‘The bigger the problem, the bigger the opportunity’ – 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 January 27 – February 2 with your colleagues and networks, and check back to the original articles for more insights. See also our compilation of Top Entrepreneurship Quotes of 2019 here.
A free and continuous flow of ideas is the cornerstone of any innovative society. - Taslimarif Saiyed, C-CAMP
Don’t just follow the market. Follow your calling and do what you excel at. - Ajay Rajgarhia, WonderWall
Be yourself; everyone else is already taken. - Oscar Wilde
Your actions should arise from your strength. Everyone who decides to follow their dreams encounters resistance in some form or the other. But we need to fight because it’s worth it. - Namrata Rupani, Capture Life
If you are really adding value to your customer, they will come back without discounts. - Avnish Bajaj, Matrix India
ESOPs always has been a very strong mechanism for startups to incentivise, attract, and retain high performing talent. - Pawan Gupta, Connect2India
Startups have emerged as engines of growth for our economy. - Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman
We have just touched the tip of immense entrepreneurship potential in India and support from the Government in terms of financial capital will be a major boost. - Mihir Mehta, Ashika Capital Limited
Entrepreneurship has always been the strength of India. We respect the risk-taking appetite of India's youth. - Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman
Globally, on average, for every 10,000 workers, there are 75 to 80 robots available. However, when it comes to India, we are far behind. - Satyanarayana P, Epson India
By 2030, India is set to have the largest working age population in the world. - Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman
Even though India is a nation largely driven by agriculture, there are still large knowledge gaps that keep farm yields low. - Mallikarjun Kukunuri, NCES
With the EV ecosystem in India being in its nascent stages, it’s challenging yet exciting to develop innovative India-specific solutions. - Ishaan Khosla, Huddle
The menswear market is dominated by brands churning out age-old designs and charging the customers a high price for the same. - Ehtasham Hussain, Un-Cuffed
Food tech startups have revolutionised the way Indians eat. There is now a greater demand for healthy, home-cooked meals. - Abheek Singhi, BCG
Irrespective of the buying power, every individual should get access to good snacks. - Amar Choudhary, Chakhna Shot
People in rural areas tend to migrate to cities in search of a better job and lifestyle, leaving behind ancient culture and art forms. - Kalyani Gongi, Ancient Living
India has added internet users at 8x speed in the last 10 years, driven not by large cities but by small towns and villages. - Anil Kumar, Redseer
The face of the real estate sector in India is evolving dramatically with technology transforming its every facet. - Atim Kabra, Frontline Strategy Funds
Supplemental education beyond curriculum is the greatest need in the Indian education system today. - Amit Bansal, WizKlub
Most small entrepreneurs have various entry barriers in adopting digital and growing their businesses. - Vidit Aatrey, Meesho
India accounted for nearly three million metric tonnes of e-waste in 2018, and the nation has a recycling capacity of only five percent of this amount. - Raj Kumar, Deshwal Waste Management
Preventive health and wellness is the need of the hour for each, given the high instances of disease and lifestyle-induced illnesses in our country. - Sarvesh Shashi, SARVA
Bengaluru has the best talent pool, entrepreneurial spirit, and the ecosystem of investors and senior technology leaders needed to guide founders. - Hemant Mohapatra, Lightspeed Partners
Koramangala was always the startup suburb, but in the last three years, VCs have been saying that most of their portfolio companies are in HSR - Ram Chandnani, CBRE
Developed countries like the US and a few in Europe have implemented telemedicine for several years to address this concern. However, this is at a very nascent stage in India. - Deepak Patel, I Online Doctor
Initially, things started in places like the Silicon Valley, over time, you see the depth and quality of talent across Bengaluru, Beijing, and Jakarta. - Kabir Narang, B-Capital
Along with ecommerce, other Chinese industries have also followed suit where they are really merging the things that really work in the online world into the offline realm. - Anshumani Ruddra, Hotstar
Technological tools like Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, 3D printing, drones, data storage, Quantum Computing are helping change the way the country functions. - Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman
Lending startups are largely the ones that cater to people who are not served by the formal financial institutions. The access to liquidity has to be eased for such fintechs. - Manish Khera, HAPPY
Fintech industry is playing an important role in the penetration of financial services. - Ankush Aggarwal, Avail Finance
The price of battery packs of EVs is expected to fall to $76 per kilowatt hour (or unit) in three years, down from the present-day $156 per unit. - Amitabh Kant, Niti Aayog
In five to 10 years, quantum computing will break encryption as we know it today. But we can work around it. We need to do quantum encryption. - Sundar Pichai, Google
Packaging industry is going through an interesting phase led by digital transformation and sustainability. - Ranjith Menon, Chiratae Ventures
Besides entertainment, the smartphone can be used for finding a meaningful job too. - Jatin Jakharia, WorkIndia
P2P hiring model will be vastly superior to HR candidate model in terms of improving transparency. - Rohit Tewari, ReferHire
When different views come together there is richer employee experience and better technology. - Sejal Chokshi Pietrzak, DealerSocket
Dearth of skill training, refinement centres, and employment programmes affect the growth of women entrepreneurs. - Kiran Dham, Globus Infocom
Democratisation of analytics and data as a service will lead to the creation of new marketplaces to buy and sell advanced analytics algorithms. - Sameer Dhanrajani, AIQRATE
Suddenly, technology has become a boardroom conversation because it is a differentiating experience. We have moved beyond efficiency. - Anand Birje, HCL
Ignorance amongst pet owners about preventive pet healthcare often leads to high vet costs and finally abandonment. - Anushka Iyer, Wiggles
Communication at every step is the cornerstone of managing kids with special needs. - Puja Kapur and Himani Khanna, Continua Kids
Fitness is a massive performance hack. - Mukesh Bansal, Curefit
Fitness is something that empowers you to stand on your own feet and feel the weight of your own thoughts and aspirations. - Rujuta Diwekar
When you run your own business, you micromanage every single aspect and it can get taxing at times, but it makes you a perfectionist. - Jashoda Madhavji, Dream N Hustle Media
Art is a platform for discussion. Art is a tool for communication. - Jagdip Jagpal, India Art Fair
The simplest thing in cricket is also the hardest thing to do. - KL Rahul, Kings XI Punjab
It is always better to aim high and miss, than aim low and hit. - Qasim Zaidi, ex-Rivigo
Starting up is not a straight path, and while there is excitement, there are constant challenges too. - Avantika Meattle
Part of the journey will entail failure. How you deal with it is vital, because the journey will be riddled with mistakes. - Antoinette Prophy, 88 Business Collective
Any problem is an opportunity. The bigger the problem, the bigger the opportunity. - Vinod Khosla, Khosla Ventures
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).
