India’s top entrepreneurs promise to make way for 100 Unicorns

• The India Internet Day organized by TiE Delhi-NCR saw India’s unicorn founders and investors all gather under one roof.
• “9/10 top apps on Google Playstore will be from India within the next 5-10 years,” said Hans Tung, Partner, GGV Capital.
• “India is among the 'first world' as far as investment in start-ups is concerned,” said Vijay Shekhar Sharma.

On Thursday morning, it wasn’t the usual breakfast for some entrepreneurs in Delhi-NCR, for they got to sit down with the top investors and entrepreneurs of the country for a quick mentorship session.

This was possible at the India Internet Day 2019 organized by TiE Delhi-NCR. Following the theme ‘India Internet Unboxed: Getting ready for a 100 Unicorns’, the conference saw India’s top entrepreneurs sitting alongside those who want to get into the game and also the top names from the Chinese start-up ecosystem, all gather under one roof.

The day registered the presence of over 1,000 delegates, including several start-ups, top unicorns, industry leaders, investors, mentors, policy-makers, and other key stakeholders.

The iDay 2019 also had Chinese VCs shed light on the start-up landscape in China. The speakers included Hans Tung, Partner-GGVC, the investor associated with 14 unicorns, Helen Wong, Partner- Qiming Venture, and Yun Lou, Founder & CEO – Clubfactory.

“9/10 top apps on Google Playstore will be from India within the next 5-10 years,” said Hans Tung, Partner, GGV Capital.

Speaking on the event, Rajan Anandan, President – TiE Delhi-NCR shared, “The focus of today’s event is to encourage and help innovative internet-centric start-ups in learning how to unbox the full potential of their ambitious ventures.”

Notes and Networking

When unicorn startup founders and investors who have backed unicorns are present at an event, it is obvious to see entrepreneurs scrambling to take notes and hurrying outside to exchange cards.

The event started with a welcome address by Rajesh Sawhney, Co-founder & CEO of InnerChef, and an opening keynote by Vijay Shekhar Sharma, Founder & CEO – Paytm. “India is among the 'first world' as far as investment in start-ups is concerned,” he said.

Highlighting the positive transformations in the country’s entrepreneurial landscape, the co-chair for the conference Vani Kola, Co – Chair for the event & Managing Director – Kalaari Capital, said, "India is finally going beyond the 3Ms: male, metros & millennials and using the 3Vs to do so: voice, video & vernacular."

In the first keynote on ‘Unboxing Innovation & Empowering Startups’ , Anant Maheshwari - President , Microsoft India mentioned, "The value of India is in that bottom of the pyramid of SME.”

Deepinder Goyal, Founder & CEO – Zomato, urged entrepreneurs to draw value from outside India, valuations from India as part of the panel discussion on ‘Unboxing Indian Tech Going Global’. Speaking on ‘Entrepreneurial Milestones:

Unboxing Pivots and Pirouettes to Exits’ Kunal Shah, Founder & CEO, Cred urged aspiring entrepreneurs, “It’s not the storytelling but the clarity of thoughts that can make your start-up successful.”

Six curated start-ups presented their unique products to a panel of investors as part of the Launchpad at iDay.