‘Speed is a differentiator’ – 65 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 65 gems and insights from the week of February 24–March 1 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.

If you don't give yourself a chance, who will? - Vijay Shekhar Sharma, Paytm

Confidence and ambition go hand in hand. - Geetika Dayal, TiE Delhi-NCR

While numbers are important, they are not everything. - Viraj Sheth, Monk-E

Ideas that seemed crazy or even imaginable just a few years ago are commonplace today. - Isaac Vas, KCCI

Make sure you really want to do it, and once you are sure, be the best at it. - John Wood, Kitchen CUT

As an entrepreneur, your product or service cannot be something that is not value for money. - Krishnan Ganeshan, GrowthStory

The tech industry is evolving at a rapid pace and the government as well as the educational institutes are also embracing this change. – Pankaj Raut, AjnaLens

With a mix of utilities, smartphones are only going to be bigger and better. - Prasanth Kumar, GroupM South Asia

Data is the next digital revolution, which will be bigger and more disruptive than the web. - Chethan KR, SynctacticAI

Medical imaging is one of the fields in healthcare where there is enough digitised data to turn the promise of AI into a reality. - Anjana Sasidharan, Sequoia Capital India

Pharmaceutical organisations can leverage AI in a big way to drive insightful decisions on all aspects of their business. - Sameer Dhanrajani, AIQRATE

As more people keep planning their journeys, the amount of cash they carry on the road continues to reduce. - Mohit Poddar, Shoes on Loose

Much like how we use the internet today, blockchain-powered applications will not be known for the fact that they’re built on the blockchain. - Nikola Stojanow, AE Ventures

We need to ensure that digital interventions lead to broadening of productivity. - Satya Nadella, Microsoft

The most attractive thing about fintech is that one has the ability to marry the best of technology with scalability of ecommerce. - Siddarth Pai, 3one4 Capital

Mobile operators today face twin pressure - from pricing pressure and rising costs, while also facing a shortage of data scientists. - Jin Jeong, Apis

Preserved leaves can resist extreme temperatures and hold more weight. – Tenith Adithyaa, Tenith Design

The coworking sector has become one of the most promising segments of the startup ecosystem and has attracted the attention of many leading investment firms. - Gabriel Mengin, Great Point Capital

Affordable housing finance presents a large untapped opportunity. - Nirav Mehta, Morgan Stanley Private Equity Asia

India has traditionally been a country of savers. Slowly, it is turning to borrowing very small amounts to be able to upscale and address its needs. - Varun Sridhar, PaySa

Global MNCs are looking for a 'China +1' alternative for a manufacturing hub. This puts India in a sweet spot to become a beneficiary of relocation for setting up complete manufacturing units. - Bindu Dalmia, Niti Aayog

Cash is still king. People haven’t yet been educated enough on the usage of digital payment options by banks and financial institutions, and there is an inherent distrust of digital payment options. - Adarsh Mehta, Creditt

Paperless technology is a game-changer for India and a key to the democratisation of finance. - Adhil Shetty, BankBazaar

For India’s middle-class households, gold has long been a favourite way to save and invest. - Hans Tung, GGV Capital

The opportunity that we have for India, really, is the opportunity to become the premier digital society in the world. - Mukesh Ambani

India has one of the largest B2B SaaS startup ecosystems in the world, and it is growing exponentially. - Anant Maheshwari, Microsoft India

Innovation is severely lacking in the real money gaming segment in India. Most game developers are looking to copy existing successful formats with minor variations. - Vaibhav Gupta, Rein Games

We have to uplift lakhs of farmer families, not just one. - Karan Hon, Farmpal

The biggest hindrance to a farmer becoming prosperous or having a consistent source of income is not having consistent source of water. - Maithili Appalwar, Avana

It's fantastic to see Indian destinations making their presence felt on the world map. - Nikhil Ganju, TripAdvisor

Indian mixologists are making most of the flavour profiles available to them and creating newer variants each day. - Greg Benson, Dewar’s India

Helping the street culture grow in India is a vital element for the growth of streetwear brands in the country. - Yash Gangwal, Urban Monkey

The Indian condiments market is projected to grow at a CAGR of over 13 percent, to reach $1,340.5 million by 2024. - Griffith David, Habanero

We don’t develop courage by being happy every day. We develop it by surviving difficult times and challenging adversity. – Barbara De Angelis

In giving my life to tennis, tennis gave me a life. I’ll miss it everyday. - Maria Sharapova

Inclusion is a pre-requisite for a diverse workforce to function effectively. - Archana Sasan, Dell Technologies

If India has to become a $5 trillion economy, companies need to hire more female workers. - Jyoti Nath, Claricent Partners

We may be working and 'Swiggying' our food, but there still are many role biases we follow even today. - Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari

You need to be at your best every single moment, otherwise you will be criticised and mocked by anyone and everyone. - Swathi Bavanaka, Evibe.in

It is important to achieve our goals, but not at any cost. - Mukesh Ambani

Every physical exercise has a positive and negative side to it. - Yamuna Zake, Yamuna Body Rolling

The three hardest words in the world are: “I don’t know.” - Deepinder Goyal, Zomato

Keep asking why, keep going deeper into each level, and you will discover something new, and find a solution nobody else has. - Varun Agni, Bounce

You can be an umpire, or you can be a player - but you can't be both. - Senator Elizabeth Warren

Stick to your originality and let your work be your unique expression of experiences. - Nivedita Gouda

Art definitely speaks to you, because what the artist expresses on a canvas may be his own experience or idea, but the viewer can interpret it differently. - M G Doddamani, 'Oorja'

Indian art is like an ocean, and with growing audiences in the country and overseas, everyone’s vision and interests in art can be realised. - Nanda Ediga

Acting is natural. It cannot be taught. In acting institutes, you only improvise on the technique of acting. - Jatin Sarna

Beauty and aesthetics can't be learned, rather felt and experienced. - Sandilya Theuerkauf, ‘Trail of Thorns’

Somebody’s waste can be a resource for someone else. - Nakul Kumar, Cashify

Food is a great example of people coming together. - Anshumala Behl, Conosh

Remote working is gaining widespread prominence. This fast-evolving trend permits both the personal and professional aspects of the employee to co-exist in mutual harmony. - Anuj Saxena, Skootr

Many brands make a mistake of compromising on quality for short-term gains. - Manoj Gyanchandani, Red Chief

Parents do not think it is very impactful if it is just online tutoring. - Minal Anand, GuruQ

SMEs don’t have clear visibility of their orders and their tracking status on a single platform. - Shivadeep Mahadi, eShipz

It is the collective responsibility of the citizenry to save water. - Nitin Sharma, GO Waterless

More than 95 percent of our daily consumption of water is not for drinking and cooking. - Sandeep Nadukkandy, WaterScience

Whenever you start feeling that you have become so mighty and you are bigger than the rest of the world, you should start traveling because that is when you realise that you are a tiny dot in this entire universe. - Richa Maheshwari

Established entrepreneurs and business owners need to give back, by mentoring and supporting upcoming startups. - Umesh Uttamchandani, DevX

It is very important to continue to reinvent yourself. Talk to your core customers, find out what is your strategy and build on that. - Jagrati Shringi, Voylla

Startups need to keep a laser focus on customers’ perspective in mind. - Erik Azulay, Nexus

For the vast majority of consumers, convenience is the key differentiating factor between shopping online and in person. - Naman Vijay, ClickPost

The biggest question people have is why funding is so tough. It's not tough, it's misunderstood. - Asutosh Upadhyay, Axilor Ventures

To create a strong impact, people need to be equipped with an entrepreneurial mindset and skillset, more than ever before. - Darshan Doshi, FLAME University

Building a startup is like sending a rocket ship to the moon. - Vikram Vaidyanathan, Matrix India Partners

Run when you can, walk if you have to, and crawl if you must, just never stop moving ahead. - Yosha Saluja

Speed is a differentiator, and the kind of learning you go through in a startup is phenomenal. - Amod Malviya, Udaan

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).