Priya Krishnan (L), founder of Klay Schools and ET’s Woman-Ahead trophy winner, was ecstatic at meeting Biocon’s Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw (R).
When bosses came face to face with their role models, they let their guard down and let out the fan within.
The Economic Times Startup Awards (ETSA) 2019, held at The Leela Palace in Bengaluru on Friday, offered startup achievers a chance to get up, close and personal with their role models. Priya Krishnan, founder of Klay Schools and ET’s Woman-Ahead trophy winner, was ecstatic at meeting Biocon’s Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw. Since the two were among the earliest to arrive, the London Business School alumnus made good use of the time to walk up to Mazumdar-Shaw to introduce herself.
About her fan-girl moment, Krishnan said, “Kiran ma’am is a posterchild for entrepreneurship. Events like these get us out of our day-to-day rut and get us to meet people doing wonderful work across industries. She has created something indigenous in a category that is fairly tough. Since we work in a similar R&Dfocused space in childhood education, it was an honour to meet her.”
Piyush Goyal was one of the most sought after guests of the evening. The Union Minister of Railways & Commerce and Industry was surrounded by startup bigwigs like Flipkart CEO Kalyan Krishnamurthy, Snapdeal’s Kunal Bahl and Portea Medical’s Krishnan Ganesh. While most of the conversation was about fintech, Social Enterprise trophy winner and Sirona Hygiene (PeeBuddy) co-founder Deep Bajaj managed to kickstart a grassroots chat with the minister. He believes the interaction could prove to be a gamechanger for his initiative.
Deep Bajaj (L) with RS Prasad (R) on stage.
Piyush Goyal (R) was one of the most sought after guests of the evening.
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“It is access you don’t usually get,” Bajaj said. “I told Mr Goyal how our portable urination kits can help women travelling by rail. He instantly informed his colleagues to see if it can be scaled. If that happens for us, everything will be worthwhile.” Bajaj handed out the kits to Goyal, Infosys’s Kris Gopalakrishnan and TV Mohandas Pai.
Nandan Nilekani too found a fan in Tricog Health Services founder and Top Innovator trophy winner Charit Bhograj. Speaking to Nilekani, Bhograj was heard saying, “This award is all about you. You have inspired a generation.” Whatsapp India CEO Abhijit Bose and Sameer Nigam of PhonePe were seen at the bar having a business catch-up with others over a drink.
Nandan Nilekani (L) was clicked with Britannia's Varun Berry (R).
Charit Bhograj (L) was spotted clicking a selfie with Krishnan Ganesh (M) and Gaurav Gupta (R).
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The Indian dinner spread, also celebrating the evening’s theme of Bharat with dishes like Rajasthani Gatte ki sabzi and Kashmiri Rajma Masala, became a conversation starter for many top guests. Bajaj’s wife Rashi, a carpet manufacturer, spent her time talking to Health Vista’s MD Meena Ganesh over the sitdown dinner.
ET Startup Awards 2019: Ajit Isaac, Chetan Maini, Sameer Nigam Reveal What They Would Do With $1 Bn
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Achievers at The Economic Times Startup Awards 2019 held in Bengaluru reveal the sure-shot idea they would bankroll if they had the money for it.
(In pic from left: Ajit Isaac, Chetan Maini, Sameer Nigam)
Achievers at The Economic Times Startup Awards 2019 held in Bengaluru reveal the sure-shot idea they would bankroll if they had the money for it.
(In pic from left: Ajit Isaac, Chetan Maini, Sam..
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“A billion dollars is a lot of money. I would invest a large part of it towards using artificial intelligence for safety and security, to make things safe and to have better human integration with AI. We don’t want to make humanity redundant, do we? My money is on the future of work where humanity and technology work seamlessly.”
“A billion dollars is a lot of money. I would invest a large part of it towards using artificial intelligence for safety and security, to make things safe and to have better human integration with AI..
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“I would invest a billion dollars to develop a process to take out the friction in employment. We would find a way to connect demand and supply, disintermediate and process manage it. I have been connected to this industry for 30 years and it is ready for the next jump in technology now. Another sector that has tremendous potential is holographics and how the representation of events through holographic displays can bring people closer to each other.”
“I would invest a billion dollars to develop a process to take out the friction in employment. We would find a way to connect demand and supply, disintermediate and process manage it. I have been con..
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“Creating an open architecture infrastructure for accelerating electric mobility is the next big thing, but the idea is not going to be limited to a product — it will encompass the entire mobility ecosystem, involving multiple stakeholders across OEMs, governments, cities, public transport and technology companies. Providing energy as a service and expanding from charging and swapping infrastructure to mobility solutions and core technologies in batteries and powertrains will drive electric mobility in India that can be replicated globally.”
“Creating an open architecture infrastructure for accelerating electric mobility is the next big thing, but the idea is not going to be limited to a product — it will encompass the entire mobility ec..
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“The ecosystem is starved for longterm capital. I would give a billion dollars to create a credit platform that serves Indian fintechs. While that’s for growth, I would also put the money on ideas to bring down child mortality rates and neonatal healthcare.”
“The ecosystem is starved for longterm capital. I would give a billion dollars to create a credit platform that serves Indian fintechs. While that’s for growth, I would also put the money on ideas to..
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“Ideas are many but the quantum of a billion dollars doesn’t really matter unless it’s used to create a social impact. One area I would like to put money on is empowering artisans from the North-East. Not just money, they lack recognition and platforms too.”
“Ideas are many but the quantum of a billion dollars doesn’t really matter unless it’s used to create a social impact. One area I would like to put money on is empowering artisans from the North-East..
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“I would bankroll an ecosystem of startups that will desalinate our oceans. My father has spent many years of his life on alternate energy, so I was always curious about finding more efficient ways. You know something’s not right when there is so much flooding but no water to drink.”
“I would bankroll an ecosystem of startups that will desalinate our oceans. My father has spent many years of his life on alternate energy, so I was always curious about finding more efficient ways. ..
