A wave of entrepreneurship has been sweeping across India. The success of start-ups like Flipkart, Snapdeal, Paytm, Ola and others has veered the discourse towards high valuations.
But what we mostly see is very much the tip of the iceberg. Behind every high valuation of today is a story of blood, sweat, toil and tears. For every entrepreneur who has an amazing success story to tell, there are countless others who have fallen by the wayside. The going has often been a far cry from the presumed romance of breaking the mould, disrupting the order and changing the world.
It is a desire to change the world that drives successful entrepreneurs, for they alone have the blind passion that is often the difference between success and failure, and they are the ones who love the journey more than the destination.
Today, when questions are being asked whether the start-up party is nearing its end, whether we will soon see a rerun of the dot com bust of the early noughties, it is time to remember India’s start-up warriors.
This is the story of their remarkable journeys. Some found their destination. Some did not.