The answer depends on the context you define the term startup. In countries with bloated and corrupt government organizations it is nearly impossible for an ind

The answer depends on the context you define the term startup. In countries with bloated and corrupt government organizations it is nearly impossible for an individual to start a company and be profitable unless he has "connections". In my country (Turkey), a close friend of mine just started a software company and developing software for government organizations. I know the architecture of the software and it is very robust, but he was able to get the offer from our government because of his co-founder,who's not a software developer but an ex-swat officer with "deep" connections. It's already hard to come up with good software when you're in the startup scene, and trying to get "connections" multiplies the effort you must put into the process. I bet the system is similar in eastern countries such as Russia, China, India etc.