When students feel lost or professionals face uncertainty, they often look for someone who not only listens but truly understands. For hundreds of entrepreneurs across India, that person has been Viiveck Verma. A seasoned mentor, impact-driven leader, and business builder, he is the licensee of TEDxHyderabad, an angel investor in over 35 startups and a strong supporter of 20+ social impact organisations. He currently serves as strategic advisor to Goonj, board member at the Centre for Sustainable Agriculture, president of SAHE, and director at Invisible Scars Foundation, which supports survivors of gender-based violence. He also mentors at institutions like IIM Bangalore’s NSRCEL, IIIT Hyderabad, and AIC (NITI Aayog).
Excerpts
What drew you to startups?
I began my career in 1988 as a sales professional and was lucky to be part of pioneering initiatives like India’s first call centre, early digitised maps in 1994, and the mobile phone launch with BPL. I was an intrapreneur long before I became an entrepreneur, executing 10 ‘first-of-its-kind’ projects within the corporate world. By 2015, I felt this was a space I truly understood — ideation, team-building, execution, and scale. So I began mentoring and investing full-time.
Do some startups fail due to external shifts?
Absolutely. Many startups fail due to three reasons:
Tech shifts: the space evolves fast.
Regulations: if you can’t adapt, you’re out.
Ecosystem dynamics: if you don’t differentiate, you’re lost.
Some of the startups I invested in failed for exactly these reasons.
What’s missing in Hyderabad’s startup ecosystem?
We have great institutions like T-Hub, We-Hub, T-Works, but they often work in silos. There’s a lack of collaboration and anchoring. Programmes don’t always cross-communicate, and startups in the same building may not even know each other. That’s where mentors step in, connecting the dots. If we can unify these entities and enable smoother coordination, Hyderabad can easily surpass Bengaluru. The potential is enormous, but cohesion is the key.
Is our education system holding startups back?
I’d say startups are thriving in spite of the system, not because of it. Young people get degrees, especially engineering ones, but then face disillusionment. The system trains them to compete, not collaborate. It doesn’t teach resilience, problem-solving, or teamwork. I always say this — for 15 years, we train kids to beat others. When a child comes second, we ask, ‘Who came first?’ instead of saying ‘Well done’. Later, we wonder why they can’t function in teams. We must evolve; teach soft skills, problem identification, and collaboration. Until then, startups will continue growing outside the system.
What common mistakes do early-stage founders make?
The most common mistake is starting with a solution instead of a problem. Hyderabad’s strong engineering culture means many founders jump to product-building before understanding if there’s a real problem to solve. They don’t validate. No customer interviews. No real-world testing. Then they wonder why the product doesn’t scale.
Why do some startups stall after initial success?
They haven’t planned for scalability. I look at four stages — problem, solution, scalability, and monetisation. Many get the first two right but fail to expand. Going from 10 to 100 to 1,000 units requires different systems. Startups often blame funding, but if you show scalability and ROI, funding will come. Investors look for returns, not just passion.
What do you look for when investing?
The founder: Are they coachable? Can they adapt?
The four pillars: Problem, solution, scalability, monetisation.
Vision: How big are they thinking?
A founder chasing 2,000 units might hit 500. But one aiming for 10,000 might reach 5,000. Passion is essential, but it’s not enough. I often say, ‘The only business of a business is to do business.’
What about Tier-2 or rural founders?
They don’t lack potential, they lack access. Many receive half-baked advice from people who don’t understand startups. I’ve met founders who thought startup funding was a high-interest loan. No idea about equity or investor expectations. We need more on-ground efforts; mentors visiting smaller towns, answering questions, building trust. That’s how we democratise entrepreneurship.
What does mentoring mean to you?
To me, mentoring is being available in good times and bad. Sometimes founders just want to talk. Not about a specific issue, just to clear their minds. Mentoring is not about giving answers. That’s consulting. True mentoring is helping someone discover their own solutions. If they always rely on me, I’ve failed. The best mentoring is when they need you less and less over time. I ask questions, not to solve problems, but to help them think. Like teaching someone to fish. If I make them dependent, I haven’t done my job.
What’s your go-to advice for startups?
Always have a big vision. Failures will come. That’s okay. If you’ve identified a real problem, it still exists even if your first attempt didn’t work. Your approach may fail, but you didn’t. That’s a critical difference. Don’t internalise failure. Regroup. Try again. There are always more doors.
Many chase valuation early. What’s your take?
It’s a trap. Everyone wants billion-dollar headlines, but valuation is a by-product, not the goal. Focus on creating value. Valuation will follow. I often say, ‘Don’t chase valuation. Chase value creation.’ If you build something valuable, investors will come to you. I know founders who received unsolicited offers without even asking for funding, just by sharing their story.
So fundraising ≠ success?
Exactly. That’s one of the biggest myths. The last thing a startup needs early on is an investor. Delay it as long as you can. Once investors come in, they start influencing decisions. Sometimes prioritising returns over what’s best for the company. The best startups bootstrap until external capital is essential. Let the founder stay in control for as long as possible.