‘We are the first generation in India responsible for our own marriages’ – 30 quotes on the India socio-economic opportunity, from TechSparks 2021
Trends and gaps both open up opportunities for business, as shown in these insightful quotes from YourStory’s premier TechSparks conference.
Launched in 2014, StoryBites is a weekly feature from YourStory, featuring notable quotable quotes in our recent articles. Share these gems and insights from the TechSparks 2021 speakers with your colleagues and networks, and check back to the original articles for more insights.
In this special collection of quotes from YourStory’s TechSparks 2021 coverage, we present insights on tech adoption, social changes, and industry growth by successful entrepreneurs and business leaders. See our earlier quotes compilations from conference editions in 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, and 2014.
Check out our profiles of the Tech50 startups of 2021, and Tech30 startups over the years: 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, and 2011.
India is a data-rich country. Each person is a data factory with 1.3 billion people generating data, providing value to algorithms with an AI, ML, AR, and VR to name just a few. - Nivruti Rai, Intel
Earlier, when tourists visited Goa, we offered them what was available in the state. Now, we are using artificial intelligence to understand what tourists want from the state. - Revati Mujumdar, Goa Electronics
New-age and deep-tech products and companies are enabling people to use Ayurveda from their mobile phones. - Param Bhargava, The Ayurveda Co
In India, the conversation around crypto a few years ago was all about Bitcoin prices and scams. Now, the talk is all about blockchain and how the technology can revolutionise industries. - Aniket Jindal, Biconomy
India has the third highest Twitter base in terms of numbers, allowing us to really slice and dice the market with endless possibilities. - Fares El Masri, SocialDatabase
Nearly 270 million people came online for the first time in Asia over the last two years. - Scott Beaumont, Google
There are more than 3,000 Estonian e-residents from India, and they have established more than 500 companies in Estonia. - Katrin Kivi, Estonia’s Ambassador to India
The fact that both ecosystems [of India and Israel] are aware of their abilities and the advantages is something that could provide a long-term collaboration between two great innovation hubs. - Jonathan Zadka, Consul General of Israel to South India
India has come a long way from being a country of promise and potential to a country of promise. - Kumara Raghavan, AISPL
We have to think of sectors, where India has the right to play, and the right to win—and then scale to win. - Ankit Agarwal, McKinsey & Company
As long as manufacturing is competitive, India will produce D2C brands for the world. - Rajat Agarwal, Matrix Partners India
There is a good talent pool in India. A SaaS player does not need to set up an office in the US now to have the best talent pool. Funding is also solved as we know, and the customer base is also there. - Pranay Desai, Matrix Partners India
Whether it is MRF Tyres or Google, IT is driving every company in India today. - Manoj Kumar Mishra, Government of Odisha
Now, especially in India, people have realised that they can have natural conversations on the messaging applications. Simplicity is what brings them in. - Gaurav Kachhawa, Gupshup
India enterprises need to do the heavy-lifting in terms of the funder portion for research and development (R&D). - Rajiv Mathew, Oracle
We need an India playbook. Local partnerships will go a long way. - Supria Dhanda, Western Digital
There are so many strong and mind-blowing ideas from entrepreneurs in small cities, but lack of awareness of the availability of funds and various schemes hinder them from spreading their wings. - Deepjyot Sethi, Velbond Industries
With more than 70 percent of India's retailers in small cities and towns, technology can enable personalised trading for them. - Sujeet Kumar, Udaan
In smaller towns, there is tremendous aspiration, but there is no access to good brands and hence internet has proved to be a boon both for consumers and retail companies. - Saroja Yeramilli, Melorra
Now people are moving back to their native cities from metropolitan cities because of a better lifestyle, living conditions and environment. - Rahul Yadav, Minimalist
Ecommerce in the last 10-15 years has mostly served the top 200 million customers. What Flipkart has enabled in the last two years is the next 200 million customers and that’s where we see tremendous growth. - Kalyan Krishnamurthy, Flipkart Group
As ecommerce has grown exponentially in the past three years across India, its challenges are peculiar by region and geography. - Prakash Kumar, GreenHonchos
For the mapping ecosystem, which is a direct beneficiary where we get real-time consistent information from satellites, the Indian market size is pretty much small right now at $8 to $9 billion, and globally it is about 10X of this. - Ankeet Bhat, MapMyIndia
Unlike other parts of the world like the US and China where proptech is already prospering, India is at a very nascent stage. Proptech is the last remaining bastion where technology is yet to disrupt meaningfully. - Tanuj Shori, Square Yards
Agritech has an indirect overlap with the digital frontend, as B2C brands find markets beyond metros and large cities. - Shashank Kumar, DeHaat
It’s still early, but we expect the RBI to have clearer policies, licenses, or a well-defined set of do’s and don’ts over the next five years, and that kind of a regulator push will be a major driving force [for open banking]. - Reeju Datta, Cashfree Payments
In India, doctors come with the traditional notion that software is tough as they are not computer savvy, and hence, using software takes up a lot of time. - Sandeep Gudibanda, HealthPlix
If one focuses on learning outcomes, Saraswati stays and Lakshmi follows. But if someone focuses only on Lakshmi, neither Saraswati comes nor Lakshmi stays. - Sumeet Mehta, LEAD School
A majority of the SMEs in the country don't necessarily have the expertise that is required to enable digital transformation. And they're looking at partners to make this journey seamless. - Sai Pratyush, Tata Tele Business Services
India is a culturally diverse country, where each locality proclaims uniqueness in their expectations. - Vineet Rao, Dealshare
India is divided into many ethnicities and every 100 km, food choices change. - Vivek Gupta, Licious
If we need to hire more women, it is important to show that the organisation is inclusive and an equitable one. - Kappu Jaykumar, Lowe's India
In the last 15 years, I have more often than not, been the only woman in the room, but I am very excited that it is changing very quickly. - Anjali Sasale, WaterBridge Ventures
India's biggest strength is its demographic dividend, we are a very young country. So if we can educate our youth, we will become a global powerhouse. - Divya Gokulnath, BYJU’s
We are the first generation in India responsible for our own marriages. - Snehil Khanor, TrulyMadly
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).
Edited by Megha Reddy
