Ironically when #startups and the ecosystem is being discussed, Ahmedabad loses out to likes of Pune, Bangalore etc. So why is this disparity?
Let me dig into this. As we are getting ready to welcome #2023, this is my last post for the year #2022.
This post is inspired by the conversation we had, in one of the #eChai socials and subsequent post by Kumar Manish about Ahmedabad main log startup nahin dhanda karte hain. But before I dwell on this aspect, let me try to analyse the flavour of business in Ahmedabad and Gujarat first.
Gujarat has been known for its spirit of entrepreneurship since a long time. It is a land that gave us brands like Nirma fighting the TOM battle with likes of Surf & Ariel. A region known to produce leading ice cream brands, initiated operation flood – AMUL and gave us cosmetics products of Paras pharma.
Perhaps we need to change the lenses in looking at Ahmedabad and it’s contribution in this field. First let’s have some clarity on defining the difference between modern age startups and classical ‘dhanda’. Today, startups mostly invest seed funds which are borrowed and work on creating valuation. Their focus isn’t on having a healthy bottom line initially. A traditional dhanda has capital invested in an idea, by the entrepreneur and his friends/ partners and hence focus is on earning profits, sustenance and eventually growth.
In Gujarat cities like Ahmedabad, Surat, Rajkot have many such businesses addressing various pain points, serving their customers with quality products, churning out the top lines of ₹ 100 crore or more and generating employment of more than few hundreds in their set-up. Economy of this region thrived due to presence of such businesses. Ahmedabad might not create few unicorns like Bangalore but it has potential to generate 100s of entrepreneurs scaling their businesses with their sweat and blood.
This spirit is a real ecosystem as one such success story inspires others to take the plunge and create their own story. This needs to be cherished.
Gujarat ki Hawa main Vyapar hai Saheb!
Happy New Year #2023.
#startup #entrepreneurship #business #work #growth #dhanda
