Purpose has many dimensions, it helps you run the long race, says Vani Kola of Kalaari

Vani Kola, Managing Director at Kalaari Capital, urged founders to look beyond speed and valuations, and instead define a deeper sense of purpose that can sustain them through cycles of change.

“Purpose has many dimensions. It isn’t only about discovering your Buddha (spiritual purpose), though that’s important. Purpose also has different stakeholders,” Kola said, delivering a Keynote address at TechSparks 2025. “You must ask what the purpose of your company is—for your consumers, your employees, your investors, and even for yourself.”

She described purpose as essential to surviving the long entrepreneurial journey. “It’s hard to do that if you don’t find those rhythms that allow you to keep running the long race,” she said, referring to the need for balance and consistency as a founder.

As one of India’s earliest investors in technology startups, and also a backer of YourStory, Kola reflected on how every major technological shift creates what she called a “compression effect". “AI is compressing time,” she said. “If companies are building three to five times faster, then the story you are going to tell has to address that point—what is your speed to value and why?”

She added that entrepreneurs must see purpose not as an abstract concept but as clarity of intent amid rapid change. “Each era brings new technologies. You have the possibility of building certain kinds of businesses, and you have to capture that within that window, within that inflection point,” she said.

Kola also said that resilience and direction are intertwined. “I don’t think I can ever be a sprinter on anything… but I can finish the long race because it’s about pacing yourself, staying with it, and breathing right,” she said. “It’s true for startups as it’s true for everything else."