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.
