‘In the word entrepreneurship, E is for empathy’ – 60 quotes from Indian startup journeys

From empathy to excellence, 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 60 gems and insights from the week of January 15-21 with your colleagues and networks, and check back to the original articles for more insights.

Building a company is larger than just raising money and cashing out. - Kavin Bharti Mittal, Hike Messenger

Companies compete not only for customers but more importantly for capital. There will be consolidation for companies that cannot raise money. - Sajid Fazalbhoy, Blume Ventures

The universe falls in love with a stubborn heart! What you wish for always comes true if you work hard for it. - Vandana Sharma, StartupPeopleConsulting

A good entrepreneur is like a pro-surfer. – Shishir Gupta, Oakter

No analysis of a startup can be complete without a serious look at the passion that drives the team. - Sushanto Mitra, Lead Angel Networks

Learn where your passion is and where your passion and talent meet the world’s needs. – Melinda Gates

Don’t do it for the money, do it for the passion and love. - Kubra Sait, comedian

Passion without competence can be a dead end. – Pavan Soni

It is important to keep educating oneself, in order to learn and grow. - Monika Manchanda, Sin-a-Mon Tales

The ability to learn is the most important quality a leader can have. – Sheryl Sandberg

With practical work experiences, you can translate learning into habits that will make you a true professional. - Iyinoluwa Aboyeji, Flutterwave

Don’t just say smart facts. Give a story and interweave the facts into the story. Be a writer and not just smart. – James Altucher

You need communication skills because the idea behind the startup is to be able to showcase something new to the world. - Divyandhu Poddar, Rocketeers

Business models can have a very big impact on the valuation of a firm. - Uday Phadke and Shailendra Vyakarnam, ‘Camels, Tigers and Unicorns’

The government cannot fix healthcare by itself, it needs technology, innovation and private entrepreneurs to lead this change. - Prashant Tandon, 1mg

It is always good to work with people who make you feel insecure about yourself. That way, you will constantly keep pushing your limits. – Sundar Pichai, Google

Many municipalities have realised that private players need to be incorporated for running an efficient waste management system. - Jabir Karat, Green Worms

You can’t be on the cusp of innovation and at the forefront of technology if you’re wearing blinders. - Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX

Security for gated-premises is a multi-billion market that is fundamentally underserved. - Vijay Arisetty myGate

Nothing guarantees customers satisfaction as much as getting to see the product before buying it, and for that, having a physical store is the best bet. - Nishant Makkar, MPC

The past does not belong to us. It is not acceptable to simply demolish our architectural history. - Jyotsna Habibullah, Daan Utsav

Commercial spaces also have a duty to become cultural spaces. – Sumi Gupta, Whitefield Art Collective

The most common concern among potential online shoppers is data loss. - Shivananda Koteshwar, Sparsha Learning

$1 out of every $4 dollars generated from app stores, in-app ads and mobile commerce is generated by the Chinese market. - App Annie

Aim for the sky, but move slowly, enjoying every step along the way. - Chanda Kochhar, ICICI Bank

There are no boring brands; there are only tired brand managers. – Lucas Watson, Intuit

Creativity and innovation should be at the heart of every business. - Prabhakar Mundkur , HGS Interactive

Finance and business growth have a symbiotic relationship. - Marc Steifman, InMobi

Nudges should be clearly communicated to an audience, non-compulsory, and be advantageous to both the “nudgee” and “nudger”. - Kiara Feliz, Unitus Seed Fund

Everyone wants to control the big things. But you need to control the daily. - David Allen, ‘Getting Things Done’

History has shown us that courage can be contagious and hope can take on a life of its own. – Michelle Obama

A certain bravado comes with watching an action movie or playing a video game; you enter a certain world. - Venkat Raman, Riddleroom

Why buy depreciating assets, when you can rent and pay as per use! - Neerav Jain, CityFurnish

No matter for how many years you've been flying the plane, you've to go through the check list every single time. - Shivananda Koteshwar, MediaTek

Past performance is not indicative of future returns. - K Ganesh, GrowthStory

In the word entrepreneurship - E is for empathy. - Shikha Uberoi, Indi.com

Without being a source of energy for others, very little can be accomplished. - Satya Nadella, Microsoft

The best founders will figure out the right solutions and the right roadmap if they have conviction, and the right partners. - Madhur Deora, Paytm

Mini-grids are the most capital-efficient way to help reach 100 percent national electrification goals. - Manoj Sinha, Husk Power Systems

There is no better energy than harnessing the power of the sun. - Chetan Maini, Sun Mobility

The user comes above everything else. – Robin Li, Baidu

Greater diversity leads to better outcomes, more innovative solutions, less groupthink, better stock performance, and GDP growth. - Susan Wojcicki, YouTube

The only way to compete with the search and social giants is to go deeper in the vertical and build a niche. – Ravi Bhushan, PropTiger

In a country where 2.1 percent of the population is disabled, why is it that almost all major public places are still not accessible? - Disha Chhabra, ‘Because Life is a Gift’

Pollution is nothing but the resources we are not harvesting. - Buckminster Fuller

The future of technology doesn’t just belong to mega corporations; it belongs equally to smart and visionary people working in small companies and startups. - Sunil Kant Munjal, EDF

Digital is more than a trend, it is now a transformation in art. - Krishnamachari Bose, Kochi Biennale

Various areas from e-governance to business to smart administrative solutions can be implemented through blockchain. - Rashesh Shah, FICCI

Conversations on data monetisation will take centre stage in 2018 as more IoT projects move from proof of concept stage to full-scale deployment. - Rishi Mohan Bhatnagar, IET

India has a handful of AI engineers. Most AI engineers are entrepreneurs here; we have to ramp up. - Kamal Karanth, Xpheno

Connected and autonomous vehicles require some of the most complex software ever developed. - John Chen, Blackberry

Data event chains will create new opportunities for graph analytics and novel new AI algorithms to consume relationship data at scale. - Scott Zoldi, FICO

The future is a combination of data science and fast computing to help companies connect with their customers better. - N Shanmugam, [24]7.ai

There is an urgent need for identifying genetic markers of oral cancer that can be detected early in patients. - Rosy Mondal, IASST

Instead of a few leaders deciding for customers, we should enable rural communities to decide for themselves. – Madan Padaki, 1Bridge

India does not have a sports culture. Unless there is a synergised sports culture you will never win a string of medals. - Boria Majumadar

The government needs to be startup friendly on the ground - need to match words with action. - Apremeya Radhakrishna, angel investor

Indian startups almost always come across regulatory uncertainty and must do whatever it takes to be prepared. - Aditya Shrivastava, IPleaders

An average truck driver drives 17 hours a day, six days a week. It is clear that human errors will increase accidents in India. - Jayaram Raju, LOBB

Sindh witnessed numerous invasions for centuries, but Sindhis not only survived them but also thrived despite them. - Ashok Hinduja

Today, India has about 500 million internet users, 75-80 percent of them being mobile. Of these, 200-300 million are likely to be regional language users. - Mayank Khanduja, SAIF Partners

Vernacular content consumption in India has witnessed a meteoric rise in the last 2 years growing from 42 million in 2011 to 234 million in 2016. - Ankush Sachdeva, ShareChat

The Indian fintech landscape is complex and exciting at the same time, especially with the massive and continued push from the Indian government. - Abhijit Bose, Ezetap

Fintech is becoming a game-changer, both for the financial and technology sectors. - Chetna Gogia, PayU

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).