Wow, what an energetic first day of the NASSCOM Product Conclave 2012!
The ninth edition of the NASSCOM Product Conclave began with an opening address by the two co-hosts, Sharad Sharma and M.R Rangaswami who welcomed delegates and introduced them to the theme of the event this year, which revolves around the emerging technologies of Cloud, Mobility and Big Data. Some important points that Sharad Sharma made included highlighting the fact that till a few years ago, product development was more of an underground movement. He also pointed out that product entrepreneurs are fundamentally different from other entrepreneurs in the way that they are the anti-thesis of the traditional client-server model as they are literally disruptors who are focussed on transforming the lives of their customers totally. He also shed some light on the problems that the tech product industry faces today that prevent many people from seeing the complete potential clearly, such as the generational shift leading to a disconnect. In reality, the product industry will accelerate exponentially — and according to Sharad Sharma — can even lift India out of poverty!
The two co-hosts were then joined on stage by the President of NASSCOM, Mr. Som Mittal, who continued the flow of thought by saying that today, entrepreneurship is being celebrated across the world and in India. He pointed out that there are a number of entrepreneurs today who are open about the fact that they have tried and failed previously, but are willing to try again. The technology buyer is also changing, as this buyer is excited about finding solutions for the real problems that he or she faces.
M.R Rangaswami then gave the audience some insights on why the Indian tech product industry is poised to grow at an accelerated pace. He pointed out that many product entrepreneurs come equipped with enterprise experience, which is invaluable. There are also 900 million mobiles in the country which present an immense opportunity for product developers. The third aspect of this fertile product ecosystem is the emergence of cloud technology that improves accessibility — you can be sitting in one corner of the country and still market your cloud based products to customers at another end.
Did you attend Day 1 of the NASSCOM Product Conclave 2012? Which sessions were your favorite?