Life lessons from Game of Thrones - your startup fix for the week

Monday April 15, 2019 , 4 min Read

The wait is over. WINTER IS HERE! The final season of the iconic TV drama Game of Thrones is streaming, and we can’t stop grinning (we’ll think about the blood, gore, and – sigh - deaths later)!

With a cult following, the show has much more than magic, dragons, sex, nudity, and violence. The characters we love (and hate) teach us how to be better, wiser, and survive in a world not easy to navigate.

Let’s begin with Cersei, the hated queen who famously said, “When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die.” Tyrion Lannister, her brother, offers his own take on how to take on the world.

“Never forget what you are, for surely the world will not. Make it your strength…then it can never be your weakness,” he said.

Even Petyr Baelish, the man who betrayed almost everyone on the series, had a lesson to leave us with: “Chaos isn’t a pit. Chaos is a ladder. Many who try to climb it fail, and never get to try again.”

Inspired much? This Monday, we suggest you go “stick ’em with the pointy end”. Our stream of startup stories is sure to keep you going.

Meet the real-life ‘Padmen’ of Delhi-based Azah

The story of these ‘Padmen’ began with the realisation of the struggles women face during periods. Shashwat Diesh (28), and Aqib Mohammed (26) launched 'Azah’, late last year, to provide sanitary pads with better quality and safety for women. In the first three months after its launch, Azah has sold more than 1,00,000 units.

Twenty Two Motors aims to change the face of bike commute in India

With a smart scooter 'Flow' that is IoT-compliant with devices like GPS, GPRS that make it virtually theft-proof, Twenty Two Motors aims to make EV two-wheelers as popular as fuel-powered bikes. It plans to sell over 2 lakh vehicles in the next three years, and have a manufacturing unit in Bhiwadi, Rajasthan, with plans to expand.

How Artelus is using AI to save people from going blind

Rajarajeshwari Kodhandapani has a dream – to screen one million people for diabetic retinopathy (DR) so they can get timely treatment and not risk going blind. Along with Vish Durga, Lalit Pant, and Pradeep Walia, she formed Artelus - a startup that has technology that can saves lives by quickly screening for diseases like tuberculosis, breast and lung cancer, and diabetic retinopathy, where early detection makes a world of difference.

This US-based startup wants to revamp hostels in India

California-headquartered SpaceBasic claims to have achieved 700 percent growth in 2018, by digitising processes and doing away with paperwork. It has signed up 30 K12, universities, and colleges and boasts 25,000+ users across India. The SaaS-based platform aims to do away with old-school methods to facilitate seamless communication between hostel management, students, and parents.

These IIM alumni's startup wants to replace the local chaiwala

Launched in 2018, F5 supplies beverages and snacks to offices in Lucknow and Delhi. Bootstrapped at present, F5 initially invested Rs 30 lakh of the founders’ personal savings. Setting up the cloud kitchen cost between Rs 10 and Rs 15 lakh. A single kitchen is able to serve 500 litres per day, ensuring exposure to 800-1,000 shops each day.

This Bhopal-based startup brings your local kabadiwala online

The Kabadiwala is a doorstep service helping people sell their household junk, and get paid for it. Over the years, it has expanded its network, shifted strategies, and it recently raised Rs 3 crore funding from early-stage investors, HNIs, and senior industry professionals. The startup now serves over 50,000 registered users, and is handling over 100 customers every day in Bhopal.

HealthCare atHOME is bringing ICUs and cancer care to patients' homes

Noida-based startup HealthCare atHOME (HCAH) that delivers healthcare services, including ICU, step-down beds, post-operative care, nursing, physiotherapy, attendant services, and elderly care. It offers clinical services and integrated pharma business. It wants to become the largest home care company in the country, a Rs 1,000 crore company, and scale to 1,500 employees by 2020.