Strategies for MNCs Engaging with Start-ups in Emerging Markets

For large global companies, forging effective partnerships with high-potential start-ups is easier said than done. The very traits that make such start-ups potentially complementary as partners also make it difficult for large companies to engage with them in the first place. Multinational corporations often struggle event to identify promising potential start-up partners, while start-ups find …

Action For India’s 6th Annual Forum invites FinTech startups

Just about two months ago, the nation attempted the massive ‘demonetization’ initiative at an unprecedented scale to clean-up illicit money and move towards greater economic equity and justice. As a consequence, the realm of digital money management and transactions saw a burgeoning growth and needless to say, this accelerated the vision of ‘Digital India’, the …

Mr. Sikka, you are right.

For any of you who may have missed Vishal Sikka communication to Infosys employees on the new year, read here. The problem that Vishal Sikka is alluding to is largely connected to the identity of our IT Industry today. We’re the ‘outsourcing’ destination for the world – and companies like Infosys actually helped create the …

PAY-IT-FORWARD PARADOX… The More You Give, The More You Receive

Ever noticed how the busiest of people are often the ones that find time more easily than others? It is about making the time versus having the time! When you make time despite busy schedules and packed days to share your experience and perspectives it helps so many people, definitely more than you could individually …

Product Manager as the Wicket Keeper

Wishing you all a very happy 2017, may you get the guts and courage to make the change this year. Mahendra Singh Dhoni, one of the most successful cricketers is certainly an inspiration for all of us – cricket fans and Indians. While he is a famous and winning captain, probably being a wicket keeper …

Simplified Incorporation And Documentation Procedure

Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) has further simplified the ease of doing business in India by introducing SPICe forms to further digitize the company registration process. The form INC 29 was originally used to incorporate companies within a couple of days. Though this form simplified the process of incorporation, key stakeholders and professionals felt that …

BHIM (Android/*99#) & AadhaarPay

This afternoon the Prime Minister unveiled BHIM – an Android app from NPCI with an equivalent USSD-based *99# service. Additionally, recently one of the banks launched AadhaarPay – a capability that allows merchants to collect payments from consumers with their Aadhaar# and fingerprint. There has been a bit of confusion about the role of Aadhaar …

iSPIRT is ending the year on a high note

At the beginning of the year when we wrote down our thoughts in the 2016 Annual Letter about aspects such as break away from copy paste entrepreneurship, innovation bridge with Silicon Valley, progress on open market policies, etc. we thought we will score a few wins in the year. The pace of progress has surprised us. In …

A Leapfrog moment for Indian Banking

At iSPIRT, our belief is that banking will change more in the next five years than it has in the last 50 years. For a variety of reasons, the changes happening in India will follow a path that is very different from other countries. Indian Banks therefore have two choices: Create a new playbook to …

Technology has always been political

Rants are not worth responding but I have known Nikhil for 10 years and have the highest respect for him, after Om Malik he is my most favourite technology journalist for his deep and incisive views. I also admire his courage to deliberate topics which are normally deemed outside the ‘overton window’ (non discussable topics) So …

How To File Patents In India?

A patent is a form of intellectual property defined as “a government authority or licence conferring a right or title for a set period, especially the sole right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention.” The purpose of a patent is to protect the intellectual property created by an inventor for a …

InnoFest 2016 – Innovation celebrated in Bangalore, and how…

Robots, Drones, Electric Bikes, 3D printers, Modular Homes – It’s all Happening in India – #IndiaInnovates   The Indian Software Product Industry Roundtable (iSPIRT), a think tank dedicated to the cause of the Indian Product Industry, held its flagship event InnoFest 2016 in Bengaluru. This unique event was inaugurated by Mr. Mohandas Pai, Chairman of …

Industry 4.0: The New Normal

In case you are a manufacturing company beginning to explore how investment into Artificial Intelligence and Internet of Things could help your top and bottom lines, you may already have fallen behind. The fourth industrial revolution or the ‘Industry 4.0’ is already upon us and the opportunities to completely transform the way we carry out …

What to expect from National Policy on Software Products [Draft]?

Ministry of electronics and information technology (MeitY) has released the draft of National Policy of Software Product (NPSP) for public consultation. Click here to see the announcement and how to respond to the consultation process. Click here to see the draft pdf document. This blog aims to explain where the draft NPSP policy statement stands …

FirstHive @PNGrowth2016

‘Omwana ni wa bhone’ – a famous African proverb meaning: “ Regardless of a child’s biological parents, its upbringing belongs to the community” A cold November morning, we drove down to Devanhalli on the outskirts of Bangalore, having blocked three days to be a part of PNGrowth2016. Reading about the previous version of PNGrowth & the regular …