‘The founder is one who converts a pain into a gain’ – 55 quotes from Indian startup journeys

Launched in 2014, 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 55 gems and insights from the week of March 11-17 with your colleagues and networks, and check back to the original articles for more insights. See also our compilation of Top 50 Quotes from 2018 here.

The most successful person’s beauty is in their work and courage they have. - Sudha Murty, Infosys Foundation

If you can imagine it you can make it. - Alberto Manuel, WeFish

When you turn something you have excelled into a business, you have won half the game. - Anuradha Kambi, HomeBakers

Avoid building a hammer first and then going looking for a nail. - Anjana Sasidharan, Sequoia India

Put yourself out there. Don’t be shy of your work, be proud of it, but don’t be afraid to ask others for help. - Sumi Gupta, Whitefield Art Collective

Never be afraid to show your vulnerable self. We all have those unseen parts and there is no shame in sharing them. - Nidhi Bala, Tanzeb

Asking for what you deserve is called 'assertiveness.' - Rashi Mittal Nair, WOOP

Rebels who question status quo are the ones who can transform society. - Lina Ashar, Kangaroo Kids Education

Use your obstacles to learn more about yourself, and your failure as the fuel. - Garvita Gulhati

Wisdom has nothing to do with education. It is about empathy. - Devdutt Pattanaik

Sympathy is out, empathy is in. - Kanchi Chawla, ixigo

The women’s wellness space is in great need of being invigorated and catalysed. - Prashant Mehta, Lightbox

The $1 billion plus market for functional foods and beverages is still coming of age in India. - Sanjot Malhi, Matrix India

Millets grow easily in many parts of India and use less resources, such as water, when compared to many other grains. - Prashant Parmeswaran, SoulFull

The cost of electric bikes or cars will drop rapidly because the government is already pushing to set up of EV infrastructure. - Maxson Lewis, Magenta Power

There are 70 million people with disability in India, and over 1 billion, or close to 15 percent of the world’s population, lives with some form of disability. - Prateek Madhav, Assistive Technology Accelerator

If there are yoga cruises in America why not something similar in India? - Vijay Kumar Karai, AyurUniverse

The Indian market is so large that no player can provide everything and everybody can co-exist. - Manoj Modi, Reliance

Despite being such a large part of the overall spend, banquets that cater to the middle class are often poorly maintained. - Sanna Vohra, The Wedding Brigade

An eco-friendly alternative to plastic needs to be affordable, accessible and relatable. - Veena Balakrishnan, Everwards India

We have a $1 trillion opportunity for SaaS industry. If we get our act right, India can aspire to remain in global game in software industry. - Suresh Sambandam, OrangeScape

Online tutorials can go global easily. Four out of ten online math tutors are from India. - Narsi Subramaniam, PayPal India

No talented Indian child should be deprived of the best football coaching facilities in the country for socio-economic reasons. - Kishore Taid, Bhaichung Bhutia Football Schools

India has a plethora of students with enormous potential. They all tend to score really well in their board exams. The only aspect that hampers their growth is the lack of funds. - Sudha Kidao, Foundation for Excellence

Just as we rate Uber drivers and restaurants, we should be able to rate leaders as well. These will also help voters decide who they want to vote for. - Pratham Mittal, Neta app

The next PM should work on real developmental issues and not distract or get distracted by unimportant issues related to religion or national ego-boosts. - Kamalika Ghosh, Cognizant

AI and robotics offer the opportunity for Indian agriculture to leapfrog into the future, bypassing legacy technologies. - Mark Kahn, Omnivore

The toy industry is very unorganised and around 80 percent of the industry is in unaccounted trading. - Moiz Gabajiwala, Zephyr Toymakers

The ecommerce sector in India is an increasingly important part of India’s economy, unlocking tremendous value for buyers and sellers. - Kunal Bahl, Snapdeal

Technology led insurance is expected to play a significant role in growth of the underpenetrated insurance sector in India. - Binny Bansal

A rapidly growing Indian economy with fledgling infrastructure needs a different approach to delivery of payment solutions. - Rajeev Agrawal, Innoviti

Fintech-fuelled allegiances are helping banks to bridge the gap of Old vs new and big vs small. The limitations and divisions are fast dissolving in the digital age. - Anand Kumar Bajaj, PayNearby

People are actually in need of a platform where they can receive all forms of services - financial and healthcare. - Pravin Agarwala, BetterPlace

The events industry in India is expected to surpass the Rs 10,000 crore mark in two years. - Shank K Vasudev, Tosshead

Cognitive computing systems can help enterprises stay competitive and propel higher revenues in today’s data-driven economy. - Rama Krishna Kuppa, ONGO Framework

The true value of Blockchain is in its innovations that go beyond database technology, and can create consensus and trusted transactions between entities that do not know or trust each other. - Srikar Varadraj, Dunya Labs

Working on new technology and products means there is a lot of hype and expectations. Delivering on those fronts can get challenging. - Joby James, BORQS

Automation has provided a clutch of tools for SMEs to ensure smooth shipping of their products and services. - Vikas Garg, EzySlips

The noticeability factor makes DDoS attacks the most popular choice for most types of cyber-attackers including extortionists, hacktivists, cybervandals, etc. - Venkatesh Sundar, Indusface

Just as the revolution towards 'mobile-first' apps got everyone to prioritise mobile-optimised user experiences, “chat-first” will drive a new breed of apps prioritising conversational user experiences. - Rajesh Shanmugam, Troopr

Voice-based user experiences can truly democratise digital life and create a whole new wave of digital citizens – something with immense potential for the economy and for societies. - Sharan Grandigae, Redd Experience Design

We're living at a time when we're talking to one another from across the globe using audio-visual language. - Bhushan Kumar, T-Series

The challenge that authors face today is the lack of time to promote their work. - Naveen Joshi, AllAuthor

Enterprises want faster payback on their software investments and quick adoption is key to that. - Shweta Bhatia, Eight Roads Ventures

Kids tend to outgrow furniture every 1-2 years. Hence, it makes more sense to rent than to buy. - Neerav Jain, CityFurnish

Even when we sleep, our bodies’ parameters are being tracked and monitored by our fitness bands. When we are not at home, our smart devices – if they are on – are accessing our environment. - Shivangi Nadkarni, Arrka

Be deliberate about taking breaks from media and devices, and carve out time to be alone. - Aytekin Tank, JotForm

While there is a debate around various types of mattress for achieving the best sleep for every individual unique sleeper, pillows are an indispensable constant of the sleep equation. - Shashank Palli, Cuddl

Keep moving forward while listening closely to your market, not the naysayers or even your own preconceptions. - Douglas Bakkum, Shift Cryptosecurity

Do not undermine the power of good communication skills. At the end of the day, you are selling an idea, a product. - Dishan Kamdar, FLAME University

Building brand and winning the trust of the consumers will also take a lot of time for new players who will enter the market. - Vijay Mansukhani, Onida

All working professionals need to understand that learning is now going to be a lifelong experience – almost equivalent of going back to college without actually going back to college. - Ronnie Screwvala, upGrad

More often than not, it is the small companies (not the large ones) that produce innovative products. It is better done outside the existing infrastructure in a large company; that environment exists in startups. - Devangshu Dutta, Third Eyesight Consulting

It helps to be able to switch modes and play the role of a thin-skinned learner and a thick-skinned doer. Wisdom, however, is to know when to be thick-skinned and when to be sensitive. – Kalyan Rathore, artist

Conceive, believe, and achieve. Conceiving big dreams is important, but working hard enough to believe in oneself is even more important to achieve and realise the dream. - Ravindra Kumar, first IAS officer to climb Mt Everest

A startup is a rescue. The founder is one who converts a pain into a gain. - Yasin Patel, AccuraScan

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).