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Tag: #entrepreneurship

  • The Entrepreneur’s GPS: Finding Your Place on the Science-to-Market Continuum

    The Entrepreneur’s GPS: Finding Your Place on the Science-to-Market Continuum

    Remember that healthcare session where we were discussing different types of ventures (if not check out with NSRCEL)? You asked me for a source on the framework I explained, and since I couldn’t point you to one, here’s the version I wrote up for you. Think of it as your GPS for understanding where your venture sits—and more importantly, what approach might actually work for you.

    The Big Idea: It’s All About How You Create Value

    Not all businesses are created equal. Some live in labs, others thrive in markets. Most lie somewhere in between. The key is understanding where you are on what I call the Science-to-Market Continuum—because the strategies that work for a biotech startup will likely crash and burn for a neighbourhood retailer.


    The Five Stops on Our Continuum

    Let me walk you through each type, because knowing where you fit changes everything about how you should build your venture.

    1. Science Businesses: The Lab Heroes

    These are the folks creating breakthrough scientific innovations that could change entire industries. Think of a team developing a revolutionary crystal structure that makes drilling equipment stronger, lighter, and more durable than anything we’ve seen. The same crystal may be used in another industry for a different use!

    The Reality Check: You’re not just building a product—you’re proving that science works in the real world. Your biggest headache? Getting from lab bench to factory floor. And here’s the kicker—you often need a whole ecosystem of partners to make your innovation valuable to end customers.

    1. Technology Businesses: The System Builders

    These ventures develop specific technologies that can plug into existing processes and multiply outcomes. You’re essentially creating the engine that makes other businesses run faster or better.

    Smart Move: Many license their technology early (remember how Google’s founders licensed their search tech to Yahoo! before going solo?). This generates cash, proves the technology works, and gets investor attention for the bigger play ahead.

    1. Technology-Based Businesses: The Use-Case Champions

    Here’s where you bet big on a specific application of existing technology. You see the potential in something generic and decide to build a focused solution around it. Oracle turning database technology into enterprise gold? Classic example.

    Watch Out: If you’re not crystal clear on your use case, you’ll need to navigate the narrowing process carefully. Grab a copy of “Crossing the Chasm“—it’s your playbook here.

    1. Technology-Enabled Businesses: The Problem Solvers

    You start with a market frustration and then assemble existing technologies to solve it. The Taxi4Sure story fits perfectly—founders frustrated with unreliable airport taxis built their solution using available tech, inspired by Uber but adapted for Indian realities.

    Key Insight: Inspiration doesn’t equal imitation. Just because something works elsewhere doesn’t mean you can copy-paste it to your market.

    1. Pure Market Businesses: The Access Providers

    These businesses thrive on making things available when and where customers want them. Your neighbourhood store? Perfect example. Technology is nice-to-have, not must-have. The business survives on market understanding, not tech wizardry.

    Why This Framework Changes Your Game

    Here’s the thing that tripped up several participants in our session: using the wrong playbook for your venture type is like bringing a knife to a gunfight.

    Try running lean startup methodology on a science business? You’ll go crazy waiting for those long research cycles. Use a science approach for a market business? You’ll over-engineer solutions for problems that don’t need complex fixes.

    The Plot Twist: Nothing Stays Static

    Companies don’t stay put on this continuum. They move left (toward science) or right (toward market) as they evolve. Amazon started as a pure market play (online bookstore) and now has AWS (technology) and Alexa (science-heavy AI). Understanding these shifts helps you plan your next moves.

    Your Action Plan

    1. Identify where you are on the continuum right now
    2. Choose strategies that match your position
    3. Prepare for movement—know which direction makes sense for your growth
    4. Build the right team for your stage (scientists vs. marketers vs. hybrid skills)

    The healthcare ventures I meet often struggle because they’re stuck between science and market—trying to prove efficacy while building commercial traction. Recognising this helps you sequence your efforts better.

    What’s Your Take?

    I’d love to hear which part of this continuum your venture calls home—and whether you’ve felt the pain of using mismatched strategies. Drop a comment below and let’s discuss your specific situation.

    Want me to dive deeper into how ventures move along this continuum? Many of you asked about this during our session. If there’s enough interest, I’ll write up those dynamics in my next post. Just let me know in the comments!

    Found this framework helpful? Share it with your entrepreneur friends who might be struggling to find their strategic footing. Sometimes the best gift is clarity.

    ! Disclaimer: the draft above was created based on the full length draft I wrote up explaining each of the concepts using claude 4.0. If you want to read the orginal. Do reach out.

  • The First Mile – Scott D. Anthony

    Starting a new venture always feels exciting, but the real test happens in what Scott D. Anthony calls “the first mile”—that leap from idea to reality. Reading this book was especially useful for students and aspiring entrepreneurs, since the first mile is where mistakes (and big learning) often happen.

    What Makes the First Mile So Important?

    Anthony shows that ideas aren’t the problem—it’s the process that trips most people up. The first mile is where hopes are high but risks are hidden, and getting through it needs more than optimism—it needs a plan and discipline.

    The DEFT Framework (Made Simple)

    The book’s DEFT approach is a handy guide to taking an idea and nurturing it safely:

    • Document: Write out the details—what makes your idea unique and what needs to go right.
    • Evaluate: Question your assumptions and get real about what’s uncertain.
    • Focus: Prioritize the biggest risks and pick the few issues that really matter.
    • Test: Use small, fast experiments to turn guesses into facts before investing too much.

    The Four First Mile Challenges

    Anthony warns that there are four classic mistakes innovators make in the early stage, and he gives advice on how to dodge each one:

    1. Making a Wrong Turn
      This challenge is about heading down the wrong path—maybe due to weak research or wishful thinking. To avoid this, founders should run tests early and use honest feedback to adjust their direction. Quick experiments save time and prevent costly detours .
    2. Running Out of Fuel
      This means burning through resources (like cash, energy, or team focus) before getting traction. Anthony urges entrepreneurs to be disciplined: spend only on clear proof points and review progress regularly so you don’t run dry before reaching your first real wins.
    3. Picking the Wrong Driver
      Having the wrong people in charge—or a mismatched leadership team—can make a strong idea stumble. It’s critical to match the project’s needs with the team’s strengths, and, if necessary, adjust roles or bring in new talent as the project evolves.
    4. Premature Scaling
      Trying to grow too soon, before validating key assumptions, is deadly. Anthony explains that scaling should only happen when the essentials (like product fit, market demand, and a repeatable process) are in place. Scale comes after proof, not before.

    Some Practical Tips

    • Use maps and scorecards to rank risks and decide what to tackle next.
    • Try different types of experiments (like quick interviews or small pilots) so mistakes are cheap and lessons are quick.
    • Keep learning as your core metric—progress isn’t just sales, but how much uncertainty you’ve reduced each week.

    Why This Matters for Students and New Founders

    This book is not full of fancy jargon but gives step-by-step ways to turn confusion and risk into clarity. If you read just one chapter—or remember a single habit—make it about picking one critical risk at a time and testing it quickly. That’s how you’ll make every mile count.

    If you want the journey through your first mile to be smoother, Anthony’s honest advice (and the DEFT method) is a good starting point. It’ll help you travel farther without falling into these common traps. It is a good complement to the Lean Startup appraoch.

  • Against all odds: The IT story of India – Kris Gopalkishnan and others

    I first heard about this book when one of the doctoral program alumna of IIMB, Dayasindhu, shared the book he had written on the WhatsApp group. As someone who is excited by history and likes to read about it, I wanted to get my hands on this as soon as I could. I thought this would have several overlaps with the other book by Kiran Karnik about the NASSCOM, but I was pleasantly surprised there was little to no repetition. 

    The book is written by 3 authors—Kris Gopalkrishnan, N. Dayasindhu, and Krishnan Narayanan. Dyasindhu and Krishnan are founders of the itihaasa Research and Digital, which has been working on the IT history project for quite some time. This book is possibly the most comprehensive story about the evolution of the IT industry in India, right from the import of the systems at various IITs through to the proliferation of the IT companies across many metros. I have read a few books (mostly anecdotal and personal accounts) about the IT history in the country, but this one scores it very high on the documented history. The authors take you on a wonderful journey. 

    If you are looking to learn about the IT industry’s trajectory over the years, This is possibly where you need to start and then fit the other personal narratives into the story. 

    Happy Reading!