CHENNAI : India is evolving everyday. As 2018 reaches a close, let’s discuss of what different ideas entrepreneurs can pick if they are starting a startup today for the new India:
Make-in-India brands
We have consumed everything that is either China-made or at least branded abroad. But with a conducive Make-in-India scheme, it is now becoming easier to produce goods in India. Why not take this opportunity and launch brands that serve for the Indian taste, that are not just blatant copies of West but have inherent sweetness of the East. A lot of industries are still awaiting their own “Flipkarts” and “Olas”.
Building for Mobile Platform
In KPMG’s #IndiaTrends2018 , it was mentioned that ‘mobile first’ consumption for media, gaming etc. will be the new pattern. This is very much expected as due to cheaper phones, the Smartphone penetration in India today is expected around 30 per cent . Further coupled with internet penetration, today everyone has access to media. So why not build our next media and games for mobiles?
Going Vernacular
I cannot emphasise this more. Even last week we talked about this in detail, so this week we will just brush on the issue briefly. 90 per cent of Indians do not speak English as their primary language, and yet almost the entire internet today is in English. We are close to English saturation in content. Let’s go vernacular! Let’s build for the non-metro audiences!
Building Health-tech, Agri-tech and Ed-tech
The healthcare industry, agriculture industry and education industry still has mammoth potential and is ready for explosion. All these three industries have billion-dollar markets and are great contributors to the Indian economy. With that in mind, even StartupIndia and various government initiatives are today supporting startups in these domains with funds, grants and mentorship opportunities. For entrepreneurs having an interest in these sectors, the time is perfect for you to launch your own solution.
Content-based Commerce
Earlier shops used to sell stuff and folks had limited options. The voice of consumer was often not the priority and commerce was governed by underlying economics. But today with internet, growing per capita income and speeding globalisation, consumers have various options. This has brought forth a very important frontier – community-based commerce.
Today a lot of brands have their own fan communities, where they take feedback and incorporate them into actual product launches. The commerce is thus changing, going from solo to social, option-lessness to variety and price to content. Let’s build for “Bharat”
Rajeev Tamhankar is Founder, TBS Planet Comics, Ex-IITR, Flipkart, Xiaomi You can write to him on Rajeev@TBSPlanet.com