‘Technology, used responsibly, is a powerful force for inclusion’ – 50 quotes from Indian startup journeys
From innovation to inclusion, 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 November 25–December 1 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.
It’s noticing what other people missed that is the beginning of creativity and innovation. It is where original ideas come from. - Rob Walker, ‘The Art of Noticing’
No matter how great and amazing the idea or the product is, if your finances have not been managed well, the chances of being successful are bleak. - Vikash Chandra, Bon Cuisine
Building a global business requires a relentless focus on the product and the people. - Raviteja Dodda, MoEngage
Toxic co-founder relationship is one of the top three reasons for failures of startups. You can't sidestep the hard work that it takes to make a relationship work. - Sidharth Rao, Dentsu WebChutney
Making the wrong decision is better than making no decision at all. - William Tanuwijaya, Tokopedia
Learn the ability to lose and learn from that loss so that you can bounce back again stronger than ever before. - Rehan Poncha
Failure is a part of life but what is more important is to remember that it’s just a road bump and not the end. Turn your failure into motivation and keep moving ahead. - Ankit Agrawal, The Hidden Hour
In order to achieve India’s vision of a cash-light economy, it is critical to foster digital payments amongst the large and growing base of feature phone users. - Priyanka Chopra, CIIE.CO
The general perception is that Indians do not spend any money on virtual currency. - Keshav Sunder, Deftouch
There is a huge market that is ready to be unlocked for Indian investors wanting to invest in US stocks, seamlessly, at their fingertips. - Dhaval Radia, IP Ventures
Many of the differently-abled in the nation are not provided with opportunities to showcase their skills and talent. - Swati Rustagi, Amazon India
The Indian education system still doesn't encourage reflective thinking. Children are supposed to accept whatever is thrown at them, without thinking or questioning. - Ruchi Jhawar, Cogitus
The big opportunity now is the next billion users, understanding their needs and how to engage with them. - Sowmya Keshava, QuVideo Technologies
India’s focus on health and nutrition, particularly for its most vulnerable, is critical to the country and the world’s efforts to meet SDG3. - Bill Gates, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Over the next two to three years, approximately 500 million non-English speaking users will be online in India. - Surojit Chatterjee, Google Shopping
India has over 10 million manual rickshaw and trolley-pullers who work under treacherous conditions on a daily basis. - Naveen Krishna, SMV Green Solutions
Indian grocery retail market is approximately 70 percent of the total retail market in India. - Anup Jain, Orios Venture Partners
Products that can scale in India, given all the variables, are the products that can actually go global. - Sajith Sivanandan, Google Pay
The personal care market in India is monopolised with a few brands and there is a huge scope for new and quality entrants. - Ashok Rajpal, Ambrane
Car servicing is a very opaque experience with lack of trust for the customer. - Madhukar Sinha, India Quotient
The White Revolution is a milestone event in the modern history of our country, and the lessons from it and from Dr Kurien will endure. - Hitesh Bhatt, IRMA
Domestic investment from Indian investors is much less when compared to China or Japan. - Bhasker Majumdar, Unicorn India Ventures
India is now among the largest economies in the world but has a highly disorganised and inefficient logistics sector. - Harmeen Mehta, Bharti Airtel
Most of India wants high-quality video content in vernacular since only 10 percent of India speaks English. - Naveen Tewari, InMobi Group
Online real-time classroom is a valid education model in India. India is a growing market and there is a lot of scope for companies in the edtech sector across categories. - Aditya Malik, TalentEdge
Startups and small businesses are the lifeblood of Indian communities and are a powerful driver of local economies. - Abhijit Bose, WhatsApp India
Currently, the investment ecosystem is very fragmented with VCs funding in only larger ticket size and angel investors regionally connected. - Amit Jain, ZNL Ventures
Ayurveda complements nutritional science to re-establish balance and heal the body and soul from within. - Sheta Mittal, &Me
Recent research suggests that milk from other animals – goats, camels, and even donkeys – is much better for human consumption. - Hitesh Rathi, Aadvik Foods
It is better to be always honest in your transaction, otherwise it will come back and hit you one day. - Siva S, PowerupCloud Technologies
A good judge should be honest and should not be affected by external influences including muscle power and money power. - Mayank Pratap Singh
Conscious consumption is a very strong theme in beauty. - Japan Vyas, Roots Ventures
The new consumer today is also more aware and wants products that are in tune with international trends. - Karan Chowdhary, Wow
A classic is a work that speaks to generations of readers, who draw both timely and timeless value from the book. - Elda Rotor, Penguin Classics
For every era, there are specific world views that really define the trajectory of the arts. It’s almost like the voice of the generation. - Smriti Rajgarhia, Serendipity Arts Foundation
It is the artist community’s job to awaken and sensitise the world. - Pragya Jain, Artychoke
Design is a great synthesiser, bringing together different disciplines and inspiring change. - Jane Withers
You learn courage by couraging. - Marie Daly
Never lose heart when haters show hate. - Geet
Companies need technologies that empower them with actionable business insights derived from data. They should be able to react quickly to real-time information. - Sunny Nandwani, Acuver
Most people use their email inboxes as a task management system, but email doesn’t function in that way. - Niraj Ranjan Rout, Hiver
The tech world and engineers today should inherently try to solve a problem that's worth solving, but not do it for the sake of high salaries. - Dharmesh Shah, HubSpot
Technology has made it possible to make content more interesting, facilitating learning. It also enhances access, reaching places where quality education is a problem. - Freya Thomas, Pearson
The trillion-dollar global logistics market is ripe for disruption via technological change, particularly AI and Machine Learning-driven solutions. - Navroz D Udwadia, Falcon Edge Capital
Smart Cities present the next wave of opportunity for investments as pollution and climate change become more and more severe. - Shailesh Vickram Singh, Massive Fund
The two factors of congestion reduction and pollution control will drive the segment of shared micro-mobility in the future. - Rajiv Bajaj, Bajaj
Industry specific regulations are very important these days for startups working in industries like fintech, online pharmacy, -commerce, drones (UAV), bike ride hailing, etc. - Aravind S, QED Corporate Advisors
At the end of the day, technology is still just a tool. It’s only as good as the one wielding it. - Mitesh Kothari, White Rivers Media
Technology, used responsibly, is a powerful force for inclusion. - Roopa Kudva, Omidyar Network India
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).
