Do Indian start-ups usually work on new technologies, or on technologies that have already gained traction, and why?
I would say that a significant number of start-ups in India are re-using technologies that have already been developed in other countries to suit the Indian market/customer. If we look at the overall statistics of Indian start-ups that have been able to launch a product that caters to a global audience, I would say that their percentage is very low. There are many reasons for this, but here are a few that I would like to point out. At a macro level, it is because of the total number of start-ups that are established (which is small), and here are a few reasons that drive this:
- We are born and taught to work for someone. Parents teach their kids to be engineers, doctors, dentists, etc, but not to be an entrepreneur. There are too many people who believe that landing a job in the US, post a Masters or PhD in the US is everything (Nirvana).
- Another glaring fact is that there are so many smart Indians who have great ideas/dreams, but they don’t want to come forward and live their dreams and convert their ideas to reality. The reason? The need for a monthly pay cheque. A majority of them would like to do things part time. But let’s face facts—things don’t work part-time if you are serious about your dream. Another factor is social pressure. The Indian community only appreciates jobs in MNCs—to the extent that start-up entrepreneurs find it hard to get a bride.
However, I strongly feel that the start-up ecosystem in India is maturing and taking the right path. There are a lot of communities encouraging start-ups with mentoring, guidance, networking opportunities, gyan sessions, etc. As a result, a few exceptional Indian start-ups are using new technologies. For instance, Druvaa, which was formed by a bunch of Indians who left their cushy MNC jobs, has created a technology that helps organisations to minimise redundant data from getting backed up on a regular basis, thereby driving down the costs and time taken to back up.
– Santhosh Mogili
Indian IT professionals tend to upgrade their skills early and invest time, effort and funds to keep their capabilities current. Many reputed companies even encourage their employees in this by reimbursing costs associated with acquiring the latest software technology certifications. However, the projects that come their way follow the usual pattern, where the bulk of the assignments are on tried and tested technologies. This is even more true for new start-ups who tend to stick to known platforms and versions even though their tech resources may be geared for experimentation. This flows naturally from the fact that nearly the entire Indian technology industry is services oriented, mostly related to code development. There is less involvement in higher value added work, like solution designing and architecture, and almost nothing on productising. Therefore, the need for product differentiation using cutting-edge technology does not figure in the business equation.
– Sanjay Negi
Many Indian start-ups go with well-established technologies. The reason is clear... it’s to reduce the risk factor, in general. We do not have a very good infrastructure to support failures borne out of risk-taking.
– Ashish Belagali
