Starting up right is more important than starting up We, as entrepreneurs, must continuously strive to come together to stir the change.
By Ritu Marya
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The start-up-ism culture in India is well and truly kicking. The bubbling energy and infectious optimism I felt when I was recently speaking at the IIT Bombay's E-Cell conference or at TiECon Hubli or most recently at the Surge Bengaluru made me feel about 20 again.
Whether it is this big idea by an IIT Bombay graduate to aggregate cargo trucks or an art business by a young lady in Hubli, ready to go global, it is the spirit to succeed (generally against all odds), that is extremely inspiring. What makes them feel twice as confident about their success is when leaders like Kanwal Rekhi and Gururaj Deshpande give a mentor's stamp to their ideas.
While this is the reality of new India, the other reality is ghastly and unequivocal. By the time you read this, the Jat attacks in Haryana will be old news but right now in the editorial headquarters for us it is very real. We are not a political magazine by any means, but I think it is important to bring forward the contrast of Indian youth.
There is one young India that is thinking of dropping out from IIT's courses to find their entrepreneurial bearings, on the other hand, there is a class of young people who want to get into colleges without going through the drill of rigors studies and tough exams. While everyone today is thinking startups, I dread to think what kind of differential success quota students have in India as young entrepreneurs.
As flag-bearers of the startup movement, the Government of India could do well to heed this fact that if they cushion young India today, they would well be putting startup entrepreneurship at risk tomorrow.
It is also my great delight to bring out our very first women special issue in India. Our annual "Women to Watch' feature showcases women who are making a difference to themselves and their respective industries. These superwomen are in their own small way doing something big for this country. Also our feature on B2B industrial goods, further covers the opportunity wide open and how entrepreneurs are making most of it.
Collaboration breeds inspiration, and inspiration helps us to grow both as an individual and as business owner. We, as entrepreneurs, must continuously strive to come together to stir the change. At Entrepreneur Media, we always try to figure what we can do to bring the business leaders of the country closer to their fellow entrepreneurs.
"Accelerate Your Business" is an initiative to be the catalyst for the creation of a more open and empowered culture, which is not only about start-ups, but also about Indian businesses at large to think agile like a start-up. Join us on 7 April 2016 at The Leela Ambience Gurgaon Hotel & Residences to be part of this change. Write to me to get invited.
(This article first appeared in the Indian edition of Entrepreneur magazine (March 2016, Issue).
