'What a time to be alive in India right now...' Snapdeal CEO offers 'Insight' on startups
Kunal Bahl, Co-Founder, AceVector Group (Snapdeal, Unicommerce and Stellaro), cautioned about being overly critical of start-ups often being castigated for 'burning cash', pointing to the way Indian start-ups are contributing towards creating employment and touching millions of lives.
Follow"We are feeling invigorated and excited about the future. What a time to be alive in India right now..." That's the view expressed by Kunal Bahl, Co-Founder, AceVector Group (Snapdeal, Unicommerce and Stellaro), at a recent event.
Also Read: How to be an 'entrepreneur with heart'? Sonam Wangchuk shares 'Insight'
Taking part in the 11th edition of Isha Leadership Academy's flagship program, Isha Insight: The DNA of Success, Bahl said: "No country in the world is as digitised as ours. UPI or ONDC, Aadhaar, Account aggregator India stack, India health stack -- these are unheard of to folks across the world outside India. And this is just the start for us. We are feeling invigorated and excited about the future. What a time to be alive in India right now."
Bahl spoke about how a strong startup culture and emerging young entrepreneurs are taking India to the next level.
"I think our country needs believers who will irrationally believe in irrational people," Bahl said, remembering his initial struggle to gain investors’ confidence. He cautioned about being overly critical of start-ups often being castigated for 'burning cash', pointing to the way Indian start-ups are contributing towards creating employment and touching millions of lives.
Opening up about his investment choices, Kunal saw his investments in start-ups as a way of giving back to society. "In the next 20 years, most of the software products being bought around the world will be Made In India. And that will be a moment of great pride for all of us," said Kunal, reposing his confidence in the burgeoning start-up ecosystem.
A personal experience of horrid healthcare infrastructure in arguably the best hospital in New Delhi is inspiring Kunal to currently back more healthcare start-ups. "What will we do with money, UPI, ONDC, startups, and VC funding if we don't have good health as a nation," Kunal asserted.
When asked about ways to develop the ability to absorb shocks, Kunal credited his modest personal lifestyle that he continued despite his success. "We never let personal lifestyle move in step with any amount of success that may have come our way," he said. This, he felt, improved the ability to absorb shock as a family 'because then you know that your personal lifestyle will not be impacted', giving oneself tremendous mental strength to face any kind of professional or financial shock.
