Enabling Entrepreneurs
This is Volume 2 in a multi-part series on the State of Indian Tech in 2020: Through the Big Stories. Amongst others, US companies Facebook, Google and Amazon have been the most enduring early movers in the Indian market. These firms have come a long way from top-down strategy & replicating what worked for them … Continue reading How are global tech companies approaching India?
Over the next few weeks, we will be sharing overviews of the “State of Indian Tech in 2020”. We have organised these through the big stories in the tech sector: Volume 1: What is Reliance Jio’s plan? India’s largest company has invested $32bn over the last 5 years into the tech sector as the conglomerate makes a … Continue reading State of Indian Tech in 2020: Through the Big Stories
This is Volume 1 in a multi-part series on the State of Indian Tech in 2020: Through the Big Stories. India’s largest company has invested $32bn over the last 5 years into the tech sector as the conglomerate makes a major transition. They have successfully raised meaningful capital from tech giants like Facebook and Google but where do … Continue reading Volume 1: What is Reliance Jio’s plan?
Companies used to do one thing To paraphrase one of Matt Levine’s “simple dumb models of corporate finance”: In the old & simple days, each company would do one thing. A founder knowledgeable with bicycle tyre tubes could raise money from investors to manufacture tyre tubes. The CEO could put the money into setting up a factory, … Continue reading Will India allow tech conglomerates?
The tables have turned I’ve been seeing something a little different recently… The last 5 years of ecommerce has been characterised by platforms (Amazon, Flipkart, Snapdeal, PayTM) fighting for consumer attention. This war placed customers on a pedestal and showered them with discounts, cash on delivery, guaranteed returns, and fast shipping. Offline retailers & SMEs … Continue reading Supply-led adoption of technology
So your job is like Shark Tank? One of the perks of this job is hearing incredibly smart people paint vivid images of how they’re building companies which, if successful, will change much of our lives. After a few thousand pitches, there are some ideas we keep hearing in some form repeatedly – while others … Continue reading The best pitch I ever heard
We’re living in the golden age of memes. I’m fully capitalising on this modern artistic renaissance. But maybe that’s just my way of justifying the 2 hours a day I spend on Instagram and TikTok… Clearly you lot are up to no good too: Blame it on the Covid-19 There’s an interesting theme I’ve noticed in recent … Continue reading What is Zoom
In recent weeks, we have heard a lot about founders being forced to change gears completely. So there’s a lot of this going around… The starting model I think there’s a lack of transparency in how the VC business is understood so I want to talk a little about how the pandemic can create certain situations for … Continue reading How VCs are thinking about business during the pandemic
I expect most readers are familiar with “the hammer and the dance” theory of mitigating coronavirus by now. The idea is essentially containment by harsh lockdowns today (“the hammer”), varying measures of social distancing over the next 6 to 18 months (“the dance”), until a vaccine is finally found. Demand Catalysts during the dance This article by … Continue reading The contours of demand are changing
I want to talk candidly about a couple of important considerations for founders in today’s environment. [Permalink to post on Medium] Making tough decisions Some founders I spoke to this week are preparing for headcount reductions of 30–35%, renegotiation of vendor contracts and customer relationships. This is fun for nobody. The best advice I can give … Continue reading Tough decisions for founders