Support to budding entrepreneurs
He is talking from a small, wall-to-wall office in Kochi, Kerala. His dream is to help engineers develop thousand Internet and Mobile companies in the next ten years. The dream may sound idealistic but far-fetched but if it is the dream of the founder of one of India’s second largest software companies, would you still think it is far-fetched? Meet Kris Gopalkrishnan, the co-founder of Infosys and this is his dream.
When you enter this small office in Kochi, there is a big poster which reads “We started Infosys in a room about this size, it’s your turn now.” This message is directed at aspiring entrepreneurs at Startup Village, who dream of creating the next billion dollar technology giant. Kris is the chief mentor for this project and to make these aspiring entrepreneurs’ job easier, they are provided with office space, guidance and a chance to interact with the biggies of the tech world. India currently, ranks 74th of 79 nations on the Global development and Entrepreneurship Index, making it one of the worst five countries to start a business. Though there has been an increase in the number of entrepreneurs, amongst the newer generations, yet, starting a business alone does not ensure success.
Any aspiring entrepreneur should be helped by the government. India lacks investors willing to support the new businesses and then, of course, there is corruption, red tape and time consuming paperwork. We always talk about how India needs to develop, to be a superpower but unless the Government makes it easier to set up a business here, give wind to the entrepreneurship spirit; India will continue to be known only as a land of ‘aspiring entrepreneurs.’