‘Don't build features, go after big things’ – 40 quotes from Indian startup journeys

From focus to fame, witness the memorable journey of Indian entrepreneurship in these excerpts and stories! StoryBites is a weekly feature from YourStory, featuring notable quotable quotes in our articles of this past week (see the previous post here). Share these 40 gems and insights from the week of March 19-25 with your colleagues and networks, and check back to the original articles for more insights.

Each team member is the core custodian of the organisation's culture. - Mani Dhanasekar, Hosting Raja

Win the support of your family. With them by your side, they become your strength, you can answer to anyone and face anything. - Deepika Kumari

I love being the CEO of my life. – Chayanika Moullick, Gnawmadic

Blockchain is a foundational technology that is appropriate for public finance. - Nitin Shukla, ChainFrame

Beyond the noise and hum of cryptocurrencies, we see an enormous unexplored potential in Blockchain use cases. - Adarsh Kumar, Aetlo Tech

The future is about companies encouraging people to amplify human capability as much as it is about harnessing tools like AI. – Richard Lobo, Infosys

The introduction of digital technology into the world of sports has helped amplify fans’ appreciation of games, and has helped to create an alternative source of revenue. - Rajesh Kamat, Emerald Media

It is not learning unless it is fun. - Arvind Gupta, ‘Tarang’

In addition to creating a productive workforce, we can build the foundation of a kinder world if we teach our children to think rationally and read widely. - Arghya Banerjee, Levelfield School

Ladakh does not have any university in the whole region, which has led to a mass exodus of roughly 15,000 youth. - Sonam Wangchuk, SECMOL

Smartphone penetration is less than three percent in rural areas of South Asia, thus posing a challenge for promoting technology solutions. - Deepak Pareek, MyCrop

The demand for affordable assistive technology devices is not met because of inadequate information, financial constraints, infrastructure, and systems to support. - Pranav Desai, VoSAP

Groceries are essential, waiting in line for them isn’t. – Nabeel Merchant, HOWL

There are Social 3.0 networks mushrooming, networks that do not ‘sell’ you, and involve direct payments between producers and consumers. – Jaspreet Bindra, Mahindra Group

If you were to see the internet today, it is victimised with bot clicks. But on apps - ecommerce apps, or transaction-led apps - at least you know you are getting humans. - Vijay Shekhar Sharma, Paytm

To build credibility, build relationships with the biggest guys in your domain. It is very important to reach out to your market as early as possible. - Siddharth Chandrukar, ShepHertz Technologies

New brands, new companies that don't exist today will emerge, and many of the names we know won't exist in the future. - Rajeev Banduni, GrowthEnabler

Startups have been able to go toe-to-toe with established businesses because they have integrated technology into every process possible, and everywhere it is financially feasible. - Rajiv Bhalla, BARCO

Travel makes you a lot less judgemental. It frees you of assumptions and breaks a lot of myths. - Amrutha Kashinath

The particular danger of online abuse is how fast it can proliferate – one abusive tweet can become a barrage of targeted hate in a matter of minutes. - Azmina Dhrodia, Amnesty International

Whenever any value system is challenged, there will be hostility. - Deedi Damodaran

Only when goods move faster across the country will the GDP grow faster, and technology is an enabler for that growth. - Jayaram Raju, LOBB

You should be proactively finding ways and means to upskill in ML in time to be a forerunner for the #JobsOfTomorrow. - Ishan Gupta, Udacity

We have to think at least two years ahead, just to maintain the same level of innovativeness. - Tushar A Amin, Smartivity

With the knowledge explosion, sky is not the limit, there is much more beyond. - Mangala Mani, ISRO

Customer churn is the biggest blocker of growth; it’s like trying fill up a leaky bucket. - Puneet Kataria, CustomerSuccessBox

While reach and conversion is important, so is engagement. - Sujay Suresh, Zwende

Unlike other cities, Bangalore has a cosmopolitan culture, always ready to experiment, high on adaptability. - Payal Srivastava, Kalchi

Go try any wild idea you may have. If you don’t succeed too, that experience is valuable that anybody will be happy to hire you. - Praveen Bhagwat, Mojomarket

Obstacles on our way and the need to hustle are a sign of our misalignment. - Sanchit Sethi, StayUncle

The high-pressure world of startups could do with generous doses of laughter. - Vinay Kanchan, ‘The Madness Starts at 9’

As an entrepreneur, you need to know everything. You need to understand the regulatory provisions and taxes before starting up. - Alok Patnia, Taxmantra

When you are a founder, the first person you hire should be smarter than you. - Mahendra Pyati, AAO Hostels

The key to spurring the growth and development of renewables is intricately entwined with energy efficiency. – Arindam Paul, Atomberg

This generation will leverage technology, embrace sustainable farming principles, and will go on to prove that farming can be viable if done right. - Jyotiska Khasnabish, KrishiHub

Rivers being a holistic system in themselves cannot be dealt in silos. Water, forest, mining and other departments have to work as one. - Lingaraju Yale

Sometimes, people don’t even acknowledge the fact that sparrows are pretty much gone. - Akshat Shrivastava, #WeSparrow

You'd be surprised what you can start with very little money and zero dollars in the bank. - Billy Garnon, Opportunity Given

The more features you add, the more complex a software is. Eventually, you end up using less than half the features available. - Bharath T Rameash, Worqa

Don't build features, go after big things. That's what builds sustainability in a company. - Keerti Melkote, Aruba

YourStory has also published the pocketbook ‘Proverbs and Quotes for Entrepreneurs: A World of Inspiration for Startups’ as a creative and motivational guide for innovators (downloadable as apps here: Apple, Android).