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We Believed In An Idea And Made It A Brand Name

Just Dial started out of a rented apartment.

Savoring The Sweet Taste Of Success

A brand is often born at one place, before moving out of the city then regional, then national and soon international. Entrepreneur unveils the story of one such tastemaker, on taking the Indian taste global, Bikanervala.

Breaking The Language Barrier

Breaking the barriers of various languages and dialects across India, Uniphore Software Systems worked its technology grounds up and now supports more than 25 global languages and over 150 dialects. It became a flag bearer of an Indian company which first started solving language problem for Indian villages and is now exporting to other parts of the world. Umesh Sachdev Co-founder and CEO of Uniphore Software Systems shares more.

Startups Or MNCs Where Are You Headed After College?

Not very long ago, placement cells in B-schools and IIT's were flying high in glory of startup growth in India. Students were going all out to get onto the lucrative ‘Start-Up bandwagon’. Literally some 365 days ago, it seemed like a win-win situation. The story, as we see it now, is different. The year 2016 has seen a massive downturn, turning it into a year of uncertainty. Entrepreneur analyses what the future holds for graduates in this climate.

Rice & Spice in Yemini Style

Restaurateur Fayez cooked up a storm serving traditional Yemini food in a QSR style and now operating 20 restaurants across six countries in four different formats. While travelling to India on and off Fayez Sallam Al Nusari, Founder & CEO, Mandilicious made his maiden business trip to India, as he aims to enter the country soon via a franchise route.

The Zen Billionaire

2016 didn’t mark the best year for start-ups. Funding was down and valuations saw a nose dive. At that time four-year-old startup Hike raised funding that too with a valuation of above billion dollar. Hike made it to the unicorn list of Indian startups in shortest span of time. Entrepreneur decodes Hike!

Nutritious Edge

Again Drinks’ divergent packaging of white, slim and tall pet bottle gives a signature feel of milk-based purity and fitness. Devoid of preservatives, it’s just what the doctor ordered.

With New Policies, MSMEs Are Going Cashless

With 30 percent of its loan book dedicated to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) segment, Mangalore-based Karnataka Bank is very bullish on this sector. Mahabaleshwara M.S., Managing Director, Karnataka Bank, during a tête-à-tête with Entrepreneur, shares his insights on the growth of fintech and the MSME segment.

What Got Us Here Won't Get Us There

The Minister of State, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution System, C.R. Chaudhary, in a conference on Ease of Doing Business by Assocham said, “India is attracting massive FDIs this year and I am getting calls from foreign delegates every now and then.” As India aspires to attain the 50th position from 100th, the minister also accepted that it’s a herculean task to jump 50 ranks by the next year or even sustain the current position where demonetization and GST took a toll on the local businesses and SMEs.

Need More Pixels?

For a selective Indian customer like me, I would want both the worlds if I am investing (Read: burning) something around 60 grand, on a PHONE! And Google Pixel 2 gives is an outstanding camera quality (conditions applied), buttery android oreo processor with an outdated design, a promptly heating back and a deceptive colour scheme of the pictures where the colours become too saturated on another screen.

Can India Sprint From A 'Starting Up' To 'Start-Up' Nation?

Former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee used to say, “India’s future is in IT, i.e. Information Technology.” I also firmly believe ‘India’s future is in IT - as in Indian Talent!’

Strict Background Check Is Essential For Senior Hires

Having the right leadership in an organization is every shareholders and promoters obligation. This is why leadership is not always about title; it’s about taking the onus to steer a company in the right direction and build a foundation for future generations. For senior management selection, a cookie-cutter practice is inadequate.

The New Brew Masters

White, green, black, Oolong or the orthodox variant– tea is much more than a few leaves in warm water. At least, six hundred varieties of tea are cultivated in India alone. However, with coffee bars mushrooming across the country, the Indian ‘chai’ culture has lost its sanctity. Realizing this gap, a number start-ups such as Chai Point, Chaayos, Chai break, Teabox, Tpot Café and others are hitting the ground to replace the ‘tapris’ with chic chai bars.

Detoxifying Products, Simplifying Motherhood

On her fifth month of pregnancy, Malika Sadani accompanied her husband to London. The city taught her how to be carefully independent during those months. Asking for toxin-free products, she learnt, is not being unusual but a norm. However, it was difficult to find similar products for her daughter, once she came back to India in 2013.

Faking Off Forever

Fake products are the moths making the growing e-commerce perceivably fragile. If so, then there seems to be no taker to the abandoned thought of who is letting that happen – online companies, brands, or sellers.

Rejecting Rejection

Michelle Pfeiffer wanted the fragrance industry to change its ways. The fragrance industry said no. That’s when she discovered what it really means to be an entrepreneur: If you want something done, you do it yourself.

Son Rising

How a scion can take the business from Rs 25 crore to Rs 300 crore is a story of sheer grit and passion. Nitin Seth reveals what’s cooking at GD Foods.

The Aces And Spaces

How this startup built a $100-million business in less than five years.

50 Most Daring Entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurship isn’t easy. It requires bold action. On the following pages, we spotlight 50 entrepreneurs who dared to go big in the past year—and who can inspire us all to dare even bigger.

A Rajputana Touch To Bike Customization

They recently officially customized a Ducati Monster 797 to celebrate the legendary model’s 25 years.

Grooming Growth

Men’s grooming market in India is getting crowded. Multiple startups are eyeing the market to grab their share of opportunity. Gurugram-based omnichannel brand The Man Company is among the largest and fastest growing startups in the burgeoning market. Its cofounders Hitesh Dhingra, Parvesh Bareja, and Bhisham Bhateja spotlight the market growth and business.

A Unicorn In The Making?

Co-founder and president of Carousell Marcus Tan shares how his snap-and-sell startup has become a household name in Singapore and beyond.

Is Blockchain The New Technology Of Trust?

b to be a hot topic across the global start-up ecosystem.

Raising The Toast

Whether it is whiskey, vodka, gin or rum, there have been some noticeable shifts in the liquor business in India. The trends which are causing seismic shifts are being introduced by popular Indian liquor brands which are relooking to understand Indian customers and give them an experience high in the space.

Bolt-On Way To Scale

Acquiring companies for products, services, technology or intellectual property to enhance efficiency of their own various business functions and obtain a distinct comparative advantage at a much cheaper cost than doing everything organically has become the go-to route for acquirers.

Small Finances, Big Entrepreneurial Steps

Starting up, more often than not, has been a way for people passionate about ideas to break away from the mundane system that restricts them. But while that’s the common story, there are few who break away from the system, start up and make a comeback, only to disrupt the routine structure of what previously held them back. And Govind Singh, MD and CEO, Utkarsh Small Finance Bank did exactly that.

How To Build A Diverse Team

It’s not about simply making job offers. It’s about changing the way you think about recruiting.

The Long And Short Of A Beard

Call it the Virat Kohli effect or Ranveer Singh cult, a new trend has emerged in the male grooming world where many can be seen sporting a stubble or beard of different lengths. This has also thrown an open box for entrepreneurs into the beard grooming category. Facial hair is no more uncouth, untidy or a sign of poor grooming, but men today feel instead of removing it, beard should be kept neat and tidy. This is where the beard care products come in, forming a bridge between hair care and skin care. Male grooming products like facial hair oils, wax and conditioners are flooding the market. Though critics assume that the trend will fade away with time, several start-ups are building an industry around the beard.

Business And Society Should Be Treated As a Single Unit

Saras D. Sarasvathy, Professor of Business Administration at Darden School of Business, University of Virginia, feels business and society should be treated as a single unit. Also, entrepreneurship is a method of study for building a new society and should be addressed through education. She further compares the business eco-system in India and the US, to derive that along with entrepreneurship, students should also be taught about relationships, value-creation and idea of values.

It Takes 26 Days To Start A Business, We Want To Bring It Down To Six Days

In an interview with Entrepreneur, Ramesh Abhishek, Secretary, Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP), spoke on a range of issues including ease of doing business to cutting down time to set up a business