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Insights from 3 Silicon Valley angels

By on June 16, 2017 in Startups

What is it about startup life that makes it seem way longer than it was? My recent mGaadi journey lasted 3 yrs 8 months but it felt like 5 years. My previous journey (Graspr) lasted an intense 13 months but felt like 2 years. In my first stint as entrepreneur (2007-08), I had a healthy […]

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If you don’t believe in your idea, take the money

By on June 14, 2017 in Fundraising, Startups

The term sheet was in our inbox and we had the customary 2-3 days to respond. We had much to be happy about. After all, the term sheet was from one of the blue-chip VC firms with two celebrity partners. Since we had passed ‘their’ test, the outcome seemed to validate our endeavor that extra […]

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Dropping the social in social entrepreneur

By on September 7, 2016 in General

About 9 months into my TechSangam blogging journey (that would be circa 2012), I was one of the guest bloggers at the Villgro Unconvention 2011. I recall a discussion where panelists were asked to predict where the social enterprise ecosystem would be in 10 years. You are probably yawning and rolling your eyes. I did too when […]

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Why doing good with tech is hard

By on August 17, 2016 in General

The blog comes alive.. or should I say “starting to flicker” after years. Thanks to my morning Twitter timeline, I read this beautiful piece by Jonathan Stray (computer scientist and investigative journalist) that I’m taking the liberty to selectively excerpt. You (long-form reader) are directed to entire the entire article here. The rest of you […]

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More coaching less schooling

By on May 22, 2016 in Education

  IITs to release 50 years of solved JEE Question Papers!! India’s Human Resources Department (akin to Department of Education in US and elsewhere) made this decision after consultation with the IITs purportedly to combat the scourge of Kota coaching academies. This story popped up in my Facebook timeline and my friend Himanshu Nautiyal had this […]

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ISB iDiya calling all social entrepreneurs

By on August 19, 2014 in Challenges

Calling all social impact ideas & innovations!! 10 best ideas get a week-long all-expenses-paid bootcamp to ISB. Cash reward of Rs 2 Lakhs for winner. Over a crore of seed funding. Make the difference you have always wanted to by submitting your proposal at https://events.isb.edu/idiya/ Application Deadline : 15th Sep 2014 Register now to get a […]

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Behold the unassuming Ugly Indian

By on August 17, 2014 in Ugly Indian

Behold the Ugly Indian. The Kaam Chalu Mooh Bandh Ugly Indian. The non-preachy Ugly Indian. The not-your-activist Ugly Indian. The anonymous Ugly Indian. The inspiring Ugly Indian. The unassuming Ugly Indian. You can’t change your country. You can’t change your city. You may be able to change your neighborhood. But… You certainly CAN change a spot. What’s […]

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Why Bill Gates’s Toilet of the Future might be too First Worldy

By on March 9, 2014 in Watsan

Almost two years ago, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation declared Caltech as the winner of Reinvent the Toilet Challenge. A solar-powered toilet that disinfects waste and reuses wastewater to flush. Better yet, it pumps out hydrogen gas for use in fuel cells. Water flushing fixtures, which flushes the poop and pee into a septic holding tank […]

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Skoll Awards for Social Entrepreneurship: 2014

By on March 6, 2014 in General

The Skoll Foundation presents the Skoll Awards for Social Entrepreneurship each year to transformative leaders who are disrupting the status quo, driving large-scale change, and are poised to make an even greater impact on the world. Each Awardee receives a very generous $1.25 million, three-year core support investment to scale their work and increase their impact. […]

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Sankalp Unconvention Entrepreneur Scholarships 2014

By on March 6, 2014 in General

Sankalp and I go back a long way. Well, not very long but three years. [2011] If I was looking for inspiration.. I found it at Sankalp Forum [2012] Five reasons to be excited about Sankalp [2013] Why you should attend Sankalp This will be another year where I’ll be hard-pressed to make it there […]

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