‘A crisis often brings out the best in you’ – 50 quotes from Indian startup journeys
From obstacle to opportunity, 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 December 2-8 with your colleagues and networks, and check back to the original articles for more insights. See also our compilation of 50 Quotes from Techsparks 2019 here.
Today, we’re in an idea economy. It is about how clever, innovative, differentiated your idea is. - Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Biocon
You can survive only if you are in the innovation business. - Arvind Tiwary, IoT Forum
As long as there is that fire in your heart, you will find a way! - Ratan Tata
You need to have that passion in you, whether it is for sports, academics, or other fields. What is foremost is how strongly you want something. - Seema Tomar
Hard work never goes in vain. - Lani Zena Fernandez
Clinging to the past is the problem. Embracing change is the answer. - Gloria Steinem
Nearly 40 million users of the internet, who were added in 2015-18 are Indian language users. - Nidhi Gupta, Google India
As a nation, we need to realise that adaptive and personalised learning solutions delivered through technology platforms are the roadmap for the future. - Ganesh Natarajan, 5F World
Entrepreneurialism is in the DNA of Punjab. - Nandu Nandkishore, Indian Business School
Sleep products are so ignored here. - Priyanka Salot, The Sleep Company
Two-wheelers are the choice of transportation as much in the top 30 cities in India as the rest of the country. - Siddharth Nautiyal, Omidyar Network India
Khichdi is India’s original answer to the comfort-food craving and is an iconic and integral part of our homes. - Pranay Jivrajka, Ola Foods
At least 5X more number of fintech startups should explore the credit and lending industry. - Amrish Rau, Citrus Pay
More than 7.5 billion KYC transactions have been done so far, and $32.4 billion has actually been transferred directly to beneficiaries using the system. - Vivek Raghavan, UIDAI
80 percent of rural population and 35 percent of urban population still do not use digital payments. - Rohit Kumar, XPay.Life
The government have ensured that startups become mainstream in India, even in the smaller towns. - Padmaja Ruparel, IAN
Braille computers, smart canes, bionic arms, mechanised wheelchairs, and many more are now being developed in India by some of our brightest minds — but they need to be supported even further. - Manoj Kumar, Social Alpha
In India, the lending industry is on an explosive trajectory. - Manu Jain, Xiaomi India
For the first time in the history of our country, a gender chapter has been included in the city plan document. - Nandita Gandhi and Nandita Shah, Akshara Centre
The main question mark in India's startup system is exits. - MR Rangaswami
As land-holding size is shrinking, combining tree farming with agriculture is the only way to optimise farm productivity. - Ashish Mandol
It is the need of the hour to get up and create a responsible and sustainable environment. - Roshan Netalkar, Echoes of Earth Festival
Commercialisation of our Indian cuisine has really killed the true essence of it. - Praneet Singh, The Khichdi Experiment
Educating people on Ayurveda and its benefits is the challenge in a world of chemical/ artificial beauty-driven products that offer instant but short-lived results. - Rajni Ohri, Ohria Ayurveda
While much attention has been on the consumer startups, there has been a consistent and growing number of enterprise/B2B companies aiming for the US market being launched in India. - Priya Rajan, Silicon Valley Bank
The out-of-home entertainment ecosystem in Southeast Asia has immense growth potential. - Kenneth Tan, BookMyShow
Smart cities and smart cars are the future, and the cloud is going to be a big part of that. - Andy Jassy, AWS
The more you represent something on screen, the more it gets normalised. - Shaheen Bhatt, ‘I've Never Been (Un)Happier’
Voice devices are allowing brands to create the equivalent of apps that can be fired on the voice assistant. - Hareesh Tibrewala, Mirum India
Students today are looking towards smart classrooms, learning apps, on-the-go learning devices, and much more, to gain a competitive edge. - Akhil Shahani, The Shahani Group
While the introduction of mobile gaming has seen the global gaming market reach new heights of success, it has also laid the groundwork for an even larger phenomenon - the post-mobile gaming market. - Yuki Kawamura, AET Fund Japan
Solar energy is the only form of power that is unrestricted and almost evenly distributed to everyone. - Simarpreet Singh, Hartek Solar
Space is a sector that will be an integral part of many critical applications in the future. - Ravikanth Reddy, Hotcrete
The best part of coding is how it can solve different problems. - Vaibhav Khandelwal. Shadowfax
The data footprint that you actually get with payments can be used both to improve the merchants’ lives and consumers’ lives as well as really push financial services. - Sameer Nigam, PhonePe
Seventy percent of digital transformation needs human transformation. - Rajdeep Ghosh, Dr Reddy’s Labs
Contrary to popular belief, stock provides the best returns in assets class among all investment options. - Kaushlendra Singh Sengar, Advisorymandi
People want to invest in products like mutual funds, but don't know how to go ahead. - Anurag Garg, Nivesh.com
Blitzkrieg comes with risks. - Parag Dhol, Inventus Capital Partners
The tea industry can achieve a prosperous and low carbon future by future proofing itself from the impact of climate change. - Anurag Priyadarshi, Rainforest Alliance
You can sell sustainability if you innovate with it in a way it looks appealing. It will also give you higher returns. - Madhurima Bhattacharjee
Going deeper to one’s core makes it harder for others to copy you. - K. Chaudhary, Jaipur Rugs
Art is more than an activity of leisure or luxury. It demands full attention and commitment, just like any other academic field. - Deboshree
Amnesia is a cruel thing. You forget what should have been preserved. - Jane Borges, ‘Bombay Balchão’
The blended system of education provides different avenues of understanding the concept, helping to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills in the learner. - Kiran Dham, Globus Infocom
To become good readers, children need to practice, but reading should preferably be interesting and fun. - Sigbjørn Dugal, Pickatale
A regular weekly meditation group will enhance everyone’s self-development, support productivity, and create a more heartful open environment at work. - Kamlesh Patel, Heartfulness Guide
Don’t be hesitant to ask for help when you need it. At one point, we all need it and it is okay to ask for it. - Ghazal Alagh, Mamaearth
The entire universe is working for your good. - Anika Parashar, RiverRock Ventures
It is important to believe in your dreams and face obstacles with courage and fortitude. - Satrupa Anant
A crisis often brings out the best in you and you discover qualities that you never knew existed within. - Rajeev Siddhartha
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).
