iSPIRT works to transform India into a hub for new generation software products, by addressing crucial government policy, creating market catalysts and grow the maturity of product entrepreneurs. Welcome to the Official Insights!
One of the top two responsibilities of the CEO is to ensure that there is sufficient cash in the bank at all times. That often requires raising money from investors; an unpleasant task for most people! This article discusses a mindset change that is useful for fund raising. The company by itself is a product …
Continue reading “Creating a company brand — outside a product brand”
The capability to build something – a product or a solution – is, but, just the start of things. Capability is needed to build a product but capability is not what gets your product to be loved by your (potential) customers. One leverages capability to create a functionality (call it a feature, if you may). …
When we launched iKen two years ago, (The Way of Successful Entrepreneurs and Launching Pre Entrepreneur Program) we weren’t sure if a “reality-focussed”, “deep-dive format”, “away from jingoism”, bootcamp would have many takers. More importantly we weren’t sure of the impact that we would have. This was after all a side project for everyone involved. Two years hence, this …
For the last two decades I have followed global products and success stories, and a question constantly in front of me is why India has very few globally comparable products and even fewer category leaders? Despite India’s vast engineering resources, budding design talent, and our hustle mentality, we have not been able to create a …
Continue reading “Do we have the DNA to build great products in India?”
How one entrepreneur’s mountain looks like a VC’s molehill The apocryphal story of a newbie B2B founder, with deep domain knowledge, but no experience as an entrepreneur or in a startup. Note that while this example is not based on a single entrepreneur, it’s a composite to highlight the extremes. Amita was a deep domain expert, …
iSPIRT does not fit into known mental model for many folks, they often ask what exactly is it? Few say it is hard to pin it inside a known category or even describe it in words. The 2017 annual letter contains thoughts on what iSPIRT stands for. Some more explanation below on the why …
Continue reading “Explaining iSPIRT – ‘Olympic Gold Quest’ for India’s Product Winners”
When #iSPIRT announced a roundtable on ‘Building & Scaling Growth Teams for Saas Founders’ with Ashwin Ramesh (Synup) leading it, I was thrilled to join it, assuming it would be a direct take off from Ashwin’s session at #SaaSx4. Well, we were not disappointed. I am sure the other participants share my feelings on the …
Before writing something down about our experience at the recently held Product Nation Camp (PNCamp) product teardown session, I think it would be better to give a short perspective on the overall event from the viewpoint of a fairly reclusive startup in the B2B Saas space. UrbanPiper has been around for some time; however, for …
If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses There is a pretty high chance you have heard the quote and an equally good probability that you yourself have used it to support or demolish an argument on “customer knows best”. It is quite interesting to note how quotes …
Customer feedback is gradually becoming the cornerstone of growth initiatives. A new research published in the Harvard Business Review found that the act of just asking for customer feedback in itself is enough to help keep customers satisfied and coming back for more — even when they do not respond to your request. Several theories of consumer …
Continue reading “Customer Feedback: How To Collect And What To Do With It”
Just came back, feeling happy, from Hyderabad after doing the #PNcamp3. The drive from the airport in the evening to Gachibowli was pleasant and I got to see lot of construction in the city. I felt like I was driving in the Silicon Valley highway with wide roads and people driving in their lanes. In …
Amazing but how? This question pops out of every startup founder’s mind while reading success stories. Persistence, determination & hard work, great to know, but nobody tells the real thing. Where are the techniques? With any magic, the logic behind is what a technician always looks for. So, where is the secret formula of startups …
Continue reading “The curious case of B2B SaaS Startup’s inside sales and marketing”
Attending a #PNCamp is like going to an amusement park. You know you are going to have a great time. But everything that happens still manages to amaze you in a way you do not expect. In this post, I will share my experience at the recently held #PNCamp3 at ISB, Hyderabad. This was the …
Continue reading “Forget the Product, Obsess about Customer (Problems)”
The Industrial Revolution was possible because organizations could be built and managed effectively. Today too, problem #1 in business is creating the organization in the right way. changing landscape, in the 19th century (photo credit: thomasgenweb.com) The first time I saw this chart below, a light bulb went off in my head. It shows the …
Continue reading “On Organizations and Lessons from the Industrial Revolution”
“Diversity is an intellect multiplier, especially when the diverse groups can collaborate well” – Mark Sareff This year the International Women’s day was a different experience for me, no panels stating gender diversity facts most people are painfully aware of. Instead I had the proud privilege of being invited to do a fireside chat and …
Continue reading “Diversity with Collaboration Unlocks Innovation and Drives Business Growth”