Entrepreneurship and the creation, and growth of startups will probably be a dominant theme in our country and the world, as the struggle with job losses and paltry new job creation continues
Ganesh Natarajan with Mini Menon, founder of LHI DigitalAnother new year has rolled in and almost imperceptibly, we have grown a year older and hopefully a year wiser. For me personally, the last year has been one of new learnings as we built a new entrepreneurial organisation 5F World and saw it grow, touch the lives of many clients and people and spread its wings in our chosen world of digital technologies, skills and social enterprises. This year has reinforced my faith in the optimism of youth, the power of entrepreneurship and the fruits of hard work as I rejoice in the success of many first-time entrepreneurs and their teams whose lives we are touching in myriad different ways.
Entrepreneurship and the creation, and growth of startups will probably be a dominant theme in our country and the world, as the struggle with job losses and paltry new job creation continues and it may be worth understanding what really differentiates good entrepreneurs from the also-rans. In our own 5F World ecosystem, we have seen the enthusiasm with which a news veteran Mini Menon and a young historian Akshay have set about building their enterprise, Live History India Digital. Starting with a conviction that India has hordes of interesting stories about every culture and every location hidden away in folklore and the minds of a few ancient historians, this company has committed to tell these stories in interesting digital formats. With the support of a galaxy of well-meaning industrialists, media personalities and India lovers, here is one company that can build knowledge, curiosity and millions of new tourism jobs in the years to come.
In the social sector, the continuing availability of corporate social responsibility funds has enabled many well-meaning social ventures as well as PPP initiatives like Pune City Connect to blossom and augur well for the future. PCC which has a unique model of collaboration between Government, Civil Society and the Corporate sector in the three-key nation-building missions of school transformation, skills and sustainable job creation and citywide digital literacy building has been able to touch the live of tens of thousands of Pune citizens and has received unstinting support from the Pune Municipal Corporation and the corporate sector to scale its initiatives. At Social Venture Partners India, we have seen over 250 philanthropists collaborate to guide the fortunes of NGOs and have embarked on a sustainable livelihood initiative with a million jobs mission that can provide meaning to many individuals and entities.
Nationally and globally, our search into the digital ecosystem has revealed many gems in the form of startups and young companies who have a unique value proposition and the commitment to build and scale solutions in the increasingly competitive world of digital transformation. A company like Systech, which has operations in the US and India and top-name clients in manufacturing, consumer goods, insurance and entertainment is set to become a market leader in the advanced analytics space with its focus on artificial intelligence, machine learning, predictive and prescriptive analytics! And our own majority-owned company Skills Alpha, with its strong digital platform for employee engagement, skill search and acquisition and community participation has had a successful debut in the corporate sector and is now spreading its wings to the education and social sectors to provide new meaning to the processes of education and skills development in the country. In the first month of the year, we are excited about two Indo-US joint ventures we are launching, one to provide a digital platform for entrepreneurs to connect to capital providers, mentors and corporate opportunities and the other to impart the desired skills in new technology areas that will open up the doors of new opportunity to young jobseekers and wannabe entrepreneurs.
Whatever the new year holds for us, it’s important to think and move fast, have a strong focus and yet remain flexible in our approach to life and work, and keep an environment of friendliness
The good news seems to be that there are signs of the economic growth cycle continuing in the US and some parts of Europe and the Indian economy should perk up and deliver new revenues and jobs. We will continue to see barbs and counter-barbs hitting our TV and computer screens as the election noises get shriller in the run-up to the 2019 elections but there is no doubt that adequate business opportunities will exist for those who are willing to think and act entrepreneurially, take measured risks and build teams and organisations that can take on new challenges and opportunities.
The stage is set for a new year which will see many more Trumpisms taking us by surprise from the West and election rhetoric jolting us right here in India. We should look forward to a million entrepreneurial flowers which will bloom across the country and the much-promised new generation of jobs created, rather than destroyed by AI and Robotics, and provide hope and employment for millions of job-seekers. Whatever the new year holds for us, it’s important to think and move fast, have a strong focus and yet remain flexible in our approach to life and work, and keep an environment of friendliness and fun in our own environment. Enjoy your new year—the 5F way!
Ganesh Natarajan
