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  • Masters of Scale – Reid Hoffman

    I had been listening to Reid Hoffman’s podcast with the same title—the Masters of Scale—for nearly a year and felt there may be something more that I would get from this book. But I must admit, I was a bit disappointed while I read through the book. Most of the book talks about similar lessons that have been shared in the podcast, and this book gives very little additional insight or analysis that I would have loved to see from Hoffman, where he has a more elaborate canvas to detail out.

    I must admit, this could be my bias given the years I have put into the entrepreneurial ecosystem here. You may also find the book interesting if you have not heard the podcast as well.

    Happy Reading!

  • The Mom Test – Rob Fitzpatrick

    An exceptionally quick and handy read for those who are in the early stages of your startup journey. If you are thinking of following the lean startup approach of conducting qualitative interviews with your potential customers, this book is a must-read.

    Of all the examples and learnings he shares, I love the mom and son conversation, which I borrow into my classrooms (mostly my MBA classes) to explain the importance of listening to customers before you sell the solution. The book is embedded with several nuggets of learning for the early stages of an entrepreneur.

    I would recommend this one for all early-stage entrepreneurs.

    Happy Reading!

  • The Culture Code- Daniel Coyle

    One of my quests is about how organizational cultures get formed. My search got me to this handy book, which I suggest entrepreneurs do read—preferably early on in their venture so that they give themselves the time to build the organizational culture and allow for its development before they get to the growth phase where it’s the recruits and culture that would take over more of what they are doing through direct intervention.

    Daniel in The Culture Code breaks down the process of forming a culture for successful groups into three phases. The first emphasizes building safety into the culture, allowing for people to develop trust. The second emphasizes the role of sharing vulnerability in building the exchanges that would allow for trust to strengthen within the team and develop cooperation among the teams. And lastly, the role purposes play in the continuation of the group performance once the team culture has begun to take root.

    I would recommend this one for all early-stage entrepreneurs.

    Happy Reading!

  • 7 Sutras of Innovation – Nikhil Inamdar

    Image of cover page - 7 sutras of innovation

    This book by Nikhil was sponsored by the Marico Innovation Foundation to study the scaling up of eight organizations to emerge as the top player in their own fields. No, it was not intentional that I went out searching for another book by Nikhil Inamdar the same year. It is just one of the coincidences.

    Given the mandate of talking about these eight ventures, I think Nikhil has done a great job of presenting the stories of the eight ventures. I loved reading the stories of the following eight companies in the book: Tanbo Imaging, Goonj, Rivigo, ISRO, Forus Health, Agastya International Foundation, The Better India, and St Judes.

    The academician in me, however, began asking the question, so what? What could we extract from these eight that we could generalize? This is one layer that I would have loved to see in this book. I understand it may not have been the objective of the book, but I feel it would have given it a sense of direction having read the stories.

    Happy Reading!

  • Back to Bharat – Naga Prakasam

    Image of the Book - Back to Bharat

    I have known Nagaraja Prakasam (Naga) since 2014, when he became the resident mentor at NSRCEL. He used to regularly sit at the “Naga Tree” close to IIMB and mentor startups who came to see him. Over the years he has invested in several of startups, and a recent post of his where he mentioned his debut book won the GLF-WWF Green Honours award suggested the count stood at 18. The book focuses on building how Naga is helping build a sustainable future through his work with entrepreneurs and several ecosystem enablers.

    I had not purchased the book and had been postponing that, but Naga was keen on developing a course on social entrepreneurship and sought some assistance. When I mentioned I had not yet read his book, he got it couriered right away. I finished reading the book—actually, the book is a breeze to read—and written in simple language. 

    I believe the book is inspired by “My Experiments with Truth” (MET by Mahatma Gandhi). Naga does mention the impact this book had on him, but in here I feel the style also seems to mostly match. MET shares several experiments that Gandhiji had conducted in his pursuit of truth; in here, Naga shares a lot of these interactions with social entrepreneurs, enterprises, and life-altering conversations. As a reader you will know Naga more closely—the thoughts that motivate him and the perspective he carries. 

    I, however, felt the number of experiences he shares was a bit too many to my liking. As someone who has been used to thinking and working with and towards some framework, I felt this section has been missing from the book. I wish several of the thoughts could be structured to create a pathway for others to refer to. But that is also possibly not Naga’s fault. It is me as an academician looking for generalization— as a reader, you may be perfectly fine with the rich stories he shares. 

    Get your copy from here: https://amzn.in/d/4v44fKr

    Happy Reading!

  • Business Model Innovation Strategy

    I recently completed reading the book “Business Model Innovation Strategy: Transformational Concepts and Tools for Entrepreneurial Leaders” by Raphael Amit and Christoph Zott and thought of resuming my age-old habit of writing up book reviews.

    I had picked up this book to read for two reasons:
    1. First, as a mentor, I generally prefer using the business models as a background framework (while sprucing it with the concepts from effectuation and the lean start-up method) when I am working with early-stage venture ideas. I felt there could be something this book could contribute additionally to my practice.
    2. And second, as an academician, I have extensively studied some of the papers that Amit and Zott have been developing as a stream of literature on business models. I was curious to observe how they would stitch their years of academic work into a book that a broader audience would read.

    I feel the book has done justice to the academic work on which it has built its help, and I see a lot of integration with several strands of literature from strategy, innovation, effectuation, opportunity discovery, lean, and many more. This got me to enjoy the book as an academic reader.

    Wearing the practitioners’ hat, the book does a decent job of communicating the broad ideas and seems to have structured the flow well. The numerous examples are well placed in illustrating the concepts. However, I would have liked a few linkages to tools and material that would have elaborated the ideas for application. In some ways, I feel the book let go of the chance of delivering a higher value to the practitioner audience as the blue-ocean strategy had done. I guess this may have been because the practitioner variant of business models had come into the market several years ago, as the book – Business Model Generation.

    Personally, for me this book has provided some useful concepts that in collate my desperate thoughts from my application during mentoring sessions, and also highlighted new ideas of how I could present some of my learning to the audience of entrepreneurs. I promise to work on this one soon.

    Overall, I think if you are willing to do the hard work to connect the concepts to the application. This book is a good read. Otherwise, it leaves a wide-open space for practitioners like me to extend its application and utility into our own domain areas.

    I got my copy of the book from: https://amzn.in/d/6xVSMgN

    Happy Reading!

  • The trek/bike-ride to Kundadri

    It had been a long wait for a trek/trip! I just couldn’t wait to take a break before my Fellowship Program scheduled to begin on the 16th June 2014. It was less that 5 days away and I thought it had to be now! 

    It did take some serious coaxing for me to get Pangala on board for this bike trip combined with the trek. He had taken a trek along with a few friends a week earlier to Kodachadri and he was evaluating this one! I am so happy he agreed for this one. 

    I reached Udupi in the morning around 5:30 AM and freshened up, I could see the rain clouds threatening to spoil the whole fun. The sketch for the trek wasn’t really firmed – we were evaluating Kundadri as one of the options. I had heard a bit about the place from one of my cousins – he told it was steep climb to the top and there was a well at there. I didnt collect much information beyond this – I had spotted the board by the side of the road during my earlier trip to Shringeri.

    Pangala and me decided to start off the trip on the Pulsar 125 cc bike that was available around 10:30 AM. We decided to take our own time to travel the whole distance – the clouds had just showered and the weather looked great for the drive.

    Pangala hadn’t taken the bike on a long drive for over two years and he wondered if there could be any issues that might come along. Letting the worry rest only in our minds, we decided to move on. The journey was something that allowed us to think and discuss a lot about many of things we saw in the distance – the lush green fields, the dense forests, occasional vehicle trying to overtake us, the stream flowing by the side of the road and much more…. It was peaceful enough for us to let our minds just absorb and let out our thoughts, impressions, experience and much more… In fact this is something that look forward in every trek – letting my mind experience the serenity!

    We took a couple of breaks on the route to Agumbe. We reached Agumbe around 12:00 noon and thought about the next plan as we sipped the tea in the cool breeze. If we moved towards Kundadri, we possibly would have to skip lunch given that we have no surity of hotels on the route. We instead decided to go to the Shringeri temple were we could have our lunch at the temple before we decided to cover Kundadri on the way back.

    An interesting experience; was the struggle that the bike had every time we tried pushing its limits – the climb atop the Agumbe did exhaust the bike and we possibly began relying on the capacity of the bike. May be its how we build our teams all through – we begin with the point of distrust and steadily build the confidence with performance! But, we possibly should learn to trust but expect that there exist a limit for the capacity and we prepare for this.

    We reached Shringeri at 1 PM and went right to have our lunch – It was a special lunch (I still recollect the first special dinner at NITK)! Yes – some terminologies picked up early in life doesn’t change right! The new “Gopura” of the temple had been inaugurated a day earlier and it seemed like an optune time for me for us to get the  “special” lunch!

    We spent another half an hour sitting in the corridor of the temple. The temple dedicated to the Goddess of knowledge – Sharadambe and has a long history. The part I rever about the temple is the constant chants that are so much a part of the ecosystem there. I just can’t describe the peace I feel when in the sanctum of the temple – it is something I would love to just stay with.

    We moved back towards Kundadri at 2:30 PM – We could spot the clouds from the west getting denser. These clouds had possibly crossed the tall mountains of the Agumbe range and now looked at getting the remainder of mountains behind the first line drenched. Kundari was in the second line of the hills, and we sensed that the trek to the top would definitely be a climb in the rain.
    Traveling 16 Km from Shringeri towards  Agumbe we find a board (around 10 Km before Agumbe) indicating that a right turn there would take us to Kundadri. We took the right turn and drove 7 Km along the road to find a right turn. Around 500 meter from this point, we take a left which takes us to the road that could lead us to the top of the hill.

    Having already strained our bike, we thought it would be apt to just give it the needed rest at the base of the road leading to the top and begin walking to the top. We still could see some sun when we began the trek upwards – but it wasn’t very long before all that would disappear and we would only have clouds!

    The route to the top was possibly 3 Km but our body which was so much out of exercise was indicating that it wasn’t yet ready to take the steep climb. We pushed ourselves steadily before we reached the top – there are many scenic spots we could take detour to and watch the villages and the streams at a distance all around the hill. The chilling wind, the clouds that touched us through, the occasional sun peeps, slight drizzle all made the trek along the road too look extremely exciting. 

    After a 45 minute climb along the road, we reached the top, were there is a parking space and steps that take us to the Jain temple at the top. The temple is an old one and definitely has some very interesting architecture (Though I dont know much about architecture – it wasnt one of the traiditional styles I had seen of the temples around the area). 

    At one point in time, Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts were major Jain centers and these temple might have played a huge role in the cultural history of the community in the state. The temple has a large well just beside it (I guess this is what my cousin had refereed to earlier). 

    The Jain temple has 2 idols of possibly the 8th and the 17th Tirthankara outside and Parshwanath Tirthankara inside. The priest of the temple gave us a good brief of the various historic attacks and the excavations of the idols that were thrown into to the well just beside. He says there could be more such idols inside the well – but an excavation of that scale would take a long time. 

    The hill given its historical significance for the Jains is maintained by the Matha that it is associated to – and so there is a lot of agency issues when it comes to getting to maintaining the road in rainy season when trees fall on the track and the routine route to the top gets disturbed. 

    We thanked the priest for the detailed explanation and began our trek back to the bike. We were lucky that the drizzle had stopped and we didn’t have much issues till we reached a place called Shivapura – a few kilometers after Hebri.

    It as if the rain God had decided it was time to unleash his fury – I don’t remember a single minute when the rains stopped all along our drive from Shivapura to Udupi. We finally reached Udupi around 7 PM – drenched to the core, but still refreshed.

    The Kundadri trek would keep me charged for the next few months for sure…

  • Speech: As the Chief Guest – PPEC Inspiron Launch

    Recently, my alma mater, Poorna Prajna Education Centre Indiranagar, invited me as the Chief Guest for the launch of their school magazine. What made it even more special for me personally was that it had been 25 years since I completed my schooling. Being back at school for such an occasion felt truly special.

    I received a request to discuss the increasing use of mobile technology among students, which is becoming a distraction. High school students made up the majority of the audience, but the session also recognized several award winners from various state-level competitions. I had prepared a speech specifically for the students who were about to complete their education.

    Summary of the speech

    In the first part of my talk, I discussed the power that mobile phones wield and the challenges we face when we try to wield this power. Accepting its power and realizing it holds the future is the first step to managing it gracefully.

    The mastery of the power that technology poses begins with a deeper sense of identity that needs to be discovered by all of us. In doing so, we commit to performing at the elite levels and masterly in any field we choose. This requires us to engage in deep work. To engage in deep work, we must develop our own unique style, as structures are not readily available everywhere. Our style helps develop a structure internally for ourselves (I shall elaborate on this in another blog post). Lastly, the uncertainty created by the technology is in essence an opportunity for us to accomplish our goals. The key is in embracing the uncertainty, and seeking our growth in the process.

    You could read the speech below. Feel free to share your thought in the comment section at the end of the post

    Here is a photograph from the event (PC: PPEC).

    Magazine Launch Photo
    Photo credits – PPEC Indiranagar.

  • Am I an atheist?

    A conversation with my sister triggered this thought of writing a blog. She asked me am I an atheist! And that triggered my thoughtful reflection and what it meant to me.I have had an interest in the notion of GOD for a long time… (read this post) I have also oscillated between the beliefs about God and its nature over a long time. Do these oscillating beliefs make me a liar, or just a constantly curious person who is trying to make sense of the notion, and refining the definition in a constant endeavor.

    Let’s begin with definitions of an atheist fist. “The Cambridge Dictionary” definition of atheist available at https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/atheist – which said its “someone who does not believe in God/gods.” So there is a definitional shift from atheist to “GOD,” and I do the same search again and find the definition as “a spirit or being believed to control some part of the universe or life and often worshipped for doing so, or something that represents this spirit or being.”

    When I look at the definition here, I see three components – the form, the role and the rituals/processes of engaging. The term atheist itself could be confusing if one looks at the three aspects different.

    1. What would form mean for me when I consider myself to be an atheist or not?

    If the form is important, it is often the case that we are in the quest of having a form mostly through the perspectives we hold. Is it male, female or others? Is it nature or is it fiction?
    My early notions of being an atheist were pushed by this aspect – I don’t like the form. I don’t see god in a form.
    But do I not believe in what I don’t cognitively explain? I do.
    I began the quest since I found myself believing in the unexplained. My experience has been a useful guide in this. I realize there are moments when my mind is peaceful, happy and undisturbed. A state of bliss, where I seek nothing more. Where I am grateful to be where I am.
    This I believe is the experiences of divinity that each one of us can have. It doesn’t happen at only specific places like temples. I find myself distancing from temple visits where I don’t find peace, where I cannot connect with myself. There are some moments when it’s so easy to connect and be at a place, just soaking in the moment completely – this for me has been the scenario when I get to treks and just sit watching the waterfall and create magic!
    I then began asking if it’s all about nature itself? Is nature God? And as I began observing my daily life – I realize there are more instances when I can choose to experience divinity. Its the feeling that I had begun soaking in, not the divine itself.
    I now know – the existence of the divine in a form isn’t really necessary for us to feel the divinity that is so easy to experience so its not the form.
    So yes, I am an atheist in the requirement of having a form. I don’t believe in a form.

    2. Role

    The notion of God has emerged for multiple reasons – may be for experiencing the divinity that I talked about earlier, or for the reduction of the uncertainty like I mentioned in the earlier blog, or as Harari says for the unifying role and control that myths around these Gods provide to people.
    I see that the role played by the notion of God gives me peace. Whatever the other aspects of the role of ‘God’ maybe I know it simply gives me a simplistic view of life and allows me to move ahead when I am stuck.
    So no, I am not an atheist in this requirement for the role that is played by God. It helps me!

    3. The process of engaging.

    Rituals and processes are effective to enable to execute their tasks with little cognitive overload. They also allow us to take benefits of the clarity that emerges with the connecting with the feeling of divinity and the reduction in uncertainty. So practices help connect with God and so should make me someone who believes in God ain’t it?
    Here I look at the implications of the rituals to me and my push on others to follow the rituals. I find myself only interested in finding the peace, the flow I experience through following the rituals, but I don’t want others to simply follow what I do. I am pretty sure they have their ways of finding the divine feeling – be it through music, dance or simply our work. We call these as “Aradhana” too, just as we call “praying” in front of God – the worship itself is flexible and just a means.
    So I see as following rituals are never going to be indicative of the belief in god itself. It’s only indicative of being in the moment, doing it for its own sake. The state of flow!
    With this, I guess I realize now that god is a very personal notion. The rituals are simply so customizable to suit our state of mind — that which makes us feel the bliss, the peace, the happiness, the flow.

    So am I an atheist? I don’t know. I do believe I am one in some ways and not one in many ways. Maybe I am agnostic, but simply do what I do.
    My views here are personal. May not be strictly adhering to the notions of anyone else, but you have to find your answers.

  • Zero to One – Peter Thiel

    I just finished an extremely interesting book on entrepreneurship by Peter Thiel – Zero to One, and thought of sharing what I look as take away from the same.

    For me the books sheds light on some of the subtle but important factors that would compose a high impact tech ventures. The essence of the following questions is what the book really delivers.

    1. The Engineering Question – Can you create breakthrough technology instead of incremental improvements?
    2. The Timing Question – Is now the right time to start your particular business?
    3. The Monopoly Question  – Are you starting with a big share of a small market?
    4. The People Question – Do you have the right team?
    5. The Distribution Question – Do you have a way to not just create but deliver your product?
    6. The Durability Question – Will your market position be defensible 10 and 20 years into the future?
    7. The Secret Question – Have you identified a unique opportunity that others don’t see?
    I would recommend this book to every one who is thinking of starting a tech venture, and may be re-read it!