DeansMusings

 I decided to write this, based on questions asked on startup forums, seeking what I would consider basic information required to startup and how one can acquire the skills required to startup. Quite often an aspiring promoter asks for example how he can acquire startup skills, if they are not from a premier college associated with startups, or how one can get knowledge of areas like valuation, or building an app, or a shareholder frugal innovation. A lot of this info is available online for free. After trawling through various sources, I have compiled this list of courses, podcasts and e-books to help in your startup journey. Podcast Series – These are intended for people with basic knowledge of startup terms and the Indian startup ecosystem. 1. The Indus Valley report 2025 and its interpretation. This is a fine overview of the Indian market from a VC perspective. Blume venture has put their report in the public domain. https://blume.vc/reports/indus-valley-annual-rep...

Startup forums and resources for entrepreneurs are full of advice about what you should know before you start your venture, or the qualities a successful entrepreneur needs. Startups are booming in India. What is different in the business environment today is that it is easier to do business in a completely legal way and make a profit. Startup founders are more willing to take risks. Entry barriers are lowered – Access to money, connections or the right community matters less. One consequence of the rise of the startup culture is that government departments have become more startup friendly and there is more choice and more professionalism in the services a startup requires - Law firms, Marketing & PR, design firms etc.   In my years of first running a startup, then being part of angel investor groups and advising a few startups and entrepreneurs, I find the people who want to take the plunge into entrepreneurship are not asking themselves what I think are basic question...

  Indian national security and defense . (most recent on top) India's coming oil crisis China and Gen Naravane's book controversy Operation Sindhoor 2.0 FAQs and Operation Rising Lion Pakistan - unknown gunmen strike again Operation Sindhoor India's Russia oil imports. The reality Kashmir - 5 years after article 370   Agnipath scheme - An analysis The trade deficit with China Is RAW the new Mossad Pakistan's economic implosion and Kashmir Water wars - The Indus water treaty Reassessing the Chinese threat Kashmir - way forward after 370 abrogation (2019 article) Indian start-ups: Zomato's conundrum - Can it ever be profitable? Free startup resources Why Indian retail is different What to ask yourself before you startup   Ed tech - the real opportunity Joining a startup ? Startup culture. India vs US (guest post) The coming unicorn meltdown The problem with delivery apps Why coffee chains are (still) not profitable - 2015 article Iran war & the Middle East (contin...

  There are as many recent articles on the fall of Byju’s – the world’s most valued ed tech startup, as they were on the rise of Byju earlier. I have commented on the deluded thinking around unicorns in my earlier blog posts. https://rpdeans.blogspot.com/2023/08/the-coming-unicorn-meltdown.html While Byju’s had problems with corporate governance, ethical concerns around its selling, unrealistic (in retrospect) expectations around growth from investors – as do other startups, I want to talk about opportunities I believe Ed-tech startups are missing and how Ed-tech, if does what it was originally intended to do, can transform education in India and with it the quality of our workforce and ability to compete. What tech is supposed to do :   The internet and the tech startups around it, were supposed to transform business by doing the following: -Reduce costs by replicating data or infrastructure (e.g. textbooks or classrooms) digitally, thereby  improving quality (i.e....

My career saw me moving from a MNC to an owner managed company, to a couple of startups, before heading a startup and currently advising startups. Having spent some time in the startup ecosystem, I have often been surprised by how often people, including those with considerable business experience, are wrong about startups they interact with.    Most startups fail. Various estimates are that 90% of startups in India fail in the first 5 years. While startups continue to be registered in large numbers, outpacing those who officially shut, most of them end up in a corporate coma. They exist but not conduct any significant business. The high failure rate is something investors factor in. Suppliers and customers do not have a problem with a startup failure as there are always new companies entering the same space. The worst hit are employees. In a failing startup, they have to endure months of uncertainty before the end and then find it difficult to get a job elsewhere, partly beca...

Guest post by Ms. Neha Kesarwani .  Neha was co-founder of Vertoe, a startup in the US and has worked in startups in India and the US.  I have had the experience of building an on-demand short-term storage startup called Vertoe in the US that went on to expand to 65+ cities across 5 countries across the world and raised $3.85 million before COVID-19 hit the travel situation. Vertoe is an on-demand short-term storage app that allows anyone to drop off their bags/belongings at nearby shops within 5 minutes of wherever they are. The app simply enables the users to search for a location close to wherever they are in real-time. Apart from creating my own company from the ground up with my then co-founder, I also had the privilege to work as a Brand Manager at Cocoberry in its early stages where the seeds of problem-solving while navigating through ambiguity started to plant themselves. In recent times, I have associated myself with StartupIndia as an International Mentor, which all...

  The problem with delivery apps in India When first studying economics and later business, I learnt that building a profitable business depends on: Supply and demand (if demand goes up relative to supply, price increases) & Solving a problem better than competition. The example of Uber and Ola in India illustrate what I mean by supply and demand. Ride hailing apps worked well in markets like the US where they got car owners (e.g. retired people or college students) to work part time as Uber drivers. This added to the number of cabs available. When supply went up, relative to demand, prices fell. The reduced prices attracted new customers, who wanted a better alternative to public transport or their own vehicle, but at a lower cost than conventional cabs. The lower price was acceptable to the supplier (Uber driver) as it was extra income for him, thru utilizing his idle asset (car) and time. In India, the average car owner would not want to drive a stranger for money an...