‘Challenges provide us with new learnings’ – 50 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 50 gems and insights from the week of April 8-14 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 future of the gig economy in India is bright and can expect an upward swing as India is among the top 10 countries for freelancers. - Rahul Aggarwal, Designhill.com

With rapid penetration of internet in India, consumers are becoming digital-savvy. The retailers now understand the advantages of the internet for sales and productivity boost. - Abhinav Tyagi, Petdom

The entire agriculture value chain both in India and globally is inefficient. So, this entire value chain is up for grabs, one can target every niche segment and generate a lot of money. - Suhas Joshi, Bayer Group India

For India's economy to achieve its full potential, a wholesale redesign and API access to financial products is critical. - Sahil Kini, Setu

It’s never been easier for consumers to transact using their own bank account, which is more convenient than using prepaid e-wallets. – Adhil Shetty, BankBazaar.com

Apart from co-branding partnerships, the plastic card has looked similar over the past few decades. - Anil Ramachandran, IndusInd Bank

The average ticket size for refurbished phones has gone up to Rs 5,000-6,000 on the buying side and Rs 4,000 on the selling side. - Rohit Bagaria, Budli.in

Online gaming and fantasy league platforms have seen a big surge in the last few years, clocking over 50 million users in 2018. - Sameer Nigam, PhonePe

The reason co-living becomes important for the young population is that it provides lesser hassles. - Satish Meena, Forrester Research

‘Walk to work’, ‘Work from anywhere’, ‘Satellite offices’, AI and other technological advancements are changing the way we are going to consume workspaces. - Rishi Das, Indiqube

In India’s current context, with the judiciary being overburdened and understaffed, the disputants clearly need cost effective, speedier solutions. - Pramod Rao, ICICI General Group

By 2020, it’s expected that 500 million internet users in India will consume online video. - Susan Wojcicki, YouTube

By gathering data on hyperlocal trends, restaurants will be able to create a menu where everything is ordered, and nothing is left out. – Kabir Jeet Singh, Burger Singh

Early diagnosis is the only way to save 73 million diabetic patients in India from marching towards blindness. - Rajarajeshwari Kodhandapani, Artelus

Onchocerciasis, more commonly known as river blindness, is the world's second leading infectious cause of blindness. - Christopher L King, Centre for Global Health and Diseases

The next decade will see diagnostics being transformed in all aspects - from how efficiently and accurately tests are performed in labs to what quality of service is provided to end customers. - Apurv Anand, Sigtuple

Globally, homecare is about 3 to 6 percent of the healthcare market and is funded by insurance because it is proven to be 20 percent cheaper than the hospital. - Vivek Srivastava, HCAH

Jewellery is not a fashion accessory; it has to connect with families. - Ramesh Kalyanaraman, Kalyan Jewellers India

Gold is core to Indian culture and tradition, making India the world’s second largest consumer of gold. - Ambarish Kenghe, Google Pay, India

Farming has lost the joy and has become a source of income for those who cannot opt for any other means to earn. – Rajesh Aggrawal, Insecticides India

For the country to be able to embrace hydroponics, there needs to be a policy framework and an incentivising scheme in place. - CV Prakash, PetBharo Project

Constant availability of good quality, organic ingredients is a dream. But don’t give up as perseverance is key here. - Arti Gaur, Quinta Essentia Organic

Businesses must develop sanitation solutions that provide community members in rural India with affordable and innovative options to ensure a safe and healthy toilet experience. - Priyanka Tanwar, LIXIL

For startups and developers, it is also quite fruitful to attend domain meetups and hackathons to keep in touch with the community and with newer technologies. - Rahul Prajapat, Tvarit

An important outgrowth of innovation at universities is the presence of on-campus incubators that literally give birth to companies. - Devang Mehta, Anthill Ventures

Buying products online is easy. Getting rid of them when it becomes useless, redundant or old is not. - Anurag Asati, The Kabadiwala

Connected customers are also eager to participate in co-creation of products. Companies need to continuously engage actively and deeply with customers in the co-creation process. – Aslam Hirani, UAssess

What’s a sports team without its fans? - Harsh Jain, Dream11

Play time is the fundamental right of a child. - Meeta Sharma Gupta, Shumee Toys

There is a need to equip teachers with the best of STEM resources, and empower them to better the peer-to-peer learning outcomes. - Bhagya Rangachar, CLT India

With live online classes, students have access to a virtual classroom environment with instant teacher-student interaction. - Shobhit Bhatnagar, Gradeup

Seven out of 10 teachers in government schools are old or middle aged, and they lack the drive to adopt technology. - Madithati Narasimha Reddy, Zilla Parishad High School, Sambepalli

A good and healthy surrounding not also assures learning but also improves the mental and physical well being of students. - Ravishankar Byrappagowda, One School At A Time

The toughest part of investing in startups is gaining access to the top tier of deals that can give you the huge hits. - Sanjay Mehta, Mehta Ventures

You need investors who say, ‘it’s not going well now, so how do I help the entrepreneurs?’ - Krishnakumar Natarajan, Mindtree

While there are many types of investors, one should look for an investor who can be trusted, shares the vision, and knows what it takes to build a scalable startup. - Darshan Doshim, JumpShift Development

The thin line between venture capitalist firms and venture operating firms is that the former is a passive partner, while the latter is an active partner. - Viral Jani, Times Bridge

Most startups delivering social innovation have a solid business-driven case. However, they sometime struggle to convince investors to view them as a business, rather than a charity act. - Noaa Barak, 4YFN

Rather than trying to box yourself into an ideal diet, try to observe yourself and become more aware of your own body and the feedback you receive from your body. - Deepa Kannan, Phytothrive Functional Nutrition Redefined

People these days are very conscious about what they are consuming, where their food is coming from. - Kumar Anirudha, Blockchainedindia.com

Stay away from the 3 P's - processed, preservatives, packaged foods. - Shona Prabhu, NutrifyMyDiet

Art is a powerful medium to make an impact and change mindsets towards mental illnesses. - Sahiti Gavarikar, ‘Bad Romance’

If you’re not clear about how to run your company, be sure about how not to run it. - Suresh Radhakrishnan, Chai Kanth

There are very few vendors providing recyclable packaging options, especially glass. - Bhavna Anand Sharma, Cureveda

Worry about every day being a percentage better than the last day and evaluate where you can go from there. - Ashish Gupta, Docprime.com

A bruise is a lesson… and each lesson makes us better. — Arya Stark

Patience, perseverance and passion are the key ingredients to crack this code and succeed in this field. - Smitha Kashi

Leaving a mark even after you die is a huge sense of achievement. - Rohit Suraj, Urban Zen

Challenges provide us with new learnings. - Dianath Arshad, BREA

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).