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Launched in 2014, StoryBites is a weekly feature from YS, featuring notable quotable quotes in our articles of this past week (see the previous post here). Share these 35 gems and insights from the week of August 9-15 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.

Don’t overthink, just start. Once you do that, only then will you know if it works or not. – Kavea R Chavali

Tenacity and talent are the two T’s of success. – Akshaya Bhargava, Bridgeweave

Keeping in touch with your values is a lifelong exercise. – Pranab K. Pani, Talendeate beyond Border

Empathy alone will be a starting point for any form of connection within communities and within society itself. – Neha Harish, ‘Requiem for Tolerance’

When you take on something you don’t have direct experience in, it really gives you the opportunity to overcome your fears and discover new things about your abilities, thus also allowing you to enjoy a much steeper learning curve. – Niharika Singh, One Championship

It appears that our fixation on “young India” has caused us to ignore the aged segment of the nation largely. Every family needs to prepare for an ageing parent. – Punita Khatter, senOcare

Consolidation has started to happen in several segments like foodtech delivery and logistics aggregators where those startups that are unable to raise the next round of funding will look at the M&A option. – Madhur Singhal, Praxis Global Alliance

We undid a mistake of the past by removing retrospective tax. It will increase trust between the government and the industry. – PM Modi

Indian gaming has immense potential, and the talent which resides in the non-metros often goes unnoticed. – Rajan Navani, JetSynthesys

In the next 10 years, India will see at least 100 to 120 million youth entering the workforce. The formal sector is poised to absorb just about 10 to 15 percent of that large workforce. – Madan Padaki, GAME

India’s pet care market is valued at about $600 million, growing at over 20 percent CAGR and is likely to expand multifold over the next decade. – Sakshi Chopra, Sequoia India

It’s much easier to avoid emissions now rather than blowing past our carbon budget and having to take a lot of emissions out of the atmosphere again. – Malte Meinshausen, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research

This gap between rhetoric and action needs to close if we are to have a fighting chance of reaching net zero by 2050. – Fatih Birol, IEA

We all need to build an ecosystem to ensure that everyone chooses to buy an electric vehicle instead of an IC vehicle. – Bhavish Aggarwal, Ola

India should target to export at least 200 gigawatts of this green hydrogen and green ammonia by 2030. – Amitabh Kant, Niti Aayog

Merchandising is a great way to create universal advocacy for the brand ISRO and help them connect with the youth of our country and the Indian diaspora abroad. – Rajeeva Mahalinga, 1947IND

For India, this Olympics was about a lot more than medals and podium finishes. – Shailesh Chandra, Tata Motors

Sports has a critical role to play in nation building and it’s time that we celebrate our olympic heroes, not just once in four years, but every single day. – Byju Raveendran, BYJU’S

With freedom also comes immense responsibility to think and act sensibly. – Srividya Kannan, Avaali Solutions

As the youth of Kashmir, we have a huge responsibility towards our people. And we are trying to change the trend. – Jibran Gulzar, Gatoes

Despite the difficulties of the pandemic, artists are a strong fraternity, and nothing can dilute their sound or their spirit. – Nanni Singh, ShowCase Events

We are witnessing a paradigm shift in narratives pertaining to women and battle bigotry at a community level. – Mrinal Jha, Undercover Utopia

A story can translate dry, abstract numbers into compelling pictures. – Stan Garfield, ‘The Handbook of Community Management’

The future of live entertainment is something that is an area of concern. – Roshan Abbas

The startup ecosystem in Tier II cities in India is set to grow highly exponentially in the next few years. – Anurag Ramdasan, 3one4 Capital

Today, several startups have come across various sectors, in Tier 1- Tier towns. They are becoming wealth creators and are seeing their market value increase despite the Covid pandemic. – PM Modi

Indian startups have a thriving “pay it forward” culture, with successful entrepreneurs helping new founders with their time, network, expertise and capital. – Rahul Chowdhri, Stellaris Venture Partners

There is no doubt that the number of women-led startups that raise funding is limited and significantly lesser, but steps are being taken to change that. – Deepak Gupta, WEH Ventures

When you’re a woman founder, there is no margin for error. The stakes are higher, you need to prove yourself every time with every move to get people to take you seriously. – Sonya Hooja, Imarticus Learning

India has a huge capacity for innovation – a capacity that can be deepened and strengthened with greater participation from women. – Srini Maddali, Qualcomm India

Building a startup is your sculpture, your work of art – and a legacy that will hopefully last beyond your time! – Sanjay Swamy, Prime Venture Partners

If you think you are the best, capital might actually concentrate towards you. – Avnish Bajaj, Matrix Partners India

The founder must demonstrate strong execution and domain skill sets for the startup to garner the investor’s interest. – Ashvin Chadha, Anicut Angel Fund

ESOP is still a less understood and appreciated currency that allows team members to take a much longer-term view on their current place of work. – Ronnie Screwvala, upGrad

A lot of reforms are aiding startup IPOs. SEBI has relaxed clauses, the DPIIT has created a seed fund to incubate companies. – Anuj Golecha, Venture Catalysts

They have to let go in order to grow. Innovators and entrepreneurs have to be constant adapters – as they learn from experience, they change things. – Paul Sloane, ‘The Leader’s Guide to Lateral Thinking Skills’

People see the end success but not what goes behind the stage — the thousands of failures behind each success and milestone. – Tanushree Jain, Nushaura

We actually call it pivot, so no company ever fails, we only pivot. – Bhavin Turakhia, Zeta

There’s no failing as an entrepreneur; only learning. Believe in yourself and your idea, and deliver your best every day; the rest will fall in place. – Arjeeta C Singhvi, ekSlate

YS 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).

YS’s flagship startup-tech and leadership conference will return virtually for its 13th edition on October 25-30, 2021. Sign up for updates on TechSparks or to express your interest in partnerships and speaker opportunities here.

For more on TechSparks 2021, click here.

Applications are now open for Tech30 2021, a list of 30 most promising tech startups from India. Apply or nominate an early-stage startup to become a Tech30 2021 startup here.