India has the potential to build a USD 100 Billion software product industry by 2025. India has a critical mass of software product companies that have entered their maturation stage. At this juncture, to sunstain momentum it’s very important for the entire ecosystem – product entrepreneurs, angels, VCs, government to be aligned. And this alignment will come about when everybody is looking at...
Open Source has been quietly making its mark. Kickstarter just completed a billion dollars in crowdfunding. A lot of the work funded via Kickstarter is licensed for public use. Because the initial capital is pitched in by lots of people, the creators have a lot of incentive to give it back to the people. The Do-It-Yourself community in both software and hardware is also on the rise. This is an...
In the scramble to get to market, protecting the IP of your invention sometimes takes a backseat. This is a mistake and one that can have potentially damaging long-term effects. In this article we examine how developing a proactive IP Strategy can mitigate IP risk for a startup. Startup Priorities Most startups begin with a good idea and an identified solution that solves a key need in the...
My interest in knowledge management has always been from the perspective of knowledge creation. So, I readily agreed to participate in the CII Knowledge Management Summit this year in a session that focused on this dimension. Ganesh Natarajan, Sharad Sharma and I were together on a panel to explore the potential of, and challenges in, the creation of intellectual property (IP)-based businesses...
Without a doubt the Silicon Valley or “Valley” as it is known leads the world in new technology breakthroughs. Day in and day out we hear of companies growing, getting acquired, of going public and of untold riches accrued to the founders and the investors. The recent Whatsapp saga is a classic example of a rags-to-riches story and so the legend of the Valley continues to build. There is no doubt...
I was talking to one of the CEOs of an enterprise product company who sells to CIOs of enterprise. The typical industry classification for them would be B2B, a business selling to business. When you read it that way it seems like a fairly balanced relationship between the two. However as we discussed his situation further and I learnt about the realities of what he has to go through I realized...
Mr. P Rajasekharan (Raja) is the founder of v-shesh, a social impact enterprise that enables people with disabilities find employment. Working with both job-seekers and employers, v-shesh has placed over 90% of its trainees in banks, ITES, hospitality and manufacturing sectors. Prior to founding v-shesh, Raja worked in development sector and project finance at Japan Bank for Regional Cooperation...
As the new year approaches, its customary to review the year that has passed. Here is my take on where we stand on innovation at the end of 2013. Positive Highlights of the Indian Innovation scenario in 2013 Innovation in the public/strategic sectors took two important strides. The first was the successful launch of the mission to Mars (Mangalyaan) which demonstrated India’s ability to undertake...
Sachin Tendulkar’s retirement was a event marked with a great outpouring for the man and for Indian Cricket. Our cricket team has come a long way and we are both the commercial power and in many format ; the leader. Sanjay Anandaram shared an article which has a more balanced take on Tendulkar. It is useful for us to be realistic in our appreciation as well as criticisms. Infosys a former darling...
One of iSPIRT ProductNation central goals is to build a vibrant ecosystem for the next generation of Indian software product statups. That is why we are so excited to partner with Innovate Delhi Entrepreneurship Academy. The three-week long academy, which takes place in June, works with aspiring entrepreneurs to hone their skills in innovation, team-building, and strategy. Complementing the...
