8. India is an excellent starting point for building out the SME Tech Utility. There are 4 billion people like us and millions of companies like the ones we will find in India across the world in Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America and Africa. One has to think along the lines of creating mass market solutions.
- India’s Century: There are six building blocks which can serve as the platform for making the 21st century belong to India: Infrastructure, Open Economy, Technology and the Internet, Education, Global and Entrepreneurial Mindset, Leadership and Vision (May 8, 2001)
- A Technology Agenda for India: What does it take for India to be a leader in the development and deployment of new technologies worldwide? In this context, it is imperative for India – corporates, educational and research institutions, citizens and government – to understand the impact of technology, and put in place an agenda to ensure that we can leverage it appropriately. (April 9, 2001)
- The Indian Internet: The Internet revolution in India has almost been a still-born, and this has led to quite some disillusionment all around. How can this change? The solution lies in the leading Internet companies becoming profitable, so that investment can once again start coming into this sector. (March 19, 2001)
- Mass Market Internet: The Internet in India is still too elitist and growth still too slow. How can we change this? How can we get 10 times the current growth rate? How can the Internet impact the lives of 100 million Indians in the next 3 years? How can the Internet remove pain from our lives, how can it make a difference to us daily? How can the Internet become a utility in our lives — just like electricity and the phone? (Nov 13, 2000)
- A Tale of 4 Anniversaries: India batting 54, Reforms hit wicket 10, PC retired hurt 20, Internet at the non-striker’s end on 6. (August 14, 2001)
- 10 Trends for the Indian Internet 2001: My choices: Entrepreneurship, Bandwidth, eBusiness, Venture Capital, IT-enabled Services, Consolidation, Education, Mass Market, Wireless and Government. (December 5, 2000)
- The New War: A View from India (September 17, 2001)
9. The opportunities for Indian companies lie in building solutions to address these markets.
- The Indian Software Factory: At the bottom of this pyramid are over 20 million small and medium enterprises in developing markets like India. How can technology, and especially software, fulfill their needs and aspirations? At the heart of the discussion is the question asked by Prahalad and Hart: How can low cost, good quality, sustainability, and profitability be combined? (July 3, 2001)
- Building an Innovation Valley in India: India Inc’s mission should be to help Indian entrepreneurs transform their technical expertise and ideas into successful global enterprises that build cutting – edge products and services, companies that are leading the revolution. (Nov 28, 2000)
10. What is needed to accomplish this is Entrepreneurial Thinking.
- Entrepreneurship: Entrepreneurship is a lot more than just getting an idea and starting a company. It is the tougher choice, not the easier one. But this is one journey where the joy is as much in the ride as in reaching the destination. (March 12, 2001)
- Entrepreneurial Learnings: Entrepreneurs do not start to create failures. Yet, only 1 in 100 startups succeeds. If one were to ask entrepreneurs when the start about their chances of success, most would give themselves greater than even odds, even as high as a 60-70% chance of success. The reality though, as we know, is very different. While no one can predict success or failure, it is important to do things right to begin with. (July 16, 2001)
- Life as an Entrepreneur an entrepreneur is not necessarily a risk taker, but a risk reducer. Each day at work, the entrepreneur seeks to make decisions to increase the longevity of the business and diminish the risk. And yet, herein lies a paradox. For an entrepreneur, lack of growth (and uncertainty) is like death. When things start becoming too predictable, the challenge ebbs away. It is then time for a new dream, a new vision. (October 15, 2001)
- Leadership Lessons from Lagaan: While it is not often that movies offer more than entertainment, ever so often there comes a film which can make a deep impact and teach us a few things. Lagaan is about Bhuvan and his team, who, against all odds, fight for pride, land and country – and win. It is how one single person with a passion can make a difference. It is about the triumph of human spirit, the Indian spirit. (August 6, 2001)
- Points to Ponder: A collection of interesting thoughts from various people. Many of things stated seem obvious, but it is good to remind ourselves of these every so often, and reflect and make part of our daily life.
