Launched in 2014, StoryBites is a weekly feature from YourStory, featuring notable quotable quotes in our articles of this past week (see the previous post here). Share these 20 gems and insights from the week of November 15-21 with your colleagues and networks, and check back to the original articles for more insights. See also our special compilation of quotes related to India’s coronavirus responses here.
If this country’s economy is $2.5 trillion today, in the next 5-10 years, you will see another $2.5 trillion. – Vijay Shekhar Sharma, Paytm
With the fundamental drivers of digitisation now in place, and millions of new users coming online, India’s goal of becoming a truly digital economy is within sight. – Sanjay Gupta, Google India
This is an incredible time for made-in-India businesses. – Ashutosh Sharma, Prosus Ventures
Our progress will be through startups, and for this reason, we are putting our best foot forward. – CN Ashwath Narayan, Karnataka IT Minister
In several western countries the percentage of student founders is much higher than in India. – Rajiv Srivatsa, Antler India
By 2030, the [SaaS] sector is slated to grow exponentially to $1 trillion valuation, combined revenue of $50-70 billion and 500,000 in new employment. – Prasanna Krishnamoorthy, Upekkha
The Indian crypto exchange industry has been largely self-regulated and everyone is clear they don’t want their platforms used for incorrect or undesirable activities. – Gaurav Dahake, Bitbns
India has deep design, verification, firmware talent – the necessary ingredients for the success of a fabless startup. – Sateesh Andra, Endiya Partners
Only 55 percent of the total MSMEs units are located in urban areas; the remaining 45 percent of the units are located in rural areas. – Ronak Chiripal, Nandan Terry
There are several farmers’ collectives that have not been able to figure how to move beyond a 30-40 km radius. They lack logistics information, and financial and marketing backing to take their products to urban customers. – Apurva Purohitm, Aazol
[Real estate] still seems to be the most sought-after asset class in India. Whenever anyone amasses some chunk of money, they think about buying a property. – Somil Mathur, PropReturns
Once you get into different geographies, different countries, various factors like language and regulatory rules come in. So, brands need to be prepared for that too. – Kanwaljit Singh, Fireside Ventures
The furniture market, which caters to children doesn’t exist in an organised manner, even in the offline space. – Vinay Bansal, Inflection Point Ventures
It’s easy to find people who specialise in a particular material like wood or metal, but it’s not easy to strike a balance between multiple materials and the assimilation of regional craftsmanship. – Suman Sharma, Mangrove Collective
Kitchen appliances segment in India is expected to grow in double digits driven by growing urbanisation, increasing disposable incomes, and changing lifestyles. – Nikhil Vora, Sixth Sense Ventures
Managing a class full of three-something-year-olds can be very challenging. There is a dearth of well-trained teachers in India. – Drishti Goenka, Journey Matters
Working professionals, despite realising the importance of attaining English language proficiency to advance in their career, simply cannot find time to join a program due to their busy work schedule and other commitments. – Rohith Namboothiri, Inzpira
Owning a smartphone is not the same as deriving its full potential. Women entrepreneurs find it difficult to navigate any platform due to a wide use of the English language. – Sharon Buteau, Krea University
Gems and jewellery category has been one of the most significant categories in Indian export. – Sabyasachi Ray, GJEPC
Startups are leaving no stone unturned to save the [handicrafts] sector from disappearing into thin air and are making concerted efforts to give the requisite push to the artisans to grow and proliferate. – Meet Shah, Craftezy
Alcohol is a complicated market and requires a lot of processes and scale. – Gaurav Sharma, Barbrew Beverages
In India, there is little awareness of rooftop solar and battery technology and its applicability in the household context. – Sunil Thamaran, Enphase Energy India
Electric batteries are also temperature sensitive. Lack of quality vehicles then is also hindering EV adoption. – Arpit Agarwal, Blume Ventures
Bangalore is not just one of the most congested cities in the world but also the world leader in scooter-sharing, closely followed by Hyderabad. – Anand Ayyadurai, Vogo
India continues to be a credit underserved society, particularly for personal loans. – Jitin Bhasin, SaveIN
NBFC and fintech lending in India is at the inflection point of transition wherein the focus is on lending as a service and not lending as a balance sheet. – Shachindra Nath, U GRO Capital
The next decade is all about collaboration between large banks and niche NBFCs/ fintech, wherein lending-as-a-service will become the prominent force. – Shachindra Nath, U GRO Capital
We are at the cusp of growth in manufacturing led exports from the country and there is a compelling need for tech led EXIM financing solutions. – Pramit Joshi, NuPhi
In a market like India, that’s dominated by mistrust and loosely held online experiences, trust is a key expectation from digital commerce across any demographic segment. – Saksham Mendiratta, Lights Out Studio
India is a brand starved market. There will be more brands that will be built. – Ananth Narayanan, Mensa Brands
Ecommerce enablement players will play a pivotal role in fuelling the burgeoning Indian e-retail market which is projected to touch $120 billion in next four to five years. – Chirag Taneja, GoKwik
In India, for every 1,000 people who need hearing aids, only five buy it, and the industry has been selling around six lakh units annually when the requirement is around 12 crore. – Rohit Misra, earKART
Neurological disorder is a growing problem in India with stroke, headache and epilepsy contributing to ~70 percent of neurological cases in India today. – Sameer More, iCardin
I want to tell brown girls in India and the rest of the world that ‘you are beautiful’. – Anusha Dandekar, Brown Skin Beauty
Presently the landscape for fashion and grooming in the men’s segment is highly under-serviced. – Kapil Batus, d’hybrid
The Indian nutraceuticals market accounts for roughly 2% of worldwide nutraceuticals sales. It is anticipated to develop quickly, capturing 3% of the worldwide market by 2022. – Gaurang Bindra, Sulo Nutrition
From Ayurveda to herbal, natural, organic and whatnot; the beauty and personal care industry has grown by leaps and bounds and customers are spoilt for choice. – Deepak Jain, Lass Natural
We see value and potential in traditional therapeutic methods like yoga and meditation as a means for healthcare in future. – Vimal Kedia, Manjushree Technopack
India is the wellness capital of the world and the birthplace of Yoga, Meditation, Ayurveda and many superfoods. With the quality of talent India has, we must take pole position in delivering the highest quality wellness services to the globe. – Pooja Khanna, Mindhouse
YourStory has also published the pocketbook ‘Proverbs and Quotes for Entrepreneurs: A World of Inspiration for Startups’ as a creative and motivational guide for innovators (downloadable as apps here: Apple, Android).