StartupTalky

Tag: entrepreneurs

  • Google for Startups – An Accelerator Program By Google to Support Startups

    Google for Startups is an accelerator program by Google for supporting Startups and helping them grow. It provides mentorships, training, and, guides entrepreneurs to find solutions for the challenges they face in building and growing their startups. StartupTalky took an initiative to know the details of the program – Selection Procedure, challenges to be addressed, help for women entrepreneurs, and more.

    Here are insights into Google for Startups by Paul Ravindranath G – Program Manager, Developer Relations & Head of Google Accelerator at Google India, Bangalore.

    How is Google for startups different from the traditional accelerator model?

    The Google for Startups Accelerator helps startups build successful products and businesses by focusing on 360* needs of the company and founders. Our needs analysis for selected startups helps us define a custom support plan for each of the startups that meet them at their point of need. Not only is there focus on solid tech, product strategy and growth but also on people and leadership.

    How is the selection procedure for startups?

    When applications open, startups can apply directly at the accelerator tab of Google for Startups.

    GFS Accelerator looks for startups that are meaningfully and scalably solving for the challenges of the current times. The program is vertical agnostic, but given the need to further innovation in an increasingly digital-first world, we are carefully considering verticals such as Edtech, Healthtech, Fintech, Retail & Logistics, Media & Entertainment, Agritech and Gaming.

    The 3 months mentorship program selection process has some basic eligibility criteria such as:

    • Startups need to be based out of India
    • Should preferably in the seed to Series A, B stages
    • Deep understanding/application of new-age technology

    What areas do most startups at the program struggle with/ What problems do they expect you to address?

    The program’s focus is a founder-first, founder-friendly approach to support startups in solving their business, operational, and technology challenges.

    Startups face a varied set of challenges at different stages of growth and maturity. Since the accelerator is a stage agnostic program, it presents the opportunity to work with startups facing diverse challenges. With a strong mentor base and methodologies to help with various areas, the program can address key challenges faced by founders.

    User Experience/User Interface, Product Strategy, Tech Architecture, Growth and Marketing and People Development tend to be the main areas where the program can add value to startups.

    Additionally, we also provide them with extensive training on leadership along with robust strategies for building company and product capabilities. As part of this program, founders outline the top challenges facing their startups and are then paired with relevant experts from Google and the industry to solve those challenges.

    We can see an inclination among startups towards AI and ML, where they adopt predictive decision-making capabilities, making them vital for scale based solutions.

    Is the support more tech-centric or spread across different domains? Do you plan to expand the horizon?

    Accelerator helps startups scale and be successful with strong product strategy and a robust and scalable technology approach. The 360* approach we take helps address all the key areas of concern for a startup. The goal is to constantly look to add on expertise and methodologies to help startups thrive.

    Every startup is unique and has different needs, how do you address their needs individually?

    With every class batch we attempt to identify some unique and interesting startups. Each of these businesses have different requirements and different business challenges. The accelerator is looking for startups at all stages of development that are not only using cutting-edge technology but are also helping India, and potentially the rest of the world, adapt and move forward especially in a post pandemic world.

    At the very beginning of the program, selected startups go through a complete needs analysis with a panel of experts and mentors. This exercise helps us build distinct goals and objectives for every startup that are addressed through a mentoring bootcamp, access to mentors and Google teams to help in moving their goals.

    Facebook Startup Funding | Startups Funded by the Facebook
    Facebook accelerator program invests in startups. Know about Facebook startup funding. Here is a list of Startups that are funded by facebook.
    StartupTalkyAnsh Mehrey

    What are few areas which Google for startups provide a unique value? Does it help in connecting partners with govt agencies or a few of the best customers?

    Startups are connected to mentors from all over the world through the accelerator programme. As part of the programme, we have over 20 Google teams and hundreds of industry experts who assist with operational, technology, and business difficulties. Mentors bring expertise across a wide range of areas such as User Experience and User Research, Technology covering Android, Cloud, Web and more. Marketing & Growth, Leadership are other key areas.

    Additionally, the startups also find themselves to be eligible for the following perks, once they are part of the Google for Startups Accelerator Programme.

    • Equity-free support
    • Technical training on design, people, product, and growth marketing
    • Support on high-level company and product strategy
    • Google product credits and early access to new services

    What’s the format/curriculum of the program? Does it change every year?

    Google for Startups Accelerator India is a three-month cohort based program. There are typically 2 cohorts a year. While the accelerator team is based out of Bengaluru, the scope of the programme expands over the country where we handpick the best and the most promising startups to be a part of the batches.

    In light of the constraints posed by the pandemic, the accelerator currently runs as a fully digital program but is hopeful of going hybrid as things improve. During the beginning of the program, we work with the startups selected into the accelerator to determine each startup’s challenges and support required from the program. Then these startups go through an intensive Bootcamp around topics such as Product, Design, Technology, People & Growth, followed by the OKR (Objective Key Results) workshop to define their objective for the next 3 months.

    Have you ever considered a program specifically for women entrepreneurs or tier2 or tier 3 city startups?

    Despite the many strides in diversity and inclusion efforts in different industries in India and the world, we remain at some distance from true and proportionate representation of women in the workforce – be it in leadership, entrepreneurship or otherwise.

    This is a gap that we are committed to closing through various efforts within Google and beyond, across all the communities we support. Our ongoing efforts to support women entrepreneurs are one of these. To showcase our belief in the Indian women entrepreneurs, for our 6th batch we have selected around 35% of women-led startups in the mix and comprising a mix of B2B & B2C startups between Seed and Series A stages.

    List of Unicorn Startups in India | Top Unicorns in India
    India has over 90 unicorn startups including Paytm, Byju’s, Zerodha and more. Here’s an exhaustive list of the Indian Unicorn Startup Companies that joined the unicorn club, updated to 2022.
    StartupTalkyAnik Banerjee

    Do the alumni startups contribute in any way to the program?

    With over 100 startups graduating from the program, we have a broad set of alumni, including unicorns like Sharechat. Several Alumni give back to the program with their recommendations of great upcoming startups. They come forward to support the cohorts as mentors, speakers and more.

    Could you please share some insight on the success rates of the startups after the program?

    The Google for Startups Accelerator has mentored over 116 startups, who have collectively raised over $2 billion in funding and contributed significantly to India being one of the world’s largest startup ecosystems.

    Startups solving for key large-scale opportunities that India presents such as Drivezy, Nestaway, Sharechat were part of our early cohorts. Several companies like Niramai that apply cutting edge AI/ML tech in healthcare, specifically early detection of breast cancer have benefited with our technology input.

    These startups, along with all the others in the previous batches of GFSA, continue to make an impact in the country.

    Few things we (the whole startup community) can do to support startups across India?

    The Indian startup community is currently witnessing a maturing cycle and even through the pandemic, growth has been solid. As a startup ecosystem few trends present an opportunity for us all to make a difference.

    Women’s Entrepreneurship is an area that not only requires focus from an access-to-capital perspective, but also building programs that meaningfully provide access to networks, mentors & addressing challenges specific to women founders is key.

    So also is the area of helping founders understand how to build great teams. Employability and access to good talent have been a challenge for seed to series A companies.

    Enabling startups with insights, research and access is going to be key as they innovate and solve for India and the world.

    The biggest support that we can provide each other in this thriving ecosystem, is collaboration across the ecosystem. Collaboration with a founder first, founder-friendly community approach can make a true impact as startups help accelerate our economy.

  • How to Boost Productivity at Work?

    Life has become super fast and each day passes away like it’s just a matter of a few minutes. Nowadays, even 24 hours, specifically 1440 minutes seems to be less, to complete all our work efficiently. We know that time cannot be changed nor it can be rewound but our dreams and expectations remain constant. We have always heard that life is short and uncertain and without any guarantee or warranty.

    Undoubtedly, you might have thought about what to do in order to achieve all your dreams and boost productivity. Nonetheless, you might be thinking that working 18 hours a day or even more will make you valuable & worthwhile. However, this misconception will shorten your already half-used life and you will definitely feel mentally tired and irritated.

    To be constructive and profitable giving up on your dreams is not the right solution. To accommodate all your dreams and boost your productivity you need to learn to position and prioritise. However, if you spent all your day working hard and the end result isn’t worthwhile, then your hard work goes in vain. The conclusion determined here is that it’s not about how hard you work or how many hours you give, what counts in the end is, how you excel in the task. It’s important to make every single minute of the day get counted, rather than just doing a task and completing it. This Mantra will boost your output towards work and that’s how you will become successful and will be able to make your dreams come true. In this article, we will talk about how you can boost your productivity and can make every minute count. So, let’s get started.

    What Are the Secrets of Productive Morning?
    How to Be Productive at Work?

    What Are the Secrets of Productive Morning?

    The best start of a day will help to succeed. The Productive Morning Routine help to become more efficient with the limited time and energy available. But is there anything to do first thing in the morning and before the workday to become more energetic more focused and more productive? There are some strategies that will help to start a good day and help in the Productive Morning Routine.

    Early to Bed and Early to Rise

    The people who are working in the daytime are more productive when compared to those who are working at night. Some study says that people who wake up on time and go early to bed develop mental strength. The people who woke up on time between weekdays and weekends were more proactive, that is those who got up at the same time every day are considered to be more proactive.

    Think First at Night

    Sometimes people who wake up in the morning are not able to think clearly about their plans. So, some extra bit of planning at night before going to bed will help in making your next day productive. It will minimize the morning stress and give relief from strains.

    Have Healthy Food

    Food is important for being energetic at work. So, take healthy food to eat and that will give you energy, which in return will help in making your life productive. The food taken for breakfast decides the energy level of the entire day. Remember, that the body has been fasting for the past seven or eight hours and jump-starting your system with a protein-rich breakfast is recommended. It can help you to go endlessly with your daily work. Some quick and easy protein-packed options include cottage cheese, almonds, eggs, protein shakes, and Greek yoghurt.

    Self-Control Helps Productivity

    The mind is like the central processing unit which can be set according to energy. People who have a strong internal control to set the mind to be proactive can reach their desired goals. Start the day with expectations and work towards achieving them, have control over yourself and focus on your own work.

    Do Exercise Daily

    Healthy food sets the mood but doing regular exercises in a day will help to improve the mood and increase the ability to deal with the demands of work and help in boosting productivity. The people who have a habit of doing exercise regularly have a peaceful and constant mind. They don’t worry about little hindrances and just kick it away and go with their work. Exercising before work can improve the mood and increase productivity levels throughout the rest of the day.

    Meditation brings perfection

    Meditation is also one of the greatest options to take so that you can boost your productivity. If your morning routine starts by meditation, prayer, yoga and quiet time, it not only keep your mind refresh but also your body healthy. These are all great practices that can get the day off to the right start. Structured and proper meditation helps in prosperity and happiness.

    Pre Plan Your Goals

    Start the day with a prioritized list of tasks, actions and goals to help make your day productive. Everyone must set goals and targets and make the mind ready to achieve them.  prior set of list of actions done in one day, week or month.

    Always Be on Time

    Reaching office at the correct time is the best disciplinary practice. So, setting a time to reach office and doing other jobs is a good optopn. Setting prior times will make the day productive and will help you in making your day productive.

    How to Be Productive at Work?

    The most important thing for a human in this modern world is and there’s no second opinion to it. Shortage of time can easily be included in the list of problems everyone across the world complains of—rich or poor, young or old; the problem is same for all. An important component that is associated with time is productivity. One can be productive only when they uses the limited span of time available to the maximum possible extent. One can be productive at work by following all these steps.

    Multitasking

    Not everyone has the dexterity of performing multiple actions in parallel. It is a skill that comes with experience. Many out there would be inclined to disagree with the concept of multitasking citing that only one task should be focused on at a time. Well, that’s not wrong but provided you know how to prioritize tasks one over the other, making time for doing two or three things at a time isn’t all that difficult. At this age, if you are a multi-tasker, then it’s an advantage for you.

    Priority

    A common mistake that people commit and end up doing less than they had expected is not knowing which tasks need to be completed immediately and those that can be ignored for the time being. Prioritising things which are more important over those which are less important helps you stay more productive at work. An effective way of deciding which action to place ahead of others is by analyzing the future outcomes.

    Avoid Procrastination

    To be honest, procrastination is a double-edged sword; you either get the work done by the deadline or ultimately end up not doing it. By staying away from procrastination, you can be more productive work in your life. Mind you, it’s going to be a difficult task, but look at the benefits—a procrastination free individual would never take things for granted. They see a job at hand and conquers it immediately.

    Introspect and Retrospect

    To improve efficiency at work, take time to look back at your past. Your past is your best teacher and prepares you for the present and the future. At times when nothing seems to go as planned, it’s best to take a break and introspect in isolation. Maybe the solution to all the problems has been clouded by the monotony of daily life or the regular grinding at the office. Take some time out and think about what went wrong. Going over the reasons for your past work being ineffective and inefficient would turn out to be a saviour for the ongoing tasks. It stops you from making the same mistakes again and again.

    Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Advice

    This may give the other person a sense of superiority and maybe even evoke a condescending response from them but sometimes, other’s opinions turn out to be decisive. There’s no need to feel humiliated in asking others why you are lagging behind in terms of productivity. Don’t hesitate to take some work efficiency tips from someone who works with you or observes you at work. The answers can help you in improving yourself.

    Keep Yourself Motivated

    Keep yourself motivated to stay more productive at work. There will be times when you will feel lethargic and sometimes you will not feel like working. During these times, keep yourself motivated by reminding yourself about the benefits of doing your work on time. Reading motivational books by entrepreneurs, a note with an inspiring quote by some great person on your work desk or some inspiring video, find out a way to keep yourself motivated and work your way to success.

    Give Yourself Deadline

    Don’t wait for someone else to give you deadlines. Challenge yourself, define your deadline and try to do things faster. As the famous quote says, “The only person you should try to be better than is the person you were yesterday”.

    Try to work better and faster every day. Competing with yourself and doing a serious efforts for self-improvement is one of the best ways to improve efficiency in the workplace

    Take Cues From the Next Person

    Observe how people around you function. There’s a high chance that you may stumble upon some technique to be more productive. If there is someone around who is faster and better at work, observe in what way they works differently than you. Try to adopt those habits and techniques and you will surely become a more efficient worker.

    Plan Your Goals

    Having a plan to utilize any given day or week goes a long way in keeping things organized and at the same time allowing ample room for accomplishment. As mentioned before founders have a lot of things to do, and planning about getting it done could be overwhelming. Creating a list of things to be done in a short time span is an  essential step to attaining proper time management. A list will give an air of clarity even if it is long and overwhelming. At the beginning of the week, make a weekly plan that will list the key objectives to be accomplished in the week. This will act as a guideline for the daily plan. Any activity that is not directly related to this guideline in accomplishing the weekly objective has to be analyzed and removed. A successful entrepreneur is able to identify these actions, thus having a great impact on their business.

    Don’t Get Distracted

    The key to becoming a successful business leader is the ability to stay focused. Distraction will do nothing but create disturbance in your workflow, so it is important to keep your focus on the things that are important for your work. Being able to focus on commitments is an effective strategy for time management and proper utilization of time.

    Complete the Less Important Tasks

    Every now and then there are going to be some tasks that are that are not that important on the to-do list. However, they have to be completed so it is better to get them out of the way first. Putting them off will only make the work more tedious and reduce overall productivity.

    Learn to say “No”

    Do not become a people ‘pleaser’ just because of the fear of offending someone or missing out on an opportunity. Learn to say ‘NO’ when required and it will become easier to reach goals. Saying No does not mean that younare ignoring your responsibilities, it simply means we are focusing on something that actually deserves our attention.

    Share Your Responsibilities

    Responsibilities can be shared by empowering the employees and colleagues and assigning a different role for everyone. This will not only make the employees feel like are part of the team but also improve the company’s morale and productivity.

    Understand the Purpose of the Task

    One way of prioritizing tasks is by defining the clear purpose of the task. This helps in realising which task should be done urgently. This way, it becomes easier to complete all the goals that is needed to fulfilled.

    Take the Help of Technology

    Try out new apps or tools to see how it affects productivity. Often apps and tools help in completing the task more efficiently and staying organized. Keep checking for new apps and tools to find if some might help the company in staying organised.

    Conclusion

    It is going to take a good amount of efforts to actually bring these suggestions into practice. However, these techniques will surely make you more effective at work. In today’s world, where even 24 hours seems less, humans are constantly trying to look for ways to boost their productivity and the above steps can helps them making every minute counts.

  • Kevin Systrom Success Story – How he Built Instagram from Scratch?

    The social media segment continues to develop at an exponential rate with mind-boggling advancements being announced every other day. The first decade of the 21st century saw the emergence of Facebook, Twitter, Hike, and Snap Inc.

    While everyone was busy with Facebook and Twitter, Instagram—a photo and video sharing application—was establishing a league of its own. The credit for Instagram’s existence goes to Kevin Systrom.

    Kevin Systrom – About
    Kevin Systrom – Education
    Kevin Systrom – Career
    Kevin Systrom – How He Built Instagram From Scratch with Mike Krieger?
    Kevin Systrom – Facebook Instagram Acquisition

    Kevin Systrom – About

    Kevin Systrom is the founder and former CEO of Instagram. Instagram is a photo and video sharing social media application. He is known as the reason behind Instagram’s success. Instagram gained 800 million monthly users in 2017 under his leadership.

    Kevin Systrom was born on December 30 1983 in Holliston, Massachusetts. He developed a love for computers during his days at school. Kevin began creating programs for fun and usually pranked his friends by hacking their AOL Instant Messenger accounts. AOL was a popular instant messaging platform in the 1990s.

    Kevin as a school going kid wanted to become a Disc Jockey, and used to pester Boston Beat—an old-school, vinyl-record store—by writing them emails and expressing his willingness to work for them. After a few weeks of hustling, he was given a part-time job for a few hours each week.

    Kevin Systrom – Education

    Kevin applied to Stanford University to pursue undergrad studies. At that time, Stanford University was well known for its deep ties with Silicon Valley. He initially enrolled in the Computer Science department, but later jumped to the Management Science and Engineering Program.

    Kevin’s inclination for subjects with more practical coursework was the reason behind this shift. He was one of the twelve students who were selected to participate in the prestigious Mayfield Fellows Program at Stanford University.

    Kevin Systrom – Career

    Odeo

    Mayfield Fellows Program paved way for a four-month internship at Odeo Inc in June 2005. Odeo Inc was a platform that gave its users an easy way to record and share podcasts.

    Odeo Website
    Odeo Website

    Kevin worked as a Technical and Business intern and also contributed to the creation of the Odeo Widget. Kevin’s work ethic and brilliance compelled Mark Zuckerberg to offer him a job, but Kevin declined as he was still an undergraduate.

    Kevin Systrom with Mark Zuckerberg
    Kevin Systrom with Mark Zuckerberg

    Google

    After completing his graduation, he went on to work with Google in 2006. He began as an Associate Product Marketing Manager and worked on Gmail, Google Calendar, Docs, and many other offerings. He soon shifted to the Corporate Development Team.

    NextStop

    The desire to work in the social media space prompted him to join a startup named Nextstop. NextStop was a social travel recommendation platform. He was hired as a product manager. This company was created by former Google employees. By virtue of Nextstop, he was able to devote time to coding and creating app-style programs.

    While working at Nextstop, he realized his future lay in entrepreneurship. As a photography fanatic, he wanted to create a platform for users to share their pictures and videos. Kevin began working on the idea.

    Jawed Karim Success Story – How did he Founded YouTube
    Jawed Karim is an American entrepreneur who is the co-founder of YouTube. Take a look at his net worth, education, siblings and more.
    StartupTalkyRishabh Rathi

    Kevin Systrom – How He Built Instagram From Scratch with Mike Krieger?

    Kevin wanted to combine the ideas of Foursquare and Flickr. The result was a location-based photography sharing platform. He named it Burbn. To spread the idea amongst his acquaintances, he presented his work to Baseline Venture and Andreessen Horowitz in 2010. Thereafter, he decided to quit his job and solely focus on the development of his newly created prototype.

    The Burbn concept was approved and appreciated by both Baseline Venture and Andreessen Horowitz; within two weeks, he received 500,000 USD for seed funding. He hired Mike Krieger as the cofounder of his company. Mike Krieger was so impressed by the prototype that he left his own startup.

    Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger
    Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger

    Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger successfully created Burbn from HTML 5 check-in service. This product allowed users to make plans, post pictures, and hang out with friends.

    Burbn App
    Burbn App

    While he was chilling out at the beach with his fiancée (now Wife) Nicole Schuetz, she told him that she would never use his app for its lack of filters. This conversation with Nicole inspired him to launch filters in Burbn.

    Kevin Systrom with his wife Nicole Schuetz
    Kevin Systrom with his wife Nicole Schuetz

    The app was remodelled extensively. This app was available for iPhone 4 users. The reason was iPhone’s popularity and the high-quality camera with Holga-inspired lenses. These features ensured high-quality pictures. The co-founders started to work on further developments. After eight weeks, they launched Instagram on 6th October 2010.

    After the launch, Kevin tweeted about a new member of the social media circuit. This was followed by press coverage and within two hours, the servers came down because they received too much traffic.

    To keep Instagram afloat, they worked all night and later improved their server system by providing adequate backup and failover mechanisms. Within the first 24 hours, about 25,000 people had signed up for Instagram.

    The first photo on Instagram was posted by the founder Kevin Systrom himself on July 16, 2010. The post has 292k Likes and 70.9k comments as of March 2022.

    Kevin Systrom First Photo on Instagram
    Kevin Systrom First Photo on Instagram

    Instagram had about 7 million users within nine months. Some of the most popular celebrities on Instagram today are Kylie Jenner, Selena Gomez, Kim Kardashian, Justin Beiber, Jenifer Lopez, Rihanna and Beyonce.

    Kevin Systrom – Facebook Instagram Acquisition

    A lot of users had stopped using Facebook, and Mark Zuckerberg proposed Kevin for the unification of both apps. Much to his surprise, Kevin received offers from Jack Dorsey and Ali Rowghani. They wanted to buy Instagram for around 500 million USD. Besides this offer, Kevin was offered support from Sequoia Capital.

    Initially, Kevin wanted to maintain Instagram as an individual entity. But after an offer of 1 Billion USD from Facebook, Kevin allowed Facebook to acquire Instagram in 2012. The deal was made on the terms that Instagram would function as an independent company.

    In the following years, Instagram had over 300 million active users per month which increased to 400 million users in 2015. Instagram is also well known for introducing Boomerang, an app where users can shoot a one-second burst of five photos.

    In 2018, Kevin Systrom, founder & CEO of Instagram and Mike Krieger co-founder & CTO of Instagram announced that they are stepping down. Adam Mosseri is the current CEO of Instagram, he took charge after Kevin and Mike left the company. The net worth of Kevin Systrom is $1.7 billion as of 2022.

    Conclusion

    With a valuation of over $100 billion, Instagram is one of the most valuable companies in the world. Kevin’s idea to change the concept of photo sharing became a trendsetter. A successful entrepreneur indeed!

    Sundar Pichai: The Journey to Becoming the CEO of Google
    The journey of Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Google and Alphabet, is just inspiring. So, Here’s a look at his journey to becoming CEO of Google.
    StartupTalkyLakshya Singh

    FAQs

    Who is the founder of Instagram?

    Kevin Systrom is the founder of Instagram. He launched Instagram on 6th October 2010.

    Who is the owner of Instagram?

    Meta Platforms (Previously Facebook) acquired Instagram in $1 billion in 2012. Instagram was founded by Kevin Systron and Mike Krieger in 2010.

    Who is the co-founder of Instagram?

    Mike Krieger is the co-founder of Instagram.

    Who is the CEO of Instagram?

    Adam Mosseri is the current CEO of Instagram. He took charge when Kevin Systron and Mike Krieger left the company in 2018.

  • How to Build Best Company Culture – Things to Avoid

    When you begin an entrepreneurial journey or get a job in a startup, it feels like you have got a great opportunity to showcase your skill-sets and the methodology of work also shifts. This shift is due to the different cultures prevailing in different startups. Every organization whether it is big or small have a unique culture to provide diversification. The question that arises here is, what is startup culture and how does it affect the workmanship of employees.

    Numerous scholars and researchers have a different take on corporate culture or startup culture, as the term has a deeper meaning and have a very strong impact on the business. A bad startup culture might ruin the whole business and the foundation also gets degraded. To understand startup culture in brief, we can say that culture is a set of values, morals and beliefs on which an organisation works. The culture of an organisation is based on the leadership of an organisation which is designed by the leader.

    The startup culture depends upon the nature of the startup owner. A CEO has the full responsibility of the culture and he can mould it easily as per their desire. As a leader of an organization is a human and it’s pretty much possible that they might construct the wrong culture in an organization, which instead of boosting the business, lead to the path of destruction for it. So, it’s very vital to develop a perfect professional culture in an organization. Well if you are an emerging entrepreneur and want to avoid bad startup culture, then you’re at the right place, as today we will discuss some signs of bad startup culture and remedies to overcome them.

    Symptoms of Bad Startup Culture
    Characteristics of Good Culture
    How to Build a Great Company Culture

    Symptoms of Bad Startup Culture

    Before finding the cure for the bad startup culture, we need to find out its symptoms. So let’s begin:

    • The leader is the sailor in an organization, so he needs to set a great example for his superiors. If a leader doesn’t work properly and doesn’t delegate his duties to others, then this is the indication, that an organization is going to sink very soon.
    • The optimum example of bad startup culture is when you can’t work, as you desire and you have no creative freedom to explore more. This bondage of culture will affect the performance of the worker and the startup may fail, even before it began its jour.
    • ‘We are good’, ‘future is bright for us’, ‘We Will get profit soon, when you hear that kind of words from your boss, then it means you should start looking for a new job.
    • The fake media publicity and having numerous fake subscribers will never improve your business because it will give you a false picture of your business.
    • When there is any kind of dispute and rivalry seen in the coworkers of an organization, then that is a definition of bad startup culture and this will make the environment of the firm tense.
    • When higher authority keeps secrets from the employees and won’t disclose the true picture of an organization to them, which demotivates the employees and doesn’t see the business as their own.
    • The leader should motivate employees to work hard, but they should never be forced to work hard. Their feelings should be also taken into consideration and fair remuneration should be paid in lieu of extra work.
    • The business houses which forgets to cater to the needs of their customers have no chance to survive in the market. To make a good startup culture you need to satisfy your customers first.
    • Sometimes too much positive attitude can ruin your business. Be realistic and believe only in the facts.
    • If the values of the owner and employees don’t match, then this will create havoc in the office.
    • Fake news or gossip is the reason for bad startup culture and it should be avoided at any cost, as it negatively affects the image of startups and reputation is the only valuable asset of new startups.
    • When the owner is scared to take hard decisions, this is the beginning of bad startup culture.
    • The policies of an organization should not be rigid and the CEO must be capable to twist them, as per the requirement of time.
    • The imbalanced distribution of remuneration to the employees will cause partiality in the organization.
    • Drinking or smoking during work is highly unethical behaviour that is a symptom of bad culture.

    As, we are now familiar with the few indications of bad startup culture, that destroys the startup from the core. Now is the time to share a few remedies to cure this issue of depth.

    Characteristics of Good Culture

    • Strong leadership – The culture of an organization is the extension of its leader’s values. So the leader of a company needs to adopt good values so that they can be seen in the culture of an organization.
    • Creative freedom – The workers should be given the freedom to showcase their ideas freely and leaders must give them some freedom to work as they wish.
    • Mission – People have a shared sense of company mission. They “feel” it and it’s often tied to a problem they care about even if they’re not a primary user. They feel good about what they are doing as a company and are proud of the impact they’re creating.
    • Fast pace – This is the twenty-first century, so an organization should be running according to it and the work should be completed at a fast pace.

    So, after analyzing the symptoms of bad startup culture and evaluating the characteristics of a good culture, we come to the conclusion that leadership is the sole reason behind the culture. So leaders need to gather themselves and run their startup in good working culture.

    How to Build a Great Company Culture

    Good company culture is a practice every company aspires to have. Before we discuss how to make a good company culture let’s define what is company culture? Company culture is the working environment, policies and work ethics a company possess. It is very important to provide a healthy company culture to maintain and create a thriving business. If an employee likes the culture of his workplace, he is more likely to be in a better mood and work more efficiently.

    Below we have listed a few steps that you can follow to improve or make an amazing culture at your company.

    Decide Your Culture Type

    The first and foremost step is sitting down and deciding what your companies’ culture should be like. If you are a new company and are just starting out with a hand full of people, all of you can sit down and decide it according to your preferences. If you are a very big company with numerous employees, you can assign the job to one person who can ask for the popular opinion in your office and then you can decide upon it. No matter what culture you want for your company, make sure it is healthy and is making your employees happy.

    Transparency

    There should be transparency amongst all the people working at the company. Every person in the company should be treated with equal respect and should have access to each and every piece of information. The gap between the boss and the employee should be removed and you should start working as a team. Interaction between employee and the employer is very important, so holding sessions that provide a healthy interaction amongst the whole team is important

    Leisure

    As the old saying goes ‘all work and no play, makes Jack a dull boy’.  The same is the case with your employees. Even though we are adults but working for long hours without rest can hinder our productivity. Studies show that people were more productive when they have enough breaks between their work. Having entertainment rooms in your office or having a gaming room or outdoor activities in your office area can help your employees relax and also keep them healthy.

    Giving Space

    Giving each employee space for themselves and giving them a sense of responsibility helps in boosting the employee’s confidence and also since the work is completely their responsibility, they do it better. It is very important to create a healthy learning environment. An employee should be encouraged to learn if he makes any mistakes.

    Go Tripping

    Taking your employees on a tour of someplace occasionally can be a great way to relax them. If you do not want to take them, providing holiday incentives to the employees can also be done.

    Recognize Milestones

    In every meeting set milestones and goals for the company and reward the person that has worked extra hard in achieving it. Such an incentive from the company not only makes the employees happy but also inspires them to work harder. The reward can be small as well as big depending on the work.

    Hire employees that are suitable for your companies’ culture. If a person does not like social interactions and starts working in a work environment that promotes interactions amongst all employees, he will be more stressed than happy. Similarly, if a person who is outgoing and fun-loving is put in a very serious office environment he will get stressed. So it is important to know the employee’s point of view about your office culture before hiring them.

    Be Patient

    A company’s culture change is a very big step and will not be achieved in one or two days. It will sometimes require months and years to change. There might come some issues at first, but with time everything will fall into place as expected. All you need is to deal with the situation with patience and make corrections whenever anything goes wrong.

    Conclusion

    Almost all the young entrepreneurs like to create a cool company culture in their startups these days. However, most of them only get successful in making the infrastructure cool and not the environment. One needs to be aware of the ways to develop a cool culture, not just the infrastructure.

    FAQs

    What are the four types of corporate culture?

    The four types of corporate culture are clan culture, hierarchical culture, market culture and adhocracy culture.

    What is the ideal company culture?

    An ideal company culture keeps its focus on its employees and clients.

  • Top 5 Most Successful Entrepreneurs Graduated From IIT

    The influence and popularity of IIT (Indian Institute of Technology) is known by everyone. In fact, some of the greatest minds of India have studied at IIT. And now, the alumni of IIT are working as an entrepreneur and, in fact, leading the high-tech startup space in India.

    Based on its massive success and its alumni, IIT is truly a dream for numerous students. Today, IIT graduates have taken over almost every work sector, from the world’s famous CEOs and scientists to the quirky interiors. And these success stories have now become an inspiration to a lot of students.

    In the past few years, the success of IIT has grown truly massively and that resulted in the involvement of IITians in almost every sector that you can think of! And that’s what we are discussing today. In this article, we have discussed the most successful entrepreneurs who graduated from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT). Let’s get started!

    Sundar Pichai
    Sachin Bansal
    Vinod Khosla
    NR Narayana Murthy
    Deepinder Goyal

    Sundar Pichai

    Sundar Pichai
    Sundar Pichai

    We all are well familiar with the name-  Sundar Pichai as the CEO of Google. Mr Pichai has pursued his B.Tech degree from IIT Kharagpur, the top IIT college of India. He completed his degree in metallurgical engineering in the year 1993.

    He not only just graduated but in fact, topped his batch. But the interesting part is Sundar Pichai did not pursue metallurgically, he chose the path to become the very first Indian CEO of Google.

    Sachin Bansal

    Sachin Bansal
    Sachin Bansal 

    The co-founder of a famous E-Commerce platform, Flipkart, Sachin Bansal is also an IIT graduate. He studied at IIT Delhi, in the stream of computer science. Sachin Bansal is considered the leader of the E-commerce revolution. He is also an Indian Software Engineer and Internet entrepreneur.

    Vinod Khosla

    Vinod Khosla
    Vinod Khosla

    Vinod Khosla, the famous name listed among the billionaires of Forbes magazine. He is a prominent American engineer and businessman, born in India.

    Vinod Khosla is the co-founder of Sun Microsystems. He completed his bachelor’s degree from the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi in the Electronic Engineering field.

    10 Successful Startups Led By IIT-Graduates
    There are a lot of IITians who’ve taken the route of entrepreneurship, but only a few reach the top. Let’s examine the most successful startups led by IIT grads.
    StartupTalkyYash Gupta

    NR Narayana Murthy

    NR Narayana Murthy
    NR Narayana Murthy

    The founder of one of the largest technology companies in India, Infosys, NR Narayana Murthy pursued his master’s of engineering degree from the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur in the year 1996.

    He completed his B.Tech from the University of Mysore. NR Narayana Murthy was honoured with India’s highest honour, the Padma Shri in 2000.

    Deepinder Goyal

    Deepinder Goyal
    Deepinder Goyal

    Deepinder Goyal is the CEO of one of the largest food delivery companies, Zomato. He is an IIT graduate, who studied at IIT Delhi with an M.tech degree in computing and mathematics. And with his dedication and hard work, Deepinder Goyal made Zomato the best food company.

    Conclusion

    There have been numerous graduates from the most prestigious institutions such as IIT in the biggest startups in India. And in the past years, the IIT graduates have served in almost every field of work and made themselves some of the most successful figures in India.

    IIT has truly become the dream of every other student, with the passion of becoming a great individual. And these personalities that we mentioned in this article, have become the inspiration for many. Stay tuned for more such articles!

    FAQ

    Who are some of the successful entrepreneurs graduated from IIT?

    Deepinder Goyal, Bhavish Aggarwal, Prabhkiran Singh, Sundar Pichai, Narayana Murthy, and Sachin Bansal are some of the successful entrepreneurs who graduated from IIT.

    Which IIT is best for entrepreneurship?

    IIT Delhi tops the list among other IIT colleges which created the most successful startups.

    Does IIT teach entrepreneurship?

    No, IIT does not provide any specific training on entrepreneurship.

  • How To Become A Successful Businessman (16 Proven Tips)

    Walking on the path of entrepreneurship is not a cup of tea for everyone. It is a choice to take the difficult challenges to create a mark in society. It is a journey full of inevitable ups and downs to make this world a better place. Well, as it was said Rome was not built in a day, one can’t become a successful businessman overnight. Even if you are working hard succeeding as an entrepreneur is tough. You need business acumen and the right mix of skills especially dealing with people.

    As per U.S SBA, 66% of startups fail within the first year of launch. What’s more, Entrepreneurs Organization says over 50% of startups fail within the first two years. So, it becomes essential for one to find how to become a successful businessman and operate business smoothly. So here are some tips to be a successful businessman.

    16 Tips To Become A Successful Businessman

    Don’t Be Afraid of Risks
    Ask for Advice
    Keep Moving
    Be Curious
    Your Team Is Everything
    Innovate, Innovate and Always Innovate
    Focus On Results and Not Reasons
    Know Your Customer Well
    Be a Leader
    Make Critics Your Friend
    Make Your Business and Work Your Worship
    Follow Basic Rules
    You Will Feel Burned-Out, Get Used to It
    Have a Vision
    Don’t Settle
    Challenge Yourself

    Don’t Be Afraid of Risks

    You have chosen to be an entrepreneur and one of the most exciting parts of being an entrepreneur is the thrill and exhilaration you get to feel if something works. Even if something doesn’t work, admit a mistake, learn and move on. Always encourage new ideas to flow experiment with them and then make it work for you.

    Ask for Advice

    Are you usually the smartest guy in the room? If so, you’re in the wrong room. If you will go deep into the life of successful entrepreneurs you will find that mentor-ship is a fact they all mention and is what enabled them to get where they are.

    You can get advice from financial institutions, professionals and industry gurus, among others, but to be a successful businessman you have to seek advice before making major moves.

    Keep Moving

    If you don’t have a particular skill and knowledge, don’t wait or stop. Hire an employee or get a freelancer to get it done for you. You never know how much it can cost you to keep a task pending for later. It is good practice to keep the business going in any situation.

    Be Curious

    One habit every successful businessman follows is to read widely and frequently. Know what your peers are doing and how people have to make it big. The more knowledge you will be the more informed and quick the decision you can take.

    Your Team Is Everything

    If you were an employee once, you must have thought “It must be so nice to work from home, I wish I could do that!” Create a home-like environment for your employee. Talk and discuss with them. The more you will tell them, the more they will share. Inspire them.

    Innovate, Innovate and Always Innovate

    Innovation should be the core of your business. The only thing that keeps a company running in today’s time is innovation. It is what keeps you ahead of your competitors. Innovation doesn’t mean coming up with something new just for the sake of it but coming up with something which will help your customer with a greater result.

    Focus On Results and Not Reasons

    There are reasons and there are results, the only thing that matters for a great businessman is the results. Reasons are full of emotional biases and are often wrong. Rather than guiding your business on the backend of assumptions, build it on data.

    Know Your Customer Well

    You think you have a billion-dollar business idea and it took one year to build the product. Now you go to the market and find that nobody actually needs the product. So did you really build any product or startup? NO! First, know your customer and build what your customer wants. Try to give them the best experience in whatever way possible.

    Be a Leader

    Successful businessmen have to work with a team and take tough decisions on a day to day basis. You need to have confidence in all these because the team follows the leader. To become a successful entrepreneur, one must know the qualities of a good leader. Remember a good leader is someone who motivates others in every situation.

    Make Critics Your Friend

    Take as much feedback from as many people as you can about whatever idea you have to seek critical feedback. Ask them what’s wrong. People don’t like to complain or point out faults, but that’s what will make your business stronger.

    You don’t have to agree with them or necessarily follow their suggestions. But the more feedback you have, the more information you’ll have to make the right decisions for your business.

    Make Your Business and Work Your Worship

    If you want to become a successful businessman, be passionate & strong about what you are doing. Either it’s 100% in or 100% out. There is no middle ground, there never is. U.S SBA reports over 47% of startups to fail when owners rest on their laurels. Mark Zuckerberg goes to work daily as does Bill Gates of Microsoft, among other successful entrepreneurs. Why should you leave others to run the show?

    Follow Basic Rules

    Being a young entrepreneur doesn’t exempt you from registering your business, keeping records and paying taxes. Following these simple rules now will save you from legal and administrative headaches later.

    7 Tips for Starting Your Business in College
    To become a successful entrepreneur, [/tag/entrepreneurs/] one needs to dedicatetime and energy to a business venture. Starting working on business gives a lotof time to know the in and out of business. But it takes willpower to start abusiness [/tag/start-your-own-business/] at any age as starti…
    StartupTalkyShubham Kumar

    You Will Feel Burned-Out, Get Used to It

    You never know when things are going to start coming at you that you can’t control. Somethings might backfire and you might lose all hope. There is so much uncertainty that at one point in time you might feel you have lost almost everything. One must have a strong will and should be hopeful no matter what the situation is.

    Have a Vision

    Know what change you want. With vision, you can think about your capabilities and resource. Being a businessman, not having a clear vision or goals is the most dangerous thing to business and to yourself too. To become a successful businessman, you must know what goals you have to achieve and what changes need to be done to achieve those goals.

    Don’t Settle

    As it is said, there is always room for improvement. A businessman always sees where things are going wrong and how they can be improved. No matter how good your business is going currently, one must look for opportunities to improve more.

    Challenge Yourself

    If you want to be a thriving as well as become a successful businessman, you will have to challenge yourself no matter what happens. No one else is going to push you, so it’s up to you to do it.

    10 Ways to Boost Self-Confidence that You Need to Know as an entrepreneur|
    Believing in your abilities, powers, and judgments is what brings success inlife. Self-confidence is memory verse in our day to day life. Sometimes, Lifefeels meaningless without self-confidence. Self-confidence can be achieved byanalyzing and identifying what you are good at, what value you add …
    StartupTalkyParnas Ghosh

    FAQs

    How to become a businessman?

    • Take risks.
    • Challenge yourself.
    • Ask for advice.
    • Understand your customers.
    • Work on communication skills.
    • Be ahead of your competitors.

    How to become a successful entrepreneur?

    • Create a business idea.
    • Make a business plan.
    • Think about scalability.
    • Research your market and competition.
    • Know your customer.
    • Find rich people in your area.
    • Find an investor.

    What skills should a businessman have?

    Essential business skills required for a businessman

    • Financial management.
    • Leadership.
    • Communication and negotiation.
    • Project management and planning.
    • Marketing, sales and customer service.
    • Delegation and time management.
    • Problem-solving.

    How to improve business skills?

    • Keep financial score.
    • Set goals.
    • Master business presentations.
    • Monitor trends.
    • Sharpen your selling skills.
    • Find best practices to grow business.
    • Use high-impact marketing.
    • Motivate staff.

    What does a businessman do?

    Generates cash flow, Find investors, Create marketing campaigns, and Negotiates with the supplier.

  • Who are the Top 10 Richest People in the World Today?

    All the businesses and jobs make for the economy. A major factor that plays a huge role in shaping and influencing the global economy is the cream of people in the world.

    This cream constitutes the richest people in the world. Anyone who is able to earn well and live a luxurious life is said to be rich. But there are few who have made a mark of richness in the entire world.

    There are certain people who are born rich and work hard to make themselves richer. There are also people who start from scratch and create a place of their own.

    The most wealthy persons in the world include Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, and more. These people occupy a huge place and importance in the whole world.

    What Determines the Wealth of a Person?
    Most Richest People in The Whole World

    1. Elon Reeve Musk (Elon Musk)
    2. Jeffrey Preston Bezos (Jeff Bezos)
    3. Bernard Jean Etienne (Bernard Arnault)
    4. Willian Henry Gates III (Bill Gates)
    5. Lawrence Edward Page (Larry Page)
    6. Warren Edward Buffett (Warren Buffett)
    7. Sergey Mikhaylovich Brin (Sergey Brin)
    8. Lawrence Joseph Ellison (Larry Ellison)
    9. Steve Anthony Ballmer (Steve Ballmer)
    10. Mukesh Dhirubhai Ambani (Mukesh Ambani)

    Why does the Position of These People changes?

    What Determines the Wealth of a Person?

    The factor that determines how rich a person is their net worth. This worth is calculated in terms of monetary values. Higher the net worth, the richer the person is.

    What does Net Worth Mean?

    In simple economic terms, it is the value of all assets minus all liabilities. It is a difference between what one has and what one owes to others. It is the amount by which the value of a person’s assets exceeds the liabilities.

    It is a quantifiable concept. It measures the value of a person, organization, or country. High net worth means good financial strength and a good credit rating of a person or organization. Low net worth means weaker financial strength and lower credit rating.

    Most Richest People in The Whole World

    The rich are a huge contributor to the global economy. They not only contribute but also are great influencers of the economy and people’s perceptions. Most of these people have used technology for the betterment and enhancement of regular people’s life.

    Here are the top five richest people in the world:

    Elon Reeve Musk (Elon Musk)

    Elon Musk | Richest People in the world
    Elon Musk | Richest People in the world

    This 50-year-old man, popularly known as the CEO of Tesla Motors, is the richest person in the world. He was born in South Africa and is now an American entrepreneur. He is the co-founder of PayPal (PYPL), Neuralink, and OpenAI.

    Elon Musk is the founder, CEO, Chief engineer, and designer of the famous (Space exploration technologies) SpaceX. He is also the founder of the Boring Company. He started his entrepreneurial journey with the startup, Zip2.

    Since then, this man has not stopped exploring the field of technology and has made himself the richest in the world. At present, he has a net worth of 24,930 crores USD.

    List of the Most Famous Entrepreneurs | 2022 Updated
    World-famous successful entrepreneurs inspire entrepreneurs for Startup ventures. Here is a compiled list of famous entrepreneurs with net worth.
    StartupTalkyAshwini

    Jeffrey Preston Bezos (Jeff Bezos)

    Jeff Bezos | Richest People in the world
    Jeff Bezos | Richest People in the world

    He is an entrepreneur, computer engineer, investor, and commercial astronaut, born in New Mexico in the year 1964. Jeff Bezos is the founder of our beloved Amazon. The name that brought a revolution in the electronic commerce industry.

    Jeff Bezos has been the CEO of Amazon from the beginning to the year 2021. Now, he is the executive chairman of Amazon. He also possesses his space company, Blue Origin. He made news all around the world for his trip to space in his company-built rocket.

    He enjoyed the first rank in the list for around three years and was put back by Musk last year. He has a current net worth of 18,400 crores USD.

    Bernard Jean Etienne (Bernard Arnault)

    Bernard Arnault | Richest People in the world
    Bernard Arnault | Richest People in the world

    He is an entrepreneur and investor, born in the year 1949 in Roubaix, France. Bernard Arnault is the Chief Executive and Chairman of the leading luxury goods company, LVHM. The firm owns high-end brands like Louis Vuitton, Sephora, and more.

    He has a major ownership share in Christian Dior that makes for most of his net worth. Other assets that contribute to his wealth include equity in Hermes, Moelis & Company, and cash.

    The French tycoon has gained great popularity and earned a big place on the list. He has a current net worth of 18,960 crores USD.

    Top Countries with Most number of Billionaires 2021
    There are a lot of billionaires all around the world but which country has most number of Billionaires?, Lets find out
    StartupTalkyAlan Joseph

    Willian Henry Gates III (Bill Gates)

    Bill Gates | Richest People in the world
    Bill Gates | Richest People in the world

    He is a software developer, businessman, and author. He was born in the year 1955 in Seattle. He is the co-founder of Microsoft. It is the biggest software company in the world.

    The company makes personal computers, phones, servers, software development tools, intelligent devices, and more. Bill apart from his business achievements, is a great philanthropist. He has helped a lot in the fight against Ebola, malaria, polio, and covid-19.

    Besides his ownership share in Microsoft, his other huge net-worthy asset is Cascade Investment LLC. At present, Bill Gates has a net worth of 13,140 crores USD.

    Lawrence Edward Page (Larry Page)

    Larry Page | Richest People in the world
    Larry Page | Richest People in the world

    A person who has made people’s lives so convenient is Larry Page. He is a computer scientist and internet entrepreneur born in the year 1973 in Michigan, USA. He is popular for being the co-founder of Google.

    Google is like a household name for the entire world. Over the years, it has acquired YouTube and Android. Last year it saw a fifty percent rise in its shares.

    Larry became a multi-billionaire at the mere age of twenty-seven years. He has a keen interest in space and flying cars. Larry Page has invested in the related companies. Currently, he has a net worth of 11,670 crores USD.

    Warren Edward Buffett (Warren Buffett)

    Warren Buffett | Richest People in the world
    Warren Buffett | Richest People in the world

    He is a businessman and a keen investor born in Nebraska, the USA in 1930. Warren Buffett is the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, a company that has its subsidiaries in insurance, energy generation, manufacturing, and many more.

    Warren is famous for being a buy-and-hold investor who has made his huge wealth by gaining undervalued companies. Many books, movies, and documentaries have been made inspired by Buffett.

    He is one of the best and most renowned investors of all time in the world. His current net worth stands at 11,380 crores USD.

    Sergey Mikhaylovich Brin (Sergey Brin)

    Sergey Brin | Richest People in the world
    Sergey Brin | Richest People in the world

    He is a computer scientist, businessman, and popular internet entrepreneur. He was born in Moscow, Russia in 1973. Sergey Brin is the man who co-founded Google with Larry.

    Brin is no longer the president of Alphabet, the parent company of Google. But he continues to be a controlling shareholder and board member.

    He stands two steps down his co-founder in the list with a net worth of 10,700 crores USD.

    Lawrence Joseph Ellison (Larry Ellison)

    Larry Ellison | Richest People in the world

    He is a businessman, entrepreneur, and investor born in New York, the USA in 1944. Larry Ellison is popularly known as the co-founder and former CEO of the renowned software company, Oracle corporations.

    The businessman serves as the chairman and Chief Technology Officer at Oracle. The company is the second-largest software company in the world. With time, they acquired many other companies in different fields.

    Larry is also an equity holder in Tesla and has a net worth of 10,300 crores USD.

    Steve Anthony Ballmer (Steve Ballmer)

    He is a businessman and investor born in the year 1956, hailing from Michigan, USA. At present, he owns National Basketball Association’s Los Angeles Clippers. Steve Ballmer is also known to be famous for being the CEO of Microsoft for fourteen years.

    He still is the biggest individual shareholder in Microsoft of 4%. He and Gates studied together at Harvard University.

    This American businessman has made great progress over the year and has a net worth of 9,260 crores USD.

    Mukesh Dhirubhai Ambani (Mukesh Ambani)

    Mukesh Ambani | Richest People in the world
    Mukesh Ambani | Richest People in the world

    He is a popular billionaire businessman in India. He was born in Aden, Yemen in 1957 but was brought up in Mumbai, India. Mukesh Ambani is the Chairman and Managing Director of Reliance Industries, the company with the largest market value in India.

    He dropped out of Stanford University to come back to India and work towards the expansion of Reliance. The company has indeed expanded to its great potential especially in retail and telecommunications under his direction.

    Mukesh is the only Indian who stands among the top ten richest people in the world with a net worth of 9,160 crores USD.

    Why does the Position of These People changes?

    The position of these people on the list does not stay intact forever. It keeps on changing. The net worth of these people is not only because of themselves but also has the contribution of regular people.

    A large amount of their wealth is in publicly traded stocks. The stock market as we know has its fair share of highs and lows. So, the changes in market valuations, and assets & liabilities lead to changes in the net worth of the richest people in the world.

    Elon for example made it to the top because of the massive rise in share prices of Tesla. So, the share market plays a huge role in determining the position that a rich person holds.

    Conclusion

    The richest cream of people in the world plays a huge role in building the economy. These also act as role models for many people who wish to be like them one day. Their journeys consist of hard work, execution, an eye for opportunities, overcoming obstacles, and a non-give-up attitude.

    The above-mentioned are the top 5 richest persons in the world. These men have created revolutions in their fields and made it to where they are today.

    FAQs

    Who are the top 5 richest people in the world?

    The top 5 richest people in the world are:

    • Elon Musk
    • Jeff Bezos
    • Bernard Arnault
    • Bill Gates
    • Larry Page

    What is the net worth of Elon Musk?

    Elon Musk has a net worth of 249 Billion.

    What is the net worth of Jeff Bezos?

    Jeff Bezos has an estimated net worth of $184 billion.

    Who are the richest family in the world?

    The richest family in the world are:

    1. The Walton Family – United States
    2. The Mars Family – United States
    3. The Koch Family – United States
    4. The Al Saud Family – Saudi Arabia
    5. The Ambani Family – India

  • What these Entrepreneurs are targetting to achieve in 2022?

    This article is contributed by the multiple entrepreneurs from different fields.

    While starting a business, your prime goal is to make it a success and reach the top, no matter what. Amidst this, there are other aims as well that entrepreneurs set and plan to achieve, they can be long-term as well as short-term but they are the stepping stones that help in reaching your prime goal. These aims can literally change the direction of your business and it wouldn’t be wrong to say that, one must be very careful while setting them.

    In this article, some of the entrepreneurs shared their goals for 2022. So, without any further ado, let’s get started.

    Rohit Sahni | CEO & Founder, WK Life

    Rohit Sahni | CEO & Founder, WK Life

    In 2022, we all are set to expand aggressively by opening new stores and our target is to open 50 more outlets this year. To achieve the same we have started to manufacture our own products and about 30% of our products are made in India. With the help of the franchise partners, we are also trying to set up our own factories in India. First, we will start with North India and then we will go towards the south in the later stage of the year. We are continuously working on maintaining and improving the quality of the products so that we can make our customers happy and satisfied.

    Shyatto Raha | CEO & Founder, MyHealthcare

    Shyatto Raha | CEO & Founder, MyHealthcare

    Our main motive is to democratise healthcare and make it available for everyone. Our partner network of healthcare providers is scheduled to cross over 100 speciality hospitals by March 2022. We have a clear motive this year and that is to expand our service and provider network across Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities of India. We are also looking forward to plans to continue our expansion into Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.

    Abhinav Mital | Founder, The WorldGrad

    Abhinav Mital | Founder, The WorldGrad

    2021 laid the groundwork for growing the category of online or hybrid study abroad programs. As a pioneer and leader in this space, we want to put this category of programs on the consideration set of overseas education aspirants.
    This would require demonstrating success stories of our current students and spreading awareness amongst school students, admissions counselors, and the larger study abroad eco-system.
    The WorldGrad has already built a team of 50 people to support this mission and will scale this to over 150 people throughout 2022. With significant investments in student experience, admissions, and support. In 2022, The WorldGrad will also become the first provider of virtual internships to our students that will allow them to get work experience in a country of choice while they study online with us.

    Ankur Singh | CEO & Founder, Witzeal Technologies Pvt. Ltd

    Ankur Singh | CEO & Founder, Witzeal Technologies Pvt. Ltd

    While gaming technology advances, I believe that innovation and personalization of experiences are the game-changers. We, at Witzeal, intend to incorporate them into our platform such that our gamers can have a richer gaming experience and connect with billions of players across the world who speak the most popular gaming language.

    Himanshu Arya | CEO & Founder, Grapes

    Himanshu Arya | CEO & Founder, Grapes

    The Pandemic is the reason why the digital growth in the advertising and marketing industry has accelerated. In the last one and a half years, marketers are backing on creativity, digital, and data- all with the help of technology. The A&M industry is on a trajectory of growth. Our motto for 2022 will be to expand into newer markets and acquire new clientele. We can achieve this when we continue to deliver remarkable work to our clients. It is the uncompromising quality of work that will echo our expertise among the leading brands, convincing them to initiate a collaboration with Grapes. Hence, satisfaction plays an inordinate role in the functioning, abiding by our ideology to achieve recognition through our work.

    Apu Pavithran | CEO & Founder, Mitsogo

    Apu Pavithran | CEO & Founder, Mitsogo

    Mitsogo recently launched its partnership with reputed companies like Cloudflare and Traced App. We are now aiming to expand the partner network: which means establishing new partnerships with many more technologies as well as adding new channel partners. Multiple new partnerships are currently next in line and are expected to be launched soon. In terms of company growth, we are expecting to double the employee workforce and for that, we are aggressively hiring from the reputed colleges across India. Moreover, the company is all set to launch the next product, Hexnode Do, a SaaS app management platform that will provide a unified platform to manage and secure different SaaS applications.

    Vatsal Agarwal | Founder, The Baklava Box

    Vatsal Agarwal - Founder, The Baklava-Box
    Vatsal Agarwal – Founder, The Baklava-Box

    Our main goal for 2022 would be to adopt an omnichannel model. Currently, we have one retail outlet and three counters in Nature’s basket outlets. We plan to expand this to five retail outlets and 15 counters across Nature’s basket stores. We have been trying to get to experiment with their holiday gifting with our gift hampers and that has been a great impetus for people to try our products. We are trying to come up with more innovative ways to try our products plus making more people aware of Mediterranean sweets is also a goal, for this year.

    Nishant Behl | CEO & Founder, Expand My Business

    Nishant Behl | CEO & Founder, Expand My Business

    2022 is going to be a very important year for us. In terms of strategic values, we are looking to expand our operations in the GCC region and establish our firm presence in its market. The Middle East has several opportunities for providing digital services and can help us achieve our goal of increasing our revenues by 200% and having an overall 3X growth. We also plan to onboard many more vendors from tier-3 and tier-4 cities to create more opportunities and generate more business for the Indian digital service providers.

    We are planning to undertake a massive hiring spree for the same. This can help us achieve our targets for 2022 and increase our sales manifold. With Blockchain and Cryptocurrency gaining impetus in the market, we have also included blockchain development and NFT in our service domains and have made considerable progress in providing web hosting services to several businesses across India as well.

    Varun Vashisthaa | Founder, HairVeda

    Varun Vashistha | Founder, HairVeda

    We, at HairVeda planning to be present in all eCommerce marketplaces by the end of this year and expand our business by partnering with other startups as well. Also, we are preparing to foray into the skincare Ayurvedic product range. Apart from this, we intend to hire the right talents for our brand in multiple positions to strengthen the team capacity.

    Shriyans Bhandari | CEO & Co-Founder, Greensole

    Shriyans Bhandari | CEO & Co-Founder, Greensole

    In 2022, we aspire to work towards making a mainstream retail brand. Retail is overall a tough market to crack because it’s highly competitive. A lot of different elements go into it like specialized skills, marketing, and coordinating. We believe that in 2022, we will pull it off and come up as a strong, sustainable, and vegan brand with a large customer base. We hope people resonate with our social work.

    Kunal Patil | CEO & Co-Founder, WorkIndia

    Kunal Patil | CEO & Co-Founder, WorkIndia

    WorkIndia plans to reach out to the next billion Indians and change the way they hire and get hired fundamentally. The goal gains are much more important in light of job losses because of covid. We are committed to scaling up while improving the user experience and introducing technology in the day-to-day hiring operations. WorkIndia is committed to providing a meaningful livelihood to the entire Blue-Collar workforce in India through technology.  In terms of business, we are expecting better growth this year to reach our goal of becoming a $20mn Annual Revenue Run Rate company.

    Akshay Puljal | CEO, Quikish

    Akshay Puljal | CEO, Quikish

    We, of course, want to increase our market share. We can only achieve this by giving something to our consumers. And what we want to give them is time. Simplifying, putting sumptuous and healthy meals on the table in a fraction of the time it conventionally takes, is how we can achieve that. We also want to cater to consumers with dietary restrictions due to health reasons or by choice. Not every brand takes them into account as it’s a very small percentage but Quikish sees no reason to not deliver the promise of quick meals to them too. We have a couple of vegan dishes now and we aim to expand the range significantly this year. While we do have 65+ products currently on our menu, we do want to explore new horizons and cuisines with our dishes. We are aiming to have 120+ products on our catalogue by the end of 2022.

    Shilpa Rathi | Founder, I Am Love

    Shilpa Rathi | Founder, I AM Love

    2022 is a very exciting year for our brand. We are now trying to get our sales up. Our consumers are believing in our product and are sharing their feedback about their success and progress with us. we are looking forward to 2022 so that we can establish our brand better as a skincare brand where you take care of the problem from within. We don’t only want to reach out to consumers of general skincare like ‘Get a glowing skin’ or ‘Get better skin’ but specific skincare concerns like ‘Could you give me a solution for this new spot that I’ve developed?’. We want to become the one-stop-shop for all specific skincare concerns that you might have – I Am Love will be the destination. We are looking at developing and formulating products that target specific healthcare concerns which haven’t been paid head to in the market.

    Farooq Adam | Co-Founder, Fynd

    Farooq Adam | Co-Founder, Fynd

    We have big things planned for 2022 and we have already started rolling out new products & processes to make our plans a successful reality.

    Here is a look at what we plan to do in 2022:

    • Entering the electronic industry with more marketplace integration on Fynd Omnichannel – Flipkart, Tata Cliq, and Amazon in 2021
    • Fynd Store enabled the “order online & pick up at store” feature.
    • A new level of personalization – the Fynd store will allow brands to view an individual customer’s past purchases and interests. A brilliant chance for stores to personalize the customer experience and suggest relevant products that the customer loves.
    • Hyperlocal deliveries, to get products to the customer within hours.
    • Adding trell and Magicpin to Fyndl’s omnichannel marketplace integrations.
    • International shipment support with DHL & Aramex.
    • Fynd marketplace is gearing up to list 100+ brands & thrice the inventory in the coming months.
    • Launch of a scalable image enhancement & editing tool, upscale.media.
    • Launch of Boltic, our no-code big data processing tool to connect, build and automate workflows. Easy to start, easier to use with no dependency on technical expertise.

    Abhishek Nehru & Santosh Dabke | Co-founders, Ripplr

    Abhishek Nehru & Santosh Dabke | Co-founders, Ripplr
    Abhishek Nehru & Santosh Dabke | Co-founders, Ripplr

    Our target is to expand our distribution network to 100 cities/towns in 2022. The entire blue print is already ready for execution and we have started on a very positive note in January, 2022. We are in the process of strengthening out platform which will be offering to a the sub-distributors across these 100 cities. Our platform Ripplr will be 1st of its kind UBER experience for the distribution fraternity easing out the complexities of managing the day to day operations.

    Rasesh Seth | Founder, Nextyn

    Rasesh Seth | Founder, Nextyn
    Rasesh Seth | Founder, Nextyn

    At Nextyn, we’ve been successful at building a world class team based out of India, servicing clients in over 20 countries. Having breached the $1 Mn revenue mark being completely bootstrapped, we aim to expand our geographical presence to the UK, USA and Singapore in 2022.

    We would launch subsidiaries in these countries, acting as our sales and client management offices, with the core operations still being based out of India.

    We also aim to strengthen our technological foothold, making our currently ML algorithm more accurate and increase our panel of experts to give our clients a more diverse, global knowledge base.

    Conclusion

    A business is all about achieving the goals that it has set. The above entrepreneurs have already set the targets and with their immense hard work and patience, hopefully, they’ll be able to achieve all of them.

  • Benefits of Having a Mentor in Startup?

    This article is contributed by multiple Startup founders from different fields.

    It is very likely that in your entrepreneurial journey, you will find a need for a mentor and somehow will get yourself one as well. They will guide you, advise you, cheer you, inspire you, and will give you confidence when you are in dire need of some. Apart from all these benefits, there are other benefits of having a mentor as well.

    In this article, we will talk about how having a mentor really helps us. Some of the successful entrepreneurs shared their views on this topic. Let’s take a look.

    Manav Shah  | Founder, Eduvacancy

    Personally, my mentor helps me in maintaining a work-life balance. I have learned the concept of not burning out from my mentor. It is extremely critical to take small breaks and explore life. This really helps me personally as it allows me time to think and retrospect in general about various critical decisions I have made in the past and the ones I need to make. Also, the idea of taking time off and analysing situations is something that my mentor has taught me. My mentor has taught me the importance to devote time to any sports or physical activity, which in turn has led to a more focused and productive daily output for me.

    While professionally, my mentor has been a pillar of strength for me. He guides and helps me in making challenging decisions. More importantly, he has taught me the value of evaluating every decision I make. Through the concept evaluation, I measure and track the number of accurate decisions I make. This helps me to understand what worked for my startup and what dint. He helps me in setting the right culture in my organization. If you want to achieve the scale, it is extremely important to set the right culture. An important aspect my mentor continuously teaches me is to respect and accept every idea.

    Kunal Ahirwar | CEO & Co-Founder, Earnvestt Technologies

    Tanul and Kruti have been pivotal in our growth as a team, our company, and our personal growth for each and every one of us. They have given us a thought process, a methodology for building and tracking our progress. They have given us important interventions and helped us correct course whenever needed.

    Utkarsh Gupta | Managing Director, Ramagya Mart

    A mentor is not a teacher but a guide and is present with me at every business decision juncture involving resources. Resource today means time, money, and people.  My mentor is like a listening wall to me; a sounding board that has a talking back ability with data, rationale, and logic.

    Someone that can point the positives and negatives, be strong enough to tell you this will work and this won’t. It is someone who is in a position to tell you with facts and figures if what you are doing will act like a boomerang. It is someone that tells you let’s do it; we are in it to win it. I am blessed to have a mentor that makes everything look so effortless and easy. Due to such mentoring, I am at peace personally and professionally.

    Neha Indoria | Co-Founder, Boingg!

    Professionally, speaking to folks who have experience in a specific field of business/ have faced similar problems in a different business helps one get ideas to navigate the problem & find creative solutions. Personally, it’s just a great motivating factor. When overwhelmed with a problem, being able to talk to someone who tells you that they have been there and seen similar problems elsewhere, and tells you that you are not alone and that this too shall pass.

    Pallavi Utagi | Founder & Mom-in Chief, SuperBottoms

    As we bring our whole selves to work every day, the lines between professional
    and personally, get blurred sometimes. In personal lives, one chooses to seek out the ones who know us deeply. Usually the teachers or professors from student lives.
    Professionally also, the investors also keep you real. They call you out when
    something is not right and at the same time, they are also the wind beneath a
    founder’s wings. They also add great value in connecting you with the right people,
    helping you build a roadmap and provide a safe sounding board. Also considering
    that there are Gen-Z in the workforce who bring a completely different mindset,
    reverse mentoring can also help massively. I reach out to the youngsters in the
    organisation from time to time.

    Ritesh Ujjwal | CEO & Co-Founder, Kofluence

    Mentors contribute in multiple ways and it can be contextual or acting as sounding
    board or to help clarify the thoughts. The sample case in point is let’s say, you’ve successfully travelled a journey from 0 to 1 and you need guidance to get from 1 to 10. Mentors who have chartered the path (Need not be from the same industry) will be instrumental in helping understand the big picture, provide guidance on approach and key levers along with risks.

    Conclusion

    Apart from all these benefits, mentors can help in other things as well. Entrepreneurs will definitely realise that when they decide to get a mentor for themselves. When you have a mentor, not only if they give you advise regarding your business but they will also help you in creating a proper work-life balance.

  • Insights on the Indian Startup Ecosystem by Ankit Kedia, angel investor turned VC

    Ankit Kedia is the Founder of Capital A, a new-age venture capital firm for early-stage startups in India. He launched the fund formally in 2021 after having spent the last 14 years as a second-generation entrepreneur in his family business – Manjushree Technopack Limited. Ankit has been angel investing since 2017 and Capital A is the formalization of this passion and his USP as an angel investor turned VC. He comes with a rich operating experience across the B2B space including in verticals like manufacturing, supply chain, healthcare, MedTech, fintech, and others.

    At Capital A, the team is on a mission to back meaningful startups and founders looking for smart capital instead of just going after the valuation frenzy. They have also backed consumer startups with a solid product-market fit and impact. Their focus is on highly promising Indian startups across different industries and it has made 20+ investments over the last six months of its existence.

    The following is an excerpt of the interview with Mr. Ankit Kedia, Founder & Lead Investor, Capital-A.

    1. How was the year 2021 for you as an investor/VC?

    The year 2021 was a solid one for investors. We saw an incredible amount of VC Capital being deployed across a highly diversified group of sectors. As far as Capital A is concerned, this was our maiden year and we have invested in over 20 early-stage startups across different sectors and have more in the pipeline for 2022.

    2. How often do you bet on the entrepreneurs and not on the ideas? And when/if you do that, what quality of the entrepreneur usually makes you do that?

    Given that we are an early-stage focused VC fund, we always end up in a dichotomy of choice between the founder and their idea. There is no binary answer for this. We have made bets on founders who are fresh out of college but come with great execution capability and zero experience. We have also backed seasoned professionals beginning their start-up journey after 10+ years of industrial experience.

    Typically, we look for founders who have absolute clarity in their ideas and basic commercial acumen. If both these qualities exist in them, it is easier to assess the business. This is because we are assured that the founder knows their territory well. While an educational qualification from top business schools and engineering institutes is good, we have never used this as a prerequisite for evaluating investment opportunities.

    3. What is a warning sign for you when investing in a startup?

    If the founder keeps wavering on his/her product idea and wants to pivot even before having secured seed funding, it usually is a red flag. Another aspect that we carefully evaluate is the future-proofing of the business model in terms of technology and scalability. If either of these isn’t likely to exist in the next 5 years, we tend to hold off any further discussions.

    4. What are some common biases you find in the Indian Startup ecosystem?

    While investing, many VC founders are most likely to pursue the crème de la crème from IITs and IIMs who they feel are capable of executing and scaling up to large businesses. In my view, we need to look beyond this bias and consider those from the non-premier institutes as well to democratize the startup ecosystem. Another bias which many early-stage investors have is that they tend to back founders and startups with other bluechip angels or VCs as their investors. While this is a good background, it displays the lack of understanding and belief of the incoming investors. It also displays a piggyback approach towards investing. Although we also consider such startups, only a small percentage of our fund is reserved for Series-B investment.

    Indian Startup Ecosystem Rewind 2021 – The Year of Unicorns
    Here’s a rewind of the year full of startup events, valuations, predictions and more. Let’s look at the events of the Indian startup ecosystem 2021.
    StartupTalkyHarshit Verma

    5. What are your views on the Shark Tank India Episodes until now?

    The Shark Tank show on Sony TV is an incredible start and will be a great way to get more and more entrepreneurs into the startup ecosystem. I love the section in which the sharks explain various VC jargon to viewers. From an investor’s point of view, I would like the producers to tighten the quality of startups pitching to the sharks and not just select those who are vying for publicity on national TV.

    Shark Tank India: Episode 1 Review – Was it Worth the Hype?
    The most awaited reality show, Shark tank India has released its first episode. Let’s look at the products featured and did the show live upto the hype?
    StartupTalkyHarini Rao

    6. We are seeing many startups exiting with IPO, what’s your opinion on that? How is it going to change the ecosystem?

    India’s startup sector has seen a record number of IPOs in 2021. The reason is quite simple. There is a lot of pent-up appetite for investment amongst global investors. Many companies are also looking at leveraging the stock markets that are bullish about a strong recovery from the pandemic to fund their expansion plans and achieve financial security. The ecosystem will see an enormous amount of global capital being poured into the startup space in India. The pandemic-induced lockdown led to a record high adoption of digital technology, thereby helping startups fuel their growth. There is a renewed confidence amongst the investors and IPOs will become a realistic exit option for investors.

    7. More than 42 unicorns in 2021. What do you think caused this wave? Is the valuation justified according to you?

    India stands among the top 3 countries (behind US and China) witnessing a surge of unicorns. This surge can be explained by the massive interest from global investors aspiring to secure their territories within the Indian startup ecosystem. Some innovative startups amongst the unicorns including Zetwerk and Apna which made it to the list due to their offerings. There are a few unicorns that commanded ridiculous valuations. In my opinion, they were just fortunate to be in the right place at the right time.

    What Makes A Unicorn Startup & How To Build a Unicorn Startup
    A unicorn in the Business world indicates a privately-owned startup that has a valuation of $1 billion. But what makes a startup into a unicorn? Know Unicorn Startup Characteristics
    StartupTalkyPV Vyshnavi

    8. How can we support/ enable entrepreneurs in tier2 and tier 3 cities?

    Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities have very innovative founders and business ideas. However, they sometimes lack the right connect, platforms, incubators, or accelerator programs to bring them to the forefront. In fact, many founders focus on solving problems specific to Tier 2 and 3 towns which could be a very big gap in the market. In my opinion, VCs should identify the right venture partners to find out these hidden gems and also actively partner with academic institutions to develop student interest in the startup ecosystem.

    9. What do you look forward to as an investor in the year 2022?

    The year 2022 will be similar to 2021 or even better as startups continue to attract capital from both private and public markets. The year 2021 saw one of the highest investments both from PE as well as VCs with many startups also going to the capital markets. The IPO frenzy has injected a lot of confidence among investors and startups will continue to benefit from the pent-up demand from 2020.

    10. What are a few sectors you think would be hot in the upcoming year?

    Sectors like EV, e-Commerce, logistics, and even fintech will continue to be the flavor of the seasons amongst the VCs.

    Indian Startups – Funding & Investors 2021 Data | Updated
    Exclusive Startup Funding Data of the Indian Startup Ecosystem 2021. The most updated list of Startup Funding news India.
    StartupTalkyJeenal Jain

    11. One learning that you would like to share with founders who are looking to raise funds?

    One of the most common challenges that we face with founders looking for capital today is that they underplay their equity without understanding how valuations and captable work.  The founders end up giving a lot of equity to investors who barely bring value to the table other than wanting to spray and pray. Any founder looking for early-stage smart capital must be equally selective about their investors as much as the latter cherry-picks investment opportunities.

    Another challenge many founders are facing today is around individual investors on the captable who become extremely specific about their exits. In some cases, we have also seen their rigidity to sign on SHAs as they are entitled to the same rights as major investors. My advice to founders is that while your friends and family are one of the earliest believers in your ideas, it is very important to anticipate future rounds and draft agreements in the interest of your organization, and not the investors. Sometimes, the fundraising process can become very overwhelming, and hence, it is important to create a healthy mix of advisors, investment bankers and leverage early investors as your mascots for the same.