‘Customers validate your model, and investors validate your vision’ – 35 quotes of the week 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 35 gems and insights from the week of March 22-28 with your colleagues and networks, and check back to the original articles for more insights. See also our special compilation of quotes related to India’s coronavirus responses here.

There are pros and cons to everything in life and you just need to see the glass half full rather than half empty. - Aishwaryaa Dhanush, SARVA

Building a strong culture that recognises the contribution of employees is extremely important. - Amrit Acharya, Zetwerk Manufacturing

Frameworks have a lifespan, but culture is timeless. - Vivasvan Shastri, Cisco

Wake up, show up, and try again… Every single day! - Mona Singh, India Accelerator

If you are in a real rush, design thinking isn’t for you, but if you can slow down your thinking, design thinking can offer some great perspectives. - Pavan Soni, Inflexion Point

Although there is a support system for startups in Tier I cities, Tier II and Tier III town entrepreneurs have not had the same privilege. - Vinayak Nath, My Place Coworking

Rural India got recognised as a market to reckon with last year. - Rema Subramanian, Ankur Capital

There is a cultural awakening among people living abroad. They value Indian products more than Indians living here. - Kankatala Appalaraju, Kankatala Textiles

Millets are cultivated in many parts of India and are now finding themselves more popular. - Deepa Kannan, PFNR

The credit problem in India is a glaring one. While the factoring penetration is around 5 percent globally, India’s factoring penetration isn’t even 0.5 percent as of today. - Alok Bansal, Policybazaar

MSMEs don’t need lengthy instalment plans, they need access to small loans/credit lines they can pay back at variable time periods, based on their resale of the items they buy. - Anubhav Jain, Rupifi

The entry barrier is very low in the pen industry and this gives rise to unorganised players, leading to unnecessary competition. - Deepak Jalan, Linc Pen & Plastics

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The global infertility market is valued at around $36 billion, with India having more than 30 percent of the market cap as of now. - Apoorv Ranjan Sharma, Venture Catalysts

The health sector is in dire need of a health developmental financial institution (DFI). - N K Singh, Finance Commission

50 percent of Indians still live in areas without access to quality primary care and medicine. - Marissa Leffler, UBS Optimus Foundation

India is estimated to have 0.2 comprehensive (cancer) centres per million versus 4.4 per million as per global standards. - Prachi Sinha, Axilor

The sheer imbalance between necessity and availability of water is one of the reasons why several of our cities, including Bengaluru, are facing the ‘Zero Day’ situation today. - Advait Kumar, Swajal

While some brands have responded with genuine efforts at reducing the ecological footprint of their products, countless others claim themselves to be sustainable but are merely greenwashing. - Tanvi Bikhchandani, Tamarind Chutney

In our country, it is sad how people label a physically disabled girl as not eligible for marriage. - Prashant Gade, Inali Foundation

Social acceptance of women entrepreneurs is as important as skilling and funding. - Ratna Mehta, Wadhwani Foundation

There is a need to have an open and honest conversation around women and their bodies, how they feel, and the things they go through. - Sachee Malhotra, That Sassy Thing

The meaning of inclusivity has changed from just “allowing women to be a part of all workplaces” to safeguarding and promoting their right to have access to all these avenues. - Faakirah Junaid Rafiquee

In the holistic development of our children lies the success of our country’s future. - Puja Marwaha, CRY

Location-based social innovation opens the possibility to even disrupt the development sector by connecting NGOs with volunteers and donors nearby. - Naren Kumar, IamHere

Create as much as you can even if you don’t always like the result. - Jeena Raghavan

Art can be used to start a dialogue and inspire people to address social issues and problems. - Rouble Nagi, RNAF

Art appreciation brings you a new pair of glasses, which offers you limitless visual experiences. - Jee Yuan Lim, Chitra Santhe

Your work must speak for itself. - Neelu Patel, Mukhote Creative Art Foundation

Art is a manifestation of the soul. Success for an artist comes from full realisation of the inner self. - Jeya Prakash, Chitra Santhe

The whole purpose of art is for the artist to express and the audience to express in response. It is a two-way process! - Sanjana Shah, Tao Art Gallery

Fashion gives you the freedom to express yourself in a way you want the world to see you without having to say anything. - Premal Badiani, Badiani New York

The person that really needs to accept you is you. - Lady Gaga

Being attuned with your mind, and having a support structure around you, are critical to finding your own version of peak performance. - Prince Harry

Many people have ideas but they don’t take the leap. - Dhruv Washishth, Paradigm Shift

With 21 unicorns and nearly 50 ‘soonicorns’, the soon-to-be-unicorns, India, stands at the pivot of a ground-breaking phase for creating global disruption. - Amit Srivastava, Nutrify India

Startup founders need to be mindful of the fact that their moat can be disrupted by their competitors, and must therefore strive to remain one step ahead. - Shivathilak Tallam, Unitus Ventures

Most businesses take five years to find their way through different changes and multiple pivots. - Harsh Jain, Dream11

The more creative the mode for collecting customer’s opinions, the keener they will be to share the same. - Misaal Turakhia, StepSetGo

Customers validate your model and investors validate your vision; getting both at all times is critical for a company at all stages. - Prasanna M, Aqgromalin

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).