Comments on: Notes from TiEcon Delhi

By: Surya

Surya — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 18:23:48 +0000

Hi,
You missed out rural India. I think that we have a duty here(shades of Kant).
The power of groups is big. Consider a rural trading platform in different indian languages. speech to text interfaces are required here.
The issue is due consideration to be given for contribution in Web2.0,continuity and wireless connectivity. The underlying enablers are mesh networks.

By: Krish

Krish — Mon, 01 Jan 2007 05:57:23 +0000

I liked your conclusion. Indian VCs are going to be in for a rude shock. They apply the same metrics as their counterparts do in the Valley. Unless they build some ethnic originality into their evaluation and incubation initiatives, there’s catastrophe written all over them.

By: Rajan

Rajan — Sun, 24 Dec 2006 11:16:28 +0000

Hi,

I do certainly think web 2.0 is irrelevant for the Indian Market alone. Though agree with Amit on web 2.0 from India for a global market, especially when amit is showing a great example in terms of slideshare

I take the 1.0 or the 2.0 quite in a non-tech (econ) way and thats the reason. 2.0 as I have argued in a blog post & a barcamp prez web 2.0 is about attention markets & colloboration possibilities harnessed through communities & networks.

When there is so much yet to be done in 1.0 in the web space in India it would be hard to think of 2.0 right away. For example it is still cheaper to buy attention rather than build it (What could be a better evidence than makemytrip.com though being an internet company having to advertise on TV)

Rajan

By: 6 AM Pacific » Blog Archive » Wanted: VCs for a Flat World

6 AM Pacific » Blog Archive » Wanted: VCs for a Flat World — Wed, 13 Dec 2006 09:08:14 +0000

[…] Comments Thought Garage » Web2.0 vs Mobile2.0 : The Indian Context on Notes from TiEcon DelhiMurali on Notes from TiEcon DelhiGiri on The Rise and Rise of Private EquityNirav on The Rise and Rise of Private EquityBasab on The Rise and Rise of Private Equity […]

By: Thought Garage » Web2.0 vs Mobile2.0 : The Indian Context

Thought Garage » Web2.0 vs Mobile2.0 : The Indian Context — Wed, 06 Dec 2006 04:43:23 +0000

[…] Which is more relevant to Indian domestic market? Which will succeed and Which companies will attract VCs? You may be trying to pick up a paper and start scribbling a checklist for a successful startup. But take a moment to read some insights from TiECON, Delhi by Basab Pradhan Founder &CEO of Gridstone Research: - Unlike in the Valley, Web 2.0 has no relevance to the Indian domestic market. Internet penetration is low (5.4%), broadband is lower (<0.5%). Even if you include use at work, account sharing and internet cafes, the consumer internet is a tiny market. It may be interesting for some compelling ideas or if someone wants to bet on growth. But in my opinion, it is not going to attract much investment unless there is a broader “global Indian” or a “click and mortar” play. […]

By: Murali

Murali — Wed, 06 Dec 2006 04:34:29 +0000

Other than email, chatting and browsing and recently little bit of blogging, internet hasn’t changed any thing in the lives of Indians. (Few who use internet for litte more than these things are so low that it can’t be counted on any business plan.) Orkut might have such a big number of Indians, but does it count?

I put my 2cents on Healthcare, Entertainment and Sports.

By: Rituparn

Rituparn — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 16:59:08 +0000

Hey Basab,
You know what, over the period of time your website is getting better, I still fail to understand why did you choose the color brown.
Have you looked at this tool called Proclarity( this company got rescently acuired by Microsoft) they had a great way of presenting date, do check if you wish to, i’m sure you’d agree in your kind of business presentation of complex data is a key.

Great going buddy, good to read your thoughts on this blog.

regards
Ritu

By: Madhur Khandelwal

Madhur Khandelwal — Sun, 26 Nov 2006 06:48:26 +0000

Completely agree. It will still take some time for Web 2.0 to take off in India. Rather, at this time, traditional transaction oriented web companies are doing much better off. More at http://ileher.com/2006/10/30/is-india-ready-for-web-20/

By: usg

usg — Thu, 23 Nov 2006 10:28:29 +0000

Hi Basab, I completely agree with your views on the current web 2.0 scenario, but I suspect its to do with the low internet penetration. 22.5 % users in orkut are Indians, so I think quality of interaction and concept I think matter a lot. Available web 2.0 products in India are not properly marketed and eventually end up being used by users who are good enough to search such products on their own on the web.
Most mobile apps however require advanced handsets and high end devices. As of now even GPRS and java based handsets are yet to become a common feature. With more than 1 million mobile phones being bought every week, the prices of such handsets should come down and enable apps like Webaroo to do well.

By: Basab

Basab — Thu, 23 Nov 2006 06:57:43 +0000

Amit, I agree with you. Regardless of the market size, if you want your web 2.0 startup to succeed, you need to execute well - intuitive user interfaces, good graphic design and high-performance web-sites don’t cost more money.

Satish, you raise an interesting point. If the denominator is lower, then the numerator can be lower. In the valley some people say this bodes well for angel investors but is not so good news for VCs. The low cost startup phenomenon is even more pronounced in its economics in India, where labour costs are far lower. You may be right in that 5.4% may be enough. However, I still don’t like the chances of an India wide consumer internet play. More likely niche internet startups, say focused on just a city, or wildlife enthusiasts, could become profitable with very small investments. But they will still be operating in small markets which won’t be as interesting to traditional VCs.