4 ms·

The issue with Indian tech startups is the they are mostly knock offs of already successful US based companies. i.e yelp knockoffs, ebay knockoffs etc. Indians

The issue with Indian tech startups is the they are mostly knock offs of already successful US based companies. i.e yelp knockoffs, ebay knockoffs etc. Indians are more focused on making the quick buck, rather than working on a product for the long haul, and actually developing something new, unique and innovative. Unless this mentality changes, there will not be a market for YC type shops in India. Disclaimer: Born and raised in Calcutta, but in the valley now.

dimmuborgir 15y ago
India has a huge untapped market so there's definitely a place for Indian knockoffs of ebay/amazon/groupon etc. Nothing wrong in it. Almost all Chinese web startups which are making huge IPO exits these days are direct ripoffs of successful American web companies.
- DjMojoRisin 15y ago
  I agree that there is nothing wrong in it. However the Indian market and Chinese market are different in this regard. For example there is no need for an Indian language based search(since most people use English), there is no need for an Indian facebook(since people are allowed to use facebook). My point is that in a lot of cases, the US based product just works out of the box for the Indian market, whereas that's not the case in the Chinese market(due to language, culture etc.), so there is much less upside in an Indian knockoff than a Chinese one.
- pknerd 15y ago
  Actually it's true with entire subcontinent. In Pakistan we have been facing similar problems where people feel good in typical 9-5 Job yet few startups are trying to make efforts. For instance http://idress.pk http://idress.pk is a new startup which helps women to design their stuff by using a simple wizard. I think each country should focus its local market as well because when you live there, you know the mindset of the people. Something you can't claim for entire world.
peteretep 15y ago
Well there's that, and the license raj... But then there's also an empowerment issue - or so I have come to believe - which is that non-Western companies are loathe to empower their lower-ranking employees to make decisions of any kind. If I get on the phone to call a bank's customer service centre, and I get put through to an outsource call centre in Dublin or Glasgow I am a HAPPY man. I know the person on the other end of the phone has been given buttons they can press to make my life better. I know that if I explain a situation well enough, and am persuasive enough, that that person probably DOES have the power to change things. If I ring up my airline to beg for a status upgrade because I got 290 points instead of 300 last year, and I am put through to someone in a Western country, I know that they will be empowered to say "OK", and to help me out. If I ring up anywhere, and am put through to India, or Egypt, or Qatar, I know I'm fucked. I know that the person on the other end of the phone is not allowed to make decisions. That they have just a script. That they have not been trusted with the authority to help me out...
jvandenbroeck 15y ago
Idd, that's also my current (very limited) view.

dimmuborgir 15y ago

India has a huge untapped market so there's definitely a place for Indian knockoffs of ebay/amazon/groupon etc. Nothing wrong in it. Almost all Chinese web startups which are making huge IPO exits these days are direct ripoffs of successful American web companies.

DjMojoRisin 15y ago
I agree that there is nothing wrong in it. However the Indian market and Chinese market are different in this regard. For example there is no need for an Indian language based search(since most people use English), there is no need for an Indian facebook(since people are allowed to use facebook). My point is that in a lot of cases, the US based product just works out of the box for the Indian market, whereas that's not the case in the Chinese market(due to language, culture etc.), so there is much less upside in an Indian knockoff than a Chinese one.
pknerd 15y ago
Actually it's true with entire subcontinent. In Pakistan we have been facing similar problems where people feel good in typical 9-5 Job yet few startups are trying to make efforts. For instance http://idress.pk http://idress.pk is a new startup which helps women to design their stuff by using a simple wizard. I think each country should focus its local market as well because when you live there, you know the mindset of the people. Something you can't claim for entire world.

peteretep 15y ago

Well there's that, and the license raj... But then there's also an empowerment issue - or so I have come to believe - which is that non-Western companies are loathe to empower their lower-ranking employees to make decisions of any kind. If I get on the phone to call a bank's customer service centre, and I get put through to an outsource call centre in Dublin or Glasgow I am a HAPPY man. I know the person on the other end of the phone has been given buttons they can press to make my life better. I know that if I explain a situation well enough, and am persuasive enough, that that person probably DOES have the power to change things. If I ring up my airline to beg for a status upgrade because I got 290 points instead of 300 last year, and I am put through to someone in a Western country, I know that they will be empowered to say "OK", and to help me out. If I ring up anywhere, and am put through to India, or Egypt, or Qatar, I know I'm fucked. I know that the person on the other end of the phone is not allowed to make decisions. That they have just a script. That they have not been trusted with the authority to help me out...

jvandenbroeck 15y ago

Idd, that's also my current (very limited) view.