If you don't agree with the subject line, you're about to be proven wrong. Let's get on with it though.
When asked on Twitter about Tesla's India launch, Elon Musk stated the reason being that 30% of the parts must be sourced from India and that would affect the launch date. Everyone assumed it to be true, till the Make in India Twitter handle clarified that by tweeting this image:
Love how all of a sudden we've become so Tech savvy as a nation. An instant reply on Twitter was the least expected response from the Government. It'll be interesting to see if Musk and Tesla take this up and actually launch in India soon.
Listen up!
The Korean Government has started accepting applications for the $100,000 K-Startup Grand Challenge 2017. Last year, India had the 2nd most number of startups that made it into the top 20. If you're a startup building for the Asian market, this challenge is perfect for you. Get cracking!
We've been doing our bit to help grow the ecosystem. One of our latest initiatives is a monthly PM round table. The idea is to help PMs exchange notes on building great products via case studies and discussions. The first two editions had PMs from Practo, Instamojo, Flock, Coupon Dunia, KredX among others. If you're a PM reading this and would like to get involved, reach out to me on kartic[at]investopad[dot]com.
Crosstalk
It's always great to see the portfolio startups doing well. Hypertrack has been making great strides over the last few months. They recently got featured on CNBC's Young Turks. Cheggit!
Of the new 'digital India' initiatives, one has stood far above and beyond the rest - UPI. It's by far one of the most advanced payments system in the world. Here's a deep dive into how it all really works.
Tech Tales
It's high time startups put in place proper bug bounty programs. CEOs, especially at big tech companies, need to swallow their egos and understand the importance of fixing critical vulnerabilities ASAP. Not sure what I'm on about? Read this shocker.
ज्ञान
Building tech products by default means spending a lot of money on acquiring customers. But who does that money go to? Yup, Facebook, Google or Twitter. Jason Fried, founder of Basecamp, just stopped all his online marketing spend and diverted it to his customers, new and old. An age old strategy with a nuance that could make all the difference.
