Startup Ecosystem
What is the journey of Raghav and Divya in establishing Rameshwaram Cafe?
Raghav and Divya's journey began from humble beginnings. Raghav initially left home to pursue acting, even sleeping in railway stations, before returning to finish his engineering. After working in hotels, he started a small roadside kiosk in 2012 selling South Indian food, particularly idli and dosa, with just five employees who remain with him today. Meanwhile, Divya was a successful chartered accountant and IIM Ahmedabad graduate with her own office. Despite their families' strong disapproval - Divya mentions getting 'the same slap' as Raghav did when he wanted to become an actor - they partnered together in February 2021 to establish Rameshwaram Cafe, fulfilling Raghav's vision of creating something unique in the South Indian restaurant industry.
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Curly Tales
03:03 - 08:08
How has Startup India transformed the country's entrepreneurial ecosystem since its launch?
Since its 2016 launch, Startup India has transformed the country into the world's third-largest startup ecosystem with over 1.59 lakh recognized startups. This initiative has created more than 16.6 lakh jobs, shifting India from job seekers to job creators, with cities like Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and NCR leading innovation hubs. The program's success is driven by comprehensive support mechanisms including funding assistance, tax benefits, and sector-specific policies in agriculture and biotechnology. Women entrepreneurs have made significant inroads with over 73,000 startups having at least one woman director, while programs like Startup Mahakum further strengthen the ecosystem through collaboration and growth opportunities.
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Channel IAM-English
00:00 - 01:02
Why does India need more local investment in entrepreneurship?
According to Nithin Kamath, 90% of venture capital in India (approximately $70 billion over the past decade) comes from foreign sources, resulting in 90% of wealth creation happening outside India. For India to become inclusively rich, wealth must remain within the country. No nation in history has ever prospered when its wealth creation occurs elsewhere. This requires more Indians backing Indian entrepreneurs, which would ensure economic benefits stay local and drive inclusive growth across the country.
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INKtalks
10:40 - 11:37
What are the key tips for starting an IT company according to Thomas Preston-Werner?
According to GitHub co-founder Thomas Preston-Werner, the first essential tip is to start something—anything—and keep trying multiple ideas. As he notes, 'The best way to have a good idea is to have a lot of ideas,' because success rarely comes from your first attempt. GitHub was his '17,000th idea' after many failures. Second, be very careful about building your team, as most companies fail due to team issues rather than product problems. Start with co-founders rather than employees to create equal partnerships and shared commitment. Finally, build something people actually want—no amount of marketing can trick people into using a product they don't need.
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Rishav Raj Jain
01:59 - 06:26
What advice would you give to someone trying to build a company?
The entrepreneurs emphasize two key components: planning what needs to be done and then actually doing it. They stress that finding a good team is crucial - working with people you enjoy collaborating with and have worked with before makes things fall into line. They recommend breaking any problem into clear steps and executing them. Additionally, they suggest building something fun and cool with friends, as the right team dynamics significantly impact success. Having technical talent and strong relationships creates the foundation for effective company building.
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KJ Hardrict
09:50 - 11:01
Why is the EIT focusing on women entrepreneurs and innovators?
Women represent Europe's largest untapped entrepreneurial and innovation talent pool. The EIT prioritizes women's involvement because there's a strong business and innovation case for female leadership. According to EIT research, women-led scale-ups grow 1.2 times faster than others, and VCs with women in senior management significantly outperform male-only management teams. Additionally, the organization has found that gender diversity drives innovation and sustainability. Through initiatives like Supernovas and Red Carlina, EIT is working to increase women's representation beyond the current 25% of CEOs in EIT-supported startups and scale-ups.
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EUIPO
00:48 - 02:50