‘The more value we add to our ecosystem, the more valuable we become’ – 50 quotes from Indian startup journeys
From execution to ecosystem, witness the memorable journey of Indian entrepreneurship in these quotes, excerpts, and stories!
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 September 16-22 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.
If you fail, you should analyse why you failed, take the lesson, and move on. - Nandan Nilekani, Fundamentum
Failure is nature’s beautiful tool. - Sameer Guglani, Madhouse
It is okay to make mistakes as long as it does not make a huge impact on the overall company, on the value of the company, and you realise and correct it as soon as possible. - Manu Kumar Jain, Xiaomi
Building a business brings lots of unexpected twists – people quit, products fail, you burn out. It’s not about getting it right the first time but getting it right eventually. - Beth Malatji, ReBeth Wines
Never undermine the importance of work experience, always be open to learning and evolving, and believe in hard work and perseverance. - Vinita Michael
When you are up against your own mind, having that will power to stand against it, and keep it in check is the toughest. - Mohit Kuvadia, VOLOQ
Don't count the days, make the days count. - Akhand Swaroop Pandit, Catalyst Group
Career success not from fancy MBAs but from curiosity and willingness to continually learn. - Hansi Mehrotra, The Money Hans
Space, as a new frontier, is attracting the attention of a large number of entrepreneurs from across the world. - A S Kiran Kumar, former Director, ISRO
Learning to use technology for learning is the new basic that may need to be introduced even in early grades. - Sanjay Gupta, English Helper
Deep learning, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and other technologies are changing how pathology and diagnostic are working. - Dheeraj Jain, Redcliffe Capital
You have to focus on innovation, investment, and people to go digital. To be cloud-first and AI is the future. - Annette Rippert, Accenture
Blockchain can change shipping too by making the entire ecosystem create policies that are transparent and efficient. - Lionel Louie, CargoSmart
All user generated content, as the name suggests, is owned by the user or the creator. - Sharda Balaji, NovoJuris Legal
The world has too many data janitors and data brawls. - Brett Hurt, Data.World
Within a short span of time online ‘Marketplaces’ have become an integral part of our lives. - Anup Gopinath, FoodBuddy
Entrepreneurs have good ideas but it also important that they have clear business solutions and propositions. - Sean Ringsted, Chubb
Every job has its value. - Taslima Khatun, MENSA
When it comes to business investigation and risk intelligence for organisations, whistleblowers are a much-needed medicine. - Unnat Sharma, AIM Corporate Services
Quizzing attracts audiences of all demographics and possesses a massive potential to scale. - Seemant Shankar, Sports Unity
One of the crucial ways to sustain new and seasoned talent is to conduct training on a regular basis. - Mihir Shah, Yatharth Marketing Solutions
You need somebody when your motivation goes down; somebody to get you unstuck when you don’t understand something. - Mohan Lakhamraju, Great Learning
Choose your people and let them run with things – every detail may not be to your liking, but things will get done faster. - Rohan Bhargava, CashKaro
The world is moving too fast. You must not only learn but be open to having what you have learned be changed dramatically. - Kris Fitzgerald, NTT Data
Age is just a number. If you have an idea, no matter how old you are, you have the power to change the world. - Samaira Mehta, CoderBunnyz
Gone are the days where the food industry was just about the food and service and maybe the décor of a restaurant. Today it’s about offers, fad dining trends, and dietary restrictions. - Rachel Goenka, Sassy Spoon
Water and money should always be at ones knee level otherwise there are chances of drowning. - Vijay Singh Rathore, Johnny Hot Dog
For most people, the comforts of a high paying job are the natural choice. - Sandip Patil, E-Spin Nanotech
When you are approaching VCs, do some homework. Find out which VC is investing in which sector, what they’ve invested in, and what their thesis is rather than having a scattered approach of visiting every VC and banker. - Devang Mehta, Anthill Ventures
Unfortunately, VCs are more likely to invest in entrepreneurs that look like them, have similar ideas to them, and come from their networks. This continues to sideline women and other underrepresented founders. - Amanda Coopersmith, SoGal
If a vegan meal is planned well, it can help you stay healthy and ensure that you consume adequate nutrients too. - Jeswanth Acharya
Effective conservation happens through enlightenment. - Arun Kumar, nature photographer
The global interior design opportunity is huge, with the US being a large market by itself (home furnishing market size is close to $200 billion). - Subrata Mitra, Accel
The profession of beauty is not just limited to makeup, skin care, and hair styling; nail art is also one of the significant parts of this ever-expanding industry. - Bharti Taneja, Alps Beauty Group
Art is a difficult pursuit which takes years of perseverance to achieve one’s fullest potential. - Chetana Ravi
Find your unique style and statement. Be authentic. - Namu Kini, KYNKYNY
Nothing is absolute. Everything changes, everything moves, everything revolves, everything flies and goes away. - Frida Kahlo
A stronger future-ready workforce that is skilled for the job demands of tomorrow requires government policy and private resources to work together to make that future a reality. - Nadia Rasheed, UNDP
The current education system gives a lot of information, occasionally a few skills, but does not give the youth a sense of purpose. - Amrut Bang, programme, NIRMAN
It is important for urban migrants to find a sense of belonging in a new city and a place to call home. - Jitendra Jagadev, Nestaway
The mini-truck transportation market in India is estimated to be at a valuation of Rs 30,000 to Rs 60,000 crore, annually. - Apoorv Ranjan Sharma, Venture Catalysts
There is so much trust deficit and friction in the finance space in India. Banks lead their processes with mistrust, while every other business has the tab system. - Chaitra Chidanand, Simpl
There is a strong pool of ideas and talent beyond the well-known startup hubs of India. - Lathika Pai, Microsoft
Over 60 percent of the engineering students who pass out every year are either unemployed or are stuck in unrelated jobs. If we go beyond engineers, this problem multiplies 10 times. - Nikhil Rungta, ex-Intuit India
Policies and programmes which support not only the health of women and girls, but also their socio-economic development should be introduced. - Neha Chauhan, IPPF
India has reached a tipping point where more and more people of all income levels have smartphones, allowing governments and nonprofits to use mobile apps to deliver social services and as an interface for important citizen interactions. - Michael Mandel, PPI
After China, Japan, and South Korea, India is the fourth-largest carmaker in the world. When it comes to two-wheelers, India is the second-largest manufacturer across the world. - Mukesh Rajauria, AutoPortal
The government should also focus on allocating funds towards research in the field of psychology and making mental healthcare more affordable and accessible. - Bani Singh, NowandMe
There are a lot of ‘Bharat’ people even in cities like Bengaluru and Delhi. - Vidit Aatrey, Meesho
India is one of the fastest-growing digital entertainment and media markets worldwide, driven by the growth in online video content. - Anant Maheshwari, Microsoft India
Future is not about just tech but about inclusion, empowerment and economic opportunity. Caesar Sengupta, Google
The more value we add to our ecosystem, the more valuable we become. - Shayak Mazumder, Eunimart
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).
(Edited by Megha Reddy)
