Not even the infamous afternoon downpour in Bengaluru, which led to an even more infamous traffic jam in Bengaluru, could stop the 10th edition of the Economic Times Startup Awards (ETSA) becomes the most rocking one yet.
Going from sneakers to tan leather shoes and from T-shirts to shirts, the DO 2024 It was the swoon parade for a generation of emerging entrepreneurs, with the next generation, appropriately dressed in their t-shirts and sneakers, ready to take on the disruptor tag.
With all the pride of startups on the cusp of entering the public markets or having gone public, the conversations focused not so much on the next round of financing and the amount of runway remaining, but on the execution necessary to go global .
Peeyush Bansalfounder of Lenskart, which took top honors at ETSA, was clear about what needs to be done next. “We need to change the orbit in which we operate. We have to change our equation in terms of creating global impact, like Microsoft or Google. We are so impressed by global brands… the same must happen with indian brands worldwide.”
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It was a message that resonated. Vidit Aatrey, Co-Founder and CEO of Meesho, said: “Today, the panel talked about what it takes for the ecosystem to move from being simply profitable to aspiring to build global companies – something that many people can compare.” Chaitanya Ramalingegowda, co-founder of Wakefit, agreed. “The discussions were not about survival, fundraising or valuation. It was about the next five or ten years of globalization. “This was a very good change,” he said.
Also read: ET Startup Awards 2024 | The warm-up decade is over, time is ticking for the real match
The next generation is eager to get the job done.
No one ruled out that confidence more than Zepto founder Aadit Palicha, who said: “There is no excuse for market size or capital. It’s just execution. We have to build truly exceptional Internet companies in India. Companies that generate hundreds of millions of dollars in free cash flow.”
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GV Ravishankar, CEO of Peak XV Partners, was categorical in pointing out that the ETSA was the undisputed and essential event for the ecosystem. “I have never missed this event. “I’m always here because I think it’s the best congregation of the brightest and best in the industry.”
As Ritesh Banglani, partner at Stellaris Venture Partners, succinctly put it, “ETSA is the Met Gala of the startup social calendar: the one night a year when founders and venture capitalists come together to toast our industry. Everyone is there because everyone else is there. Just walking through the lobby, I ran into long-lost friends from other cities and other decades.”
“Topics of conversation ranged from upcoming IPOs, private equity demand from Indian family offices, unseasonal rains in Bengaluru and availability of motorcycle spare parts,” he added.
It explains why even Gurgaon’s quintessential startup poster boy, Zomato founder Deepinder Goyal, who hasn’t visited Bengaluru since 2017, couldn’t resist the lure of the 10th edition of ETSA.
True to ETSA’s entrepreneurial spirit, Unacademy founder Gaurav Munjal wanted to squeeze in those few extra minutes of work and decided to stop by the awards, quickly run to his office and then return in a flash. “The office is only five minutes away,” he smiled.
That’s what this evening was about: tenacity and ambition. After all, as TC Meenakshisundaram, founder of Chiratae Ventures, said, “This is a celebration of startup ecosystem.”
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