‘Sustainability is the only way forward’ – 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 15-21 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 magic about being a technologist today is that you are also a storyteller. - Atul Jalan, Manthan

If technology teams understand real clients and business, that’s success. - Amit Arora, Standard Chartered

There is a bit of a magic to try and get the right set of features at the right price point in a way that the consumer can relate to. - Greg Peters, Netflix

Believe in yourself and enhance your life every day. - Pankaj Gupta, Taftoon Bar and Kitchen

Creativity isn’t entirely a cerebral act, but rather is augmented by strong emotions that fuel fresh ideas. – Tina Seelig, ‘InGenius’

Startups should work with people with operational excellence. Scaling the organisation is a completely different skill set and the founder may not have that ability. - Arun P, VMware India

It is only when you take care of the ‘A-S-K’ factor (Attitude-Skills-Knowledge) in your business, that you can deliver on the TASKS of the business. - Rajiv Talreja, ‘Lead or Bleed’

Effectively, secrecy is about boundaries. It is about creating barriers that isolate us from the rest of the world. – Devdutt Pattanaik

AI has made it possible to find a custom-made product for each individual. - Shahnaz Husain

Data is the plumbing for everything. - Krishna Raghavan, EKART Tech

With ecommerce blooming globally, the gap between online and offline retail can be bridged with tech. - Amrutha Valli, PurpleApple Infosytems

The biggest moat to build a Super App is payments. Once you’re handling money for a user, you can build a castle of services within it. - Sidu Ponnappa, GoJek

No software product is developed perfectly the very first time. The chosen tech stack should allow you to fix bugs or tweak features easily without eating up a lot of time. - Prasit Bhattacharya, designs.codes

As a nation, we celebrate democracy at all levels - from Parliament to Panchayat, from Colleges to RWA (residents’ welfare association) polls. - Bilal Zaidi, Our Democracy

It’s fine for people to have their opinions and want change, but it should be expressed by voting. - V Santhanam

The toilet economy India is a $14 billion market today, and is estimated to more than double to $31 billion per year by 2021. - Toilet Board Coalition

Price is the most sensitive thing Indian customers look out for. - Shivam Mishra, AHA Taxis

It’s the story of every home in India: cupboards are filled with old books. - Taranpreet Singh, BookMandee

24X7 sports radio is an untapped opportunity. FM stations in India are not allowed to stream live sports. Only All India Radio can. - Raman Raheja, SportsFlashes

The number of people, their skills, and quality is India's unique strength. - Jayant Nadiger, Trade & Investment Commission of Flanders

India is predicted to have the largest startup ecosystem in the world by the year 2035. – Tao Li, APUS

Every viable tech-driven solution developed in India can be easily scaled within other nations. – Manish Khera, Happy

Most successful internationalizing companies have a determined focus on appreciating local customs while encouraging a global company culture. - Sandeep Shah, Helsinki Business Hub

India is still challenging for foreigners. Startups short of cash and stamina cannot work in India without good mentorship and funding. - Anat Bernstein-Reich, A&G Partners

India doesn't have the same mindspace in boardrooms in Silicon Valley or Wall Street or Toronto as China does. - Melissa Frakman, EMVC

India needs investors that can help startups take technologies to the heartland of India to make an impact in terms of agriculture and healthcare. - Sachin Nandwana, BigHaat

Early association by means of internships with accelerator programmes might provide students a soft entry into the startup ecosystem. - Praveen Mokkapati, Anthill Ventures

People in India have a tough time with input and as tech gets better, folks want to type less. - Kavin Bharti Mittal, Hike

The independent music scene in India is growing and there’s more attention on talented artistes who exist outside of Bollywood. - Jonita Gandhi

The contactless technology penetration in India and the future of India is rapidly moving towards a cashless society. - Abhilash Gowdara, AtomX

Every SME in the supply chain needs access to logistical support and other supporting services, which are missing today. - Dipti Singla, Bnext

India needs to create one million jobs every month and we have to encourage entrepreneurship in areas other than technology, for the country to create employment. - Mekin Maheshwari, Global Alliance for Mass Entrepreneurship

Edtech has the potential to become a truly breakout sector in India. - Nitish Podar, KPMG

T-shirts are the most widely accepted article in the merchandise world. - Tushar Jain, BePolitical

Without basic literacy nothing can move. - Priti Adani, Adani Foundation

Ramps and accessibility will help every Indian, and these facilities will make our democracy an inclusive democracy. - Sachin Chamaria

Several athletes with disabilities are showing an interest in the field of sports and tend to put in a lot of time and effort to succeed. - Denzil Keelor, Special Olympics Bharat

We actually are a non-vegetarian nation. It is a myth that India is vegetarian. - Abhay Hanjura, Licious

India is home to powerful stories waiting to be told to audiences around the world. – Srishti Behl Arya, Netflix

A city has a narrative when society at large participates in it meaningfully. - Uday Bhaskar, Godrej Properties

It is important to have interest, imagination, and curiosity about life. Art keeps life intense and flowing. - KV Prasad, artist

Art will show itself to you if you let it happen. - Silke Thomas, Galerie Thomas

Plants always need a lot of love and care, but during the summer months, they need a little more attention. - Veena Nanda

Alternating crops with millet, which consumes less water and has a high nutritional value, can increase the soil fertility and balance nutrients present in it. – Rajan Aiyer, Trimble

With summer worsening, most water sources for birds have dried up. Not only humans, but animals too get affected due to the increase in temperature and suffer from dehydration. - Sreeman Narayanan, ‘Jeeva jalathinu oru maanpathram’

To prevent wastages and unsold stocks, manufacturers have to have a firm grip on forecasting trends. - Sailesh Tulshan, 021 Capital

Rooftop solar is growing rapidly in India; last year saw an 80 percent growth in this sector. - Siddharth Gangal, The Solar Labs

Sustainable fitness needs to be more scientific, for which the approach has to be deeper. - Vaibhav Bhandari, Faacto

There are millions of brands and products to choose from, but we have a very limited understanding of what our skin actually needs. - Navneet Kaur, Yours

Sustainability is the only way forward. We have already done enough damage to our environment as much our own body. - Krithika Prasad, Kayashashtra

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).