The Start-Up Gold Rush The festival-style event also witnessed the launch of the most celebrated Entrepreneurs 35Under 35 Class of 2022.

Entrepreneur India organized Startup Summit 2022, virtually on 25 February 2022. The Startup Summit connected startups & innovators that build great companies, inspire creative thinking and create change in communities across the country. Recognizing the good work of the sector, there were also Startup Awards that brought forward the path-breaking organizations changing the sector for a better tomorrow. The festival-style event also witnessed the launch of the most celebrated Entrepreneurs 35Under 35 Class of 2022.

AS THEY SAID IT:

"Today, entrepreneurs have access to capital. If you have a good idea, you can demonstrate your ability to succeed. Capital is not a problem. So, people can think and dream bigger," said Anupam Mittal, founder and CEO, People Group.

"We wanted to simplify Crypto for ourselves. That's how our unicorn journey started. And, in a new field, where everybody is scared to jump in, we have been in it for a while and that gave us an edge," said Ashish Singhal, founder and CEO, Coinswitch.

"Offline for us has turned out to be one of the best decisions as 94 per cent of India still shops offline. Discovery for a brand like ours is happening online, but consumption is happening offline mostly even today. When you are going offline, don't lose focus on your online play," said Vineeta Singh, co-founder and CEO, Sugar Cosmetics.

"We discovered gaps in the market. If you look closely, there will be gaps everywhere and how you can build a fundamental infrastructure on top of it. When we started our business, we didn't set out to become a unicorn. We wanted to solve a specific problem, for which everyone was looking for a solution," Amrit Acharya, co-founder and CEO, Zetwerk.

"We should feel fortunate that you are living in a renaissance of a digital revolution. Most of the founders are solving what has not been solved before. So, having a conviction on what you are doing is more important than having a plan B. Don't give up too early," said Sandeep Aggarwal, founder, Droom.

"Entrepreneurs should understand that VCs' business is to invest and get returns. And, investors should understand that they need to add much more value than just giving a cheque. There is a whole lot of handholding that is needed, especially for early-stage startups," said Padmaja Ruparel, founding partner, IAN Fund.

"When I invest in smaller startups, I have regular meetings on how to develop better products. For instance, with one startup I'm involved in building the right protein supplement. With another, I'm involved in how AR will show the technique of cricket. Overall, I give my hundred per cent towards the startup and help them evolve. Whenever I meet young startup founders, I tell them that it is important to dream big," Yuvraj Singh.

"A lot changed after the pandemic. We have tried chai sessions and Zumba sessions on Zoom to keep the interaction going. Now, most of my workforce is happy to come back. While there are pros of work from home, some functions are extremely difficult while working from home," Saahil Goel, co-founder and CEO, ShipRocket.

""Remote or non-remote doesn't matter if every employee is aligned with the company's vision. However, having said that, creation cannot happen on Zoom. You need people around and that energy. But, if you need to have to be remote, you can do that in today's age," Bhaswat Agarwal, co-founder, ClassPlus.

"India is just getting started. There is a huge scope in the conversational messaging space. Entrepreneurs should make share they leverage it and have the right engagement strategy to reach everyone," said Ravi Sundararajan, CEO, Gupshup.

"Investment and entrepreneurship are the two most difficult things. if success belongs to you, failure belongs to you as well. One needs to invest carefully. And, those who take money should understand that profits should be the core of the business and focus less on valuation," Sandeep Murthy, partner, Lightbox Ventures.

"Tech gives you operating leverage. But there are some companies that are camouflaged in the skin of technology, when they should actually be leveraging technology to run sales," said Dr. Ritesh Malik,

"We should value virtue. When we start off the virtues are visible. As the company grows, those virtues are not passed on everyone. So, how we build our HR is how our company culture will be built," said Aanan Khurma, co-founder and CEO, Wellversed.

"Technology has brought us closer to the global audience. we have started understanding how people from different geographies react to our products differently and take feedback. So, that communication issue is resolved today," said Sunil Maddikatla, founder and CEO, Bluesemi.

""We are at the cusp as a nation. We are the inflection point where the next decade is going to create cases of 'from India for the world'," Dhruvil Sanghvi, CEO, LogiNext.

"Remote team management is a skill. We saw that during lockdowns, leaders who were great in interpersonal communication till then struggled to manage the team virtually. So, I think companies should help their managers to figure out the right methods or style of remote team management, when you plan to go for a global team," Kashyap Dalal, co-founder & CBO, Simplilearn.

The very origin of the Good Glamm Group started with all of us sharing a common vision that is creating a house of brands," Naiyya Saggi, co-founder, Good Glamm Group.

"You need to judge a company on the fundamentals. My request to VCs, is not to only focus on asset-light models, focus on startups in sectors like hospitality and help them set fundamentals right," Ajay Thakur,