Over the last month, I spoke to multiple early startups to understand their challenges of setting up design teams. A short report on the state of design in startups and potential solutions There is a massive shortage of design talent in India currently. Large organisations like Adobe, Microsoft, Google are…

India is a collectivist society and yet our digital accounts are individual! — Back in my hometown, my parents have their daily morning rituals. My dad wakes up in the morning, picks up his bag to do his mandatory visit to the Kirana store. He buys milk and vegetables for the day and hands them over to my mom. When someone gets married…

Why Indian startups don’t distribute F.Ds? — This post originally appeared on our newsletter Tales of Bharat As a kid, when my mom refused to buy me candies, I would run crying to my grandmother. She would console me and offer a 10 rupee note from the stash of money hidden in the rice jar. The entire…

What would an end to end digital experience using account aggregators look like? — This post originally appeared on our newsletter Tales of Bharat If the startup ecosystem were a giant e-commerce website, then lending would be the most wish-listed item. The path to reach lending seems simple — identify an opportunity, capture distribution and empower people with credit. …

This post appeared first on our bi-monthly newsletter ‘Tales of Bharat’ It's a drizzling evening in Bangalore and the sight at your balcony demands to be photographed for your Instagram feed. You decide to strike a pose to only realise that your 3-year-old smartphone isn't capable enough to capture the…

This article is a part of our ongoing series about NRLM and Self Help Groups. Read them all here - Self Help Groups 101 SHGs: Self Help Groups are homogenous groups of 5–20 women who come from a similar social and economic background. These women come together and meet at regular…

Since the independence of India, poverty has been one of the crucial challenges for inclusive growth for the country to compete with the world. Access to formal finance by the poor is an essential prerequisite for poverty alleviation and sustainable development. A report published by the Rangarajan committee in 2014…

“A small business is an amazing way to serve and leave an impact on the world you live in.” -Nicole Snow — Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) form a vital component of the Indian Economy. MSMEs contribute to around 29% of total India’s GDP and are the second-highest employment generation sector in the country, only next to the agricultural sector. This post gives an overview of the MSME sector in India

If you really look closely, most overnight successes took a long time. — Steve Jobs A relatively busy for a weekday afternoon. As we walk by the footpath, on either side of the road we spot a good mix of retail stores ranging from apparel, shoes, juice centres, paan shops…