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2018 was a good year for Indian entrepreneurs. The world’s third-largest start-up ecosystem saw its base expand by 12-15% and investor funding grow by 108% year-on-year, as well as a rise in late-stage funding, according to a 2018 report by industry association NASSCOM and consultants Zinnov. This boom was last year enough to hand unicorn status – valuations on young tech companies of more than $1bn – to more than eight Indian companies.

But just a few years ago, things were not quite so rosy. Despite the success of e-commerce wunderkind Flipkart (sold last year to Walmart for $16bn) and its ilk, investment plummeted from $1.42bn to $583m between Q1 and Q2 2016 (according to CB Insights, October 2016) and businesses started to go under. Continue reading “Start-ups in India – Reaping what you sow”

As the world’s second most populous country, India accounts for 17.5% of the world’s population. And it is rapidly catching up with the number one, China. On an annual basis, India’s population growth rate of 1.2% is more than double that of its Asian neighbour.

But while population growth is largely seen as a means of economic development, it comes with costs. The burden on cities and infrastructure of a rapidly-growing population must be addressed if the country is to reach its full potential. The need is such that the infrastructure question was a cornerstone of this year’s election. The Bharatiya Janata Party, led by returning Prime Minister Narendra Modi, pledged $1.44trn towards infrastructure – a stark contrast to its main opponent, the Congress Party, which instead focused on alleviating poverty and job creation. Continue reading “Project India – Meet the GCs charged with building on a vast scale”