I have often said that the next $100 bn will come from product companies in India, that this country would see the next Silicon Valley-like phenomenon. A variety of political, economic and cultural factors prompted me to make this observation. I also believe that it is the duty of the government and established entrepreneurs to do more to create an environment that nurtures upcoming entrepreneurs.

With CII, I made a small beginning with the ‘Startupreneurs’ initiative. I was on the advisory committee, along with Gopal Srinivasan CMD, TVS Capital Funds, and Lakshmi Narayanan, Vice-Chairman, Cognizant, among others. Our efforts culminated into a wonderful event in November last year – over 500 startups registered. We provided them with two precious resources that any startup requires – the benefit of others’ experience, and access to investors. Some remarkable speakers took to the stage and spoke about their personal journeys. The startups also got to present to delegates, HNIs, Investors and other Startups, with a change to win a big cash prize and a trip to attend the SeedStars event in Switzerland.

Here’s a Twittter snapshot of the evening

It was during Startupreneurs that I announced the setting up of ‘Startup Nukkads’, to take the concept of mentorship to the next level.  Startup Nukkad is a a 12-series yearlong programme where 50 startupreneurs will meet to discuss and resolve obstacles to business growth. I also talked about setting up Entrepreneur Hubs’ where 10 entrepreneurs from varied businesses that can potentially create new business models, and support one another in getting it off the ground.

When we organized Startup Nukkad, it was an energizing experience. There was a lot of positivity in the room. Here I am sharing a couple of video clips from the first Nukkad meeting.

Video One

Video Two