For this edition of #JeenaIsiKaNaamZindagi we have a very special human being — Shankar Maruwada. Those who may have joined late: I have started this new series in which I will talk about exceptional individuals who I have met during my career. Why they will feature here is because of…
I am starting a series called Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai, a name that would resonate with folks of my generation. There was a TV serial back in the 80s with this name and viewers would recollect that it had very high TRPs. It featured off-beat stories of individuals who…
Entrepreneurs often take a transactional view of their angels, but they can be valuable partners too.
I will start with a story. I’ll not name the founder out of respect for him. But not too long ago, a founder raised a sizable angel round. He was excited to be funded…
Rivers are fascinating — we have so much to learn from them, about attitude, teams, and life in general.
I have been fortunate to have worked with many brilliant minds for many years now, and have gleaned invaluable lessons from them under various circumstances, both directly and vicariously.
The Spark That Led to the Ignition
A young bespectacled man was a regular visitor to Delhi’s Daryaganj book market at that time — the year was 1998. The Daryaganj book market is a marvel of sorts. It’s a booklover’s delight — open on Sundays — where an entire road is…
Almost a decade ago, I met Varun Shoor. He was shy and soft-spoken. Varun measured his words when he spoke. But when he did, you had to listen. He ran Kayako, an enterprise help desk product that counted Disney, Sega, and T-mobile as clients. What was unique about Varun was…
It all started in 2005. More than 15 years ago.
In a boardroom with around 20–25 founders, we were discussing the vision of what India’s software industry could become. Suddenly, an elderly gentleman stood up and started questioning me and others at the table. His argument was simple: How do…
Over the last two decades, I’ve had the pleasure of witnessing the emergence, evolution, and excellence of India’s technology ecosystem from close quarters, watching it evolve from a pure IT services provider into a product nation, making the world sit up and take notice.
Intro: Writing to a VC is intimidating, especially for first-time founders. Let’s talk a bit about the art and science of crafting the perfect pitch.
I am going to ask you to imagine standing in a large crowded room. It’s noisy. People talking over one another. But all of them…
We got talking in Sydney, sometime in 2006. The conversation was why many companies are not building software products from India. This, after a busy day attending the CeBIT show where I was a part of the Ganesh Natarajan-led delegation. Ganesh as you know is the legendary Ex-Chairman of Zensar…
