An Ode to Startups The young talented minds are the face of what tomorrow is likely to be.
By Ritu Marya
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The start of year 2016 is really all about start-ups. Never in the history of business, I have experienced the Government of India reacting as fast to a sector and particularly as new as this one.
PM Narendra Modi, by unveiling the Startup Policy, has become the banker, orchestrator, motivator and manager (though I feel that's a future thing) for start-ups in India.
Where credit is due, PM has fired the startup revolution that focuses on people, those who create companies and those who find value in the companies. He wants to get startup entrepreneurs out of the garage and make them a star.
Then there is a juicy capital side of the equation, when most of our funding is driven through non- Indian origin funds.
I would say Modi is bang on thinking like the country's CEO rolling capital, employability and impact, all in one, but what worries me if his team is ready to share his vision and agility to deliver what the Startup Policy and its benefactors really need.
My recent dialogue with a senior government official, who was engaged in the construing of the policy, shared that they would not fix any targets to achieve, and this gives me a jittery feeling.
The Government claims that their objectiveis to help startups from a distance, but only time will tell if start-ups would truly have been better off left at a distance.Startups are infectious. Its frenzy is spreading all over and has brought to light some new equity partners.
Today, A-list stars are happy to back startup entrepreneurs and are willing tack their names behind such maverick entrepreneurs who can build a large enterprise using their fame and in return they both enjoy its fortune.
Celeb endorsements and lying low is passé, there are Bollywood crackers and athletes who are launching their companies and funding and partnering with entrepreneurs next door to make their mark in the world of business.
Against this backdrop, we also celebrate our millennial entrepreneurs. These bright young talented minds are the face of what tomorrow is likely to be.
Not only are they laying a foundation for a great India for generations to come, but also inspiring an impact so widespread that this planet may prove to be too small for it. It's a movement of self-reliance, equality and opportunity.
They are the symbol of ultimate freedom because they are about "creating something where nothing was."
(This article first appeared in the Indian edition of Entrepreneur magazine (February 2016 Issue).
