Echoes of the West, Lack of Genuine Innovation, ETCFO
New Delhi, Most Indian startups are merely imitating Western enterprise fashions and lack real innovation, Counselage India Managing Associate Suhel Seth stated on Thursday.
Seth argued that the Indian startup ecosystem is dominated by companies that replicate concepts already confirmed overseas, fairly than creating authentic options tailor-made for India.
“After I go searching on the start-up ecosystem in India, I discover virtually all of that reproduction. And all of that may be a copy of what has already been accomplished within the West. A man needs to begin a vada-paw store, he calls himself a startup,” Seth stated on the CII Annual Enterprise Summit 2025.
He additionally instructed standards to outline a real startup prefer it should characterize a technological leap, be genuinely distinctive and non-replicable, and encourage pleasure amongst its creators.
Seth stated that only a few Indian startups meet these standards, with most specializing in copying current fashions fairly than pioneering new ones.
He identified that the startup dialog in India is overly fixated on valuations, unicorn standing, and founder wealth.
“The beginning-up universe is mentioned solely monetarily. It’s not mentioned by way of how you have modified lives. Presently, any dialogue round startups is just in three areas. Have they turn into a unicorn? How a lot has the founder made? When will I (the investor) exit?
“That is the one enterprise area I’ve seen the place folks enter with a view to exit. So, folks do not deal with these companies significantly,” Seth famous.
He questioned why India, regardless of its huge expertise pool and rising digital infrastructure, has not produced world tech giants akin to Fb or Google.
Seth attributed this hole to social pressures, threat aversion, and a scarcity of supportive ecosystems that encourage innovation and long-term dedication.
Additional, Seth floated the thought of a single emergency healthcare quantity for the whole nation.
He urged entrepreneurs and buyers to shift their focus from short-term monetary features to constructing startups which are significant, sustainable, and visual of their affect on Indian society. PTI
