Demographics, dynamism, digital transformation – 30 quotes on the India business opportunity

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 30 gems and insights from the week of October 18-24 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.

Apart from being one of the youngest nations in the world, India is also counted among one of the oldest, with people aged 55+ representing more than 15 percent of the total population. - Tapan Mishra, Seniority

India has a ton of fantastically talented engineers that have built equally fantastic technology that has scaled the world over. - Varun Kapoor, Getir India

New people are joining the world of internet every day [in India]. So, there is a huge market for brands. - Tarun Lachhwani, Filmbaker

The deep tech startups’ base in India has expanded at over 40 percent CAGR over the past four years, with Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT) accounting for two-thirds of all deep tech startups. - Rohini Srivathsa, Microsoft India

We have created unicorns at the rate of two a month, attracting $65 billion investment in the tech space. - Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Minister of State for Electronics and IT

The presence of deep tech talent, a large consumer base, and favourable regulatory changes easing domestic listing of startups has created India's thriving startup and tech ecosystem. - Trifecta Capital

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Although there are nearly 100 million creators in India, most of them are streamers on social platforms. The broader creator economy in India is still very nascent. - Karthik Prabhakar, Chiratae Ventures

There is a strong need for content in Indian languages to be available over the internet, which helps the Indians to use technology (be it entertainment, news, education, movies, etc) in their respective language. - Nakul Kundra, Devnagri

We estimate that almost $7.6 billion worth of smartphones will be sold during the ongoing festive season. - Prachir Singh, Counterpoint

India Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) for both manufacturing and services has shown a very smart uptick last month. - Rajiv Kumar, Niti Aayog

India’s potential in the agricultural sector is poised to grow even further due to the tremendous value addition towards indigenous and global food industries. - Ashwin Kumar, Vibez Agro Tech Solutions

What happens in India unfortunately is that by the time we understand there is agrarian distress, it is already very late. - Roli Jindal, RMSI Cropalytics

More than 60 percent of the population of India is dependent on agriculture and yet tech penetration in the agri-supply chain is quite low. - Vedant Katiyar, Onato

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The unorganised optical market has a lot of scope of becoming standardised and hassle-free for the mass consumers. - Gaurav Gulati, Aroa Ventures

The online gifting industry will start consolidating in the next three to four years. - Sujeet Kumar Mishra, Winni

As electric mobility is seeing rapid adoption in India, lack of financing options remains the largest roadblock. - Sameer Aggarwal, RevFin

Five years back, the type of waste processed into biofuels was much lower. Now, a wide variety of waste can be manufactured. - Kishan Karunakaran, Buyofuel

A fundamental shift in the country’s approach to energy production and consumption is required to reach the goals of making India self-reliant and achieving an Aatmanirbhar Bharat in this clean energy transition. - Pankaj Mohanpuria, Amplus Solar

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Handcrafted Indian sarees reflect the real spirit and warmth of the Indian culture, plus promoting it gives livelihood to Indian artisans. - Pushkar Shukla, Beatitude

The appreciation for Indian art has grown over the years and people have developed a new appreciation of our traditional art forms. They recognise the dedication, patience, and the craft that goes into these exquisite creations. - Suvigya Sharma

In the last few years, Varanasi has emerged as a hub of various Khadi activities. - Bhanu Pratap Singh Verma, Union Minister of State for MSME

NFT-based monetisation is in its infancy and India has the opportunity to take the global leadership. - Nikhil Khattau, Mayfield Fund

The Northeast is very blessed in terms of food and culture but it is not very accessible to many travellers because of the lack of infrastructure and [guidance] for travelers. - Ratan Ghimire, Encamp Adventures

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Discomfort from being out and about on the road while menstruating is probably one of the most underreported reasons why many women don’t consider delivery to be a viable gig. -Swiggy

In India, convincing people that anything other than cricket is an important sport is difficult. Telling people that table tennis is a multi-billion dollar market opportunity has also been tough. - Megha Gambhir, Stupa Sports

Food allergies are becoming more common among people, and monsoons can be a time where this is seen even more. - Deepa Kannan, PFNR

A .in domain shows your aspiration that you want to make India great. - Rangaraj Bhattacharya, WeMove Solutions

Around five years ago, there was a study that claimed that most of the single-word domain names were already taken. Going for a .in domain name solves this problem. - Tejas Bhatt, 3 Sided Coin

Vegan-friendly and cruelty-free alternatives have become extremely common as consumers are now aware of the leather industry's effects on the environment and animals. - Veena Ashiya, Monrow shoes

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Since MSMEs don’t have sufficient security to offer to the bank in exchange of raising an alternate capital, they continue to work with their limited capital. - Raman Aggarwal, MSME Digital Court

Urban segment is extensively targeted by banks and fintechs but there are no unique products for small towns. - Vishal Chopra, WeRize

As the fintech revolution continues to grow in India, we are seeing numerous fintech startups transforming people’s lives for the better. - Apoorva Ranjan Sharma, 9Unicorns

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).