Most Indian founders are blind to a goldmine sitting right under their nose. I’m talking about your alumni network. If you think your degree is just a piece of paper, you’re missing the point. Your college alumni directory is a Rolodex of investors, advisors, and early adopters. And yet, you prob…
Discounting can be a seductive trap for Indian startups. Slash your prices too much, and you’re not a business—you’re a charity. In the race to capture market share, many founders bleed their margins dry, thinking they can make it up in volume. It’s a fool’s game. The truth is, deep discounts can…
You’re building an Indian startup and think profit is king? Think again. Cash flow, not profit, is the lifeline of your business. Most founders get this wrong, and it can cripple operations faster than you can say “Series A.” Cash flow isn’t just a finance term — it’s your company’s pulse. Ignore…
Most Indian startup founders obsess over the “perfect” board composition as if it’s the magic bullet for success. Here’s the truth: that pursuit is not just misguided; it’s a distraction that can cost you dearly. The fixation on achieving the ideal mix of investors, independent directors, and adv…
You’re burning cash optimizing tech that doesn’t need it. Yes, you, the founder who’s convinced that squeezing every last drop of efficiency out of your codebase or setting up a multi-cloud environment is the path to success. Here’s the uncomfortable truth: your obsession with tech optimization m…
What pivoting Illume Bio from AMR diagnostics to drug discovery taught us By Kushal Chandak and Sambhav Baid, co-founders, Illume
You’re on the cusp of launching your Indian startup, product polished, pitch deck ready, and investors lined up. But here’s the kicker — you’re about to stumble on a landmine that could obliterate your runway. Underestimating Indian regulatory hurdles is like building a house on quicksand. It’s n…
You’re knee-deep in code, relying on developer hubs like GitHub or Stack Overflow to keep your startup’s engine running. But here’s the brutal truth: if you’re leaning too hard on these platforms, you might be setting yourself up for a fall. The convenience of these hubs can quickly turn into a c…
Most Indian startup founders make a fatal mistake: they ignore market feedback loops. You can have the perfect pitch deck and a product that dazzles investors, but if you don’t listen to what the market is telling you, your startup will crash and burn. OfBusiness, Infra.Market, and Zetwerk didn’t…
A Bangalore-based SaaS startup thought it had struck gold when it raised a 12 crore INR Series A round. They planned to triple their engineering team and conquer three new markets. Flush with funding, they hired a VP of Engineering—impressive resume, multinational experience, glowing references. …
