So here we are with the next batch of 25 companies who have made it to the #PNgrowth program. We had actually said that we would be announcing the last 100 in one go, but we’ve decided not to, so to give each of these amazing companies their place in the sun. We will be announcing the rest of the companies in this week, keeping only the last 25 up our sleeves, which will arrive in the next week...
The telecom companies don’t want a neutral Internet. They built the pipes and hooked them up to your phones. They also sell you broadband fiber at Rs 800-Rs2000 per month. And they hate to see you spending more time on messenger and chat apps which are getting better by the day. Unlike Gtalk and those of its ilk, today’s apps are on phones, untethered from the computer and therefore as personal...
I’ve usually been averse to buying premium branded apparel. For the simple reason that I could always find equally good clothing which isn’t necessarily a Lacoste or a Tommy, and which is as elegant and durable as that venerable brand. Garments is a very competitive industry. You are spoilt for choice and there are more brands to choose from for every category than the number of hours in a day...
Desification is an invented acronym of course. It doesn’t exist in the dictionary. Or in lexicon. Nevertheless, it most aptly describes the phenomenon of a technology companies culturally adapting to the local mindset. In this case, local as in ‘Desi’, derived from the word ‘Desh’ which literally means Nation. It’s not uncommon for successful Silicon Valley startup ideas to be replicated in India...
At the forefront of progress is change. iSPIRT continues to drive the process of change to Transform India as a Product Nation, using the engines of private initiative, policy and programs like Playbook Round Table and PNCamp. iSPIRT’s policy initiatives involve active dialogue with Government. Conclave for India as the Product Nation As part of this initiative, iSPIRT is hosting the...
“There’s an empty slide in your deck reading user acquisition, which follows the slide showing hockey stick adoption. We’ll grow virally! Three words that fill up the slide nicely. Relying on virality as a standalone source of user acquisition is fatally flawed to begin with.” That’s Sangeet Paul Choudary at his usual best. He probably said that a hundred times over, yet Startups...
Putting up #PNCamp has not been easy. And the task is only half-done. Volunteering is like an open-source movement. You learn a lot, give back, and lean upon all your co-volunteers to make things happen. There is no institution behind it, no big brother, no event manager, no marketing agency. Just volunteer passion. It’s the same energy that put up India’s defining product events in...
The Pune Round Table on Lean Sales (26 Oct 2013) could not have had product leaders with personalities as different as Kailash Katkar @QuickHeal and Pallav Nadhani @FusionCharts. In this difference lay the magic. The magic at this Round Table was in full force. Thank you Kailash for hosting us all. Round Tables are not about story telling. It’s about getting to know specific challenges of the...
PNSummit just pivoted. But only in name. And it was to reflect the true nature of what this first-ever bootcamp for product folks is all about. Many ProductNation friends asked why it was called a Summit because… hey, it is not a conference. Its more intense than a conference and much more meaningful for a product startup. This led to the pivot and thus was born #PNCamp – the bootcamp for...
If you haven’t made up your mind whether you should be at PNSummit, then you’re probably thinking too hard. It’s not a Conference. It’s not a Conference. Yes, I said that twice. It’s brought to you by iSPIRT ProductNation. And a team of selfless volunteers who want to give back. These guys have regular companies to run. And day jobs. Putting together #PNSummit is back breaking work. But they...
