Prasad, Philips

The choice between stability and passion depends on each person’s risk appetite and willingness to persevere. - Benaazir Mukherjee, Mood Swings

YourStory has also published the pocketbook ‘Proverbs and Quotes for Entrepreneurs: A World of Inspiration for Startups’ as a creative and motivational guide for innovators (downloadable as apps here: Apple, Android).