Bharat Jain’s Post

If you've ever wandered the vibrant streets of India, you've probably encountered the 𝘩𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘙&𝘋 𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘴 we call roadside stalls. These vendors don’t just serve snacks or trinkets - they’re the 𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀, 𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗿𝘀 and 𝗺𝗮𝗱 𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘀 of the everyday. 𝗢𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝘅 𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻? Nah, we don’t even 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 the box. From chaiwalas using cutting-edge 𝘤𝘰𝘢𝘭 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘩 for the perfect brew ☕ to street food maestros whipping up gourmet dishes from a single burner, these hustlers are the embodiment of "𝗷𝘂𝗴𝗮𝗮𝗱" - the art of quick fix, creative solutions. Ever seen a chai stand powered by a car battery? Or an umbrella rigged with a DIY cooling fan? 💡 India's roadside entrepreneurs have perfected a mix of 𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘁 + 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 to solve real problems in 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦. Forget about Silicon Valley’s fancy incubators - the real innovators are out there, hustling with minimal resources but MAXIMUM creativity. 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘁𝘀: 1. 𝗦𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀 - The more complex the problem, the simpler the solution. 2. 𝗔𝗱𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗸𝗲𝘆 - When the rain hits, it’s not a pause but a pivot. 3. 𝗟𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀? 𝗡𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺 - You don’t need a big budget, just a bigger imagination. Next time you grab that spicy pani puri or sip a perfectly frothy cutting chai, remember: You’re not just enjoying a snack, you’re witnessing 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗮’𝘀 𝗰𝗿𝗮𝘇𝗶𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. 🇮🇳 #JugaadMindset #InnovationEverywhere #IndianIngenuity #StreetSideMBA #StreetSmartInnovation #MadeInIndia #RoadsideEntrepreneurs

It all started when I picked up some olive oil from LeMarche, only to discover the manufacturing address was in an industrial area in North Delhi. Curious, I checked it out and realised it was a complete sham. This got me thinking about the widespread adulteration in food, especially after TOI reported that 78% of milk samples were found adulterated. That week, the idea for my game-changing start-up struck: a tech platform that traces the entire food supply chain. From geo-tagging where produce is grown to showing the microbiological analysis of the packed product – all accessible with a QR scan. Awards followed, as did recognition from the Department of Telecommunications (we made it into their white paper for smart villages!), and we were part of UNDP’s cohort for sustainable start-ups. Plus, we got into accelerator programs in Norway and the US. Customer testimonials flooded in, and LinkedIn was a veritable parade of love for our work. But, spoiler alert: The bank balance? Not so much. It was like watching a line in the sand on a Goan beach slowly disappearing with every wave. My team, initially subtle, then not-so-subtle, started hinting that only a small segment of consumers would actually pay a premium for this level of trust and transparency. Jinesh Shah, being the nice guy he is, tried to knock some sense into me, telling me India wasn’t quite ready for this kind of platform and that the TAM (Total Addressable Market) wasn’t very big. But nope – I was convinced that this was a game-changer, so I plowed on for nearly 4 years. Fast forward four years, and we shut down the DTC business, carved out a SaaS company, and turned the original company into a trading entity. While I knew about the #BrahmaComplex (I even wrote about it a few years ago - http://bit.ly/49fZdDy ), I didn’t heed the warning. Recently, when speaking to young entrepreneurs at Rishihood University, I shared the operational framework to avoid falling into the #BrahmaComplex. I’m also sharing a useful Excel file with 5 answers for each question. Why 5? The first three are easy – the last two will give you the real insight you need. The file is called #LalaBhai. Why? Because, my friend Ajeet Kajala, in all his wisdom, didn’t want to burst my bubble of self-grandeur. But he did want me to understand that I wasn’t just at rock bottom – I was happily digging further down. He showed me a clip of #ManojBajpayee playing Lala Bhai from Money Hai To Honey Hai – and, well, the rest is history. Feel free to download and share the framework. It’s not my intellectual property, and many have contributed to refining it. Enjoy and #HappyLearning! Links to the Excel file and the movie clip will be in the comments. 😉 #Entrepreneurship #StartUpJourney #BrahmaComplex #FoodTransparency #LearningFromMistakes #SaaS #Innovation #StartUpLife #StartUpPivot

A piece of history Year 1997, I co-founded and launched my second product, Citrus Clean, An eco-friendly insect repellent and disinfectant at an exhibition. Along with my best friend, partner, aka, Founder Ketan Mehta, my entire family, including my son (4 months old in the pic), the model on the pack, in front of live audience, demonstrating that the product was child as well as environmental friendly. It was too early for the market and I had zero knowledge of the FMCG sector and we were up against some of biggest brand in the market, "Tortoise - Mosquito Coils, then part of Bengal Chemicals. We were inspired by then hero's like Dhirubhai and with limited knowledge of Bio-Tech we jumped in. My partner continues his passion of BT in agro and has innovative products in his portfolio (Bio pesticide, Bio Fertilisers) , it was then never about scale and big money, but to make a difference and free the earth from Chemicals. Our common belief was, if we do good, launch a great product, market and money will follow. Well, we were young, still learning the ways, yes and, I didn't have an MBA 😅 (Irony, I never did an MBA, but ended up as a Prof. in a BSchool, that's another story) We did have a fun run, testing the market, pitching to Hospitals (we did a clinical trials then), Hotels (I cracked Taj Hotels then), placing in super markets, retail outlets, door to door channels, and learnt many hard lessons of life, not just business. One among them was, never do business with your best friend, there is a lot at stake and relationship is more important than anything else. #entrepreneurship #Environmentfriendly #partnership #startup

Tigers: Bold Risk-Takers 🐅🟠 Definition 📝✨: Tigers are startups that boldly enter high-risk or underserved markets. They focus on solving deeply entrenched problems with aggressive strategies and often dominate their chosen niches. Example 🏢🔍: Ninjacart is transforming India’s agricultural supply chain by directly connecting farmers to retailers. In a market plagued by inefficiencies, middlemen, and food wastage, Ninjacart introduced a tech-driven logistics platform to streamline the farm-to-fork process. Farmers receive better prices for their produce, while retailers benefit from reduced costs and fresh supply. The company has taken significant risks by investing in infrastructure, logistics, and technology to solve a complex, fragmented problem. Its bold strategies have paid off, positioning Ninjacart as a leader in India’s agritech sector. Key Takeaway 💡📊: Tiger startups demonstrate the value of entering underserved or fragmented markets with bold, innovative solutions and are well-suited for markets where traditional methods have failed to deliver. #TigerStartups #BoldMoves #MarketDisruption #AgritechIndia

A Moment of Inspiration Yesterday, I had the great privilege of meeting an innovational leader Sivesh Kumar who has made a permanent impression in their industry. It was nothing short of life-changing. Our conversation spanned an array of subjects like agribusiness, incorporating geo-sensing data, the journey from start-up to profitability, operational strategies for start-up success and fundraising. Each topic was explored with insight and coherence that rendered it priceless. One valuable piece of advice he gave me was about concentrating on one problem at a time and finding one solution at a time. The lesson learned here is doing too many things at once or trying to solve numerous problems might blur your vision thereby hampering progress. Furthermore; we also ventured into Geo-Sensing and how this technology will change agriculture as we know it now. He articulated these thoughts well enough to make them enlightening so that many opportunities could be seen ahead of him. In addition, I marveled at his connectedness and how significant networking can be. His extensive network is what has played a significant role in his achievements therefore emphasizing the ties that matter most. He also gave some frank insights regarding the impact of bureaucracy on startups thus highlighting how this often slows down development. As such he stated that there were certain reforms required by government agencies so as to ensure a strong tech startup ecosystem in India. Also, he shared his exciting vision for a new cafe brand Coffea India, exemplifying his innovative thinking and passion for new ventures. I also got the chance to experience their deliciously crafted coffee, incredibly amazing. My appreciation is never-ending to him for his humility and his ability to talk about these things. It was really an extraordinary thing that he would behave as if I were one of his students. Your priceless advice and generosity in imparting knowledge to me are highly appreciated. Our chat went so well that I completely forgot to take a selfie with him. Maybe next time I will get the opportunity to snap with him. This experience reignited my passion for my job and gave me back its direction. I look forward to applying the lessons learned in order to continue excelling in agribusiness, food processing, and cold chain solutions. A Special thanks to Ashish Dubey Sir for hosting us, Sivesh Kumar Sir for such a wonderful discussion on Coffee, & the entire Coffea India team. We learn, grow, lead with Vision!🚀 #Leadership #Inspiration #Agribusiness #GeoSensing #StartupJourney #OperationalStrategies #FundRaising #Networking #Innovation #BureaucracyReforms #TechStartups #Visionary #Gratitude #coffeaIndia Sivesh Kumar Coffea India

📢 𝐀𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐳𝐲 𝐑𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐔𝐒𝐃 𝟗.𝟖 𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐀 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐢𝐨𝐧 & 𝐎𝐦𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐞🔔 📣𝐈𝐧 𝐀𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒, Agri-processing platform Agrizy announced that it has raised $𝟗.𝟖 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 (𝐈𝐍𝐑 𝟖𝟐 𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐫𝐞) in a Series a #funding💰 round co-led by Accion and Omnivore, with participation from Capria Ventures, Thai Wah Ventures and existing investor Ankur Capital. India has over 𝟐 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 food processing MSMEs that are operating below capacity and struggling to find B2B #customers 👨, especially in export markets.  Agrizy helps address these challenges by providing MSMEs with a fully managed B2B marketplace for agri-food 🌱 processing and #supplychain. The platform connects all #stakeholders in the food processing #ecosystem to discover and execute #transactions in an optimized manner. The startup works closely with small and medium-sized businesses in the food processing 🎋 sector, providing them with a range of #digitalservices 📲 to generate additional long-term revenue💰 and improve their operating margins, while streamlining their procurement and sales cycles. 🌌 𝐋𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐚𝐭 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 👉:https://bit.ly/3Ad8Q8h #DigitalServices #MSMEs #FoodProcessingUnits #Agriculture #Tools #prophecymarketinsights

Country Delight Raises ₹2,200 Crore from Alteria Capital: A Game-Changer for the Dairy and Agri-Tech Industry 🚀 In a major development for the Indian dairy and agri-tech ecosystem, Country Delight, a leading fresh milk and dairy brand, has successfully raised ₹2,200 crore in funding from Alteria Capital. This marks a significant milestone for the company, positioning it for accelerated growth and expansion in a rapidly evolving sector. Why This Matters: Strengthening India's Dairy Supply Chain: Country Delight’s focus on fresh, chemical-free milk has revolutionized the dairy supply chain, and this funding will enable further innovations in sourcing, processing, and delivery. Tech-Driven Agri Business: The company is making waves by integrating technology to ensure freshness, transparency, and sustainability in the agri-tech sector. With this capital infusion, Country Delight can scale its technology stack, improve supply chain efficiencies, and enhance consumer experience. Expanding Footprint: The capital raised will empower Country Delight to deepen its reach in existing markets while expanding into new regions, strengthening its position as a top player in the Indian dairy market. Investment in Sustainability: The funding will also fuel efforts towards building a more sustainable and eco-friendly dairy supply chain, aligning with growing consumer demand for ethical and environmentally-conscious brands. For those watching the growth of India’s dairy and agri-tech sectors, this is a key moment. Country Delight is setting a new benchmark in how innovation can drive transformation in one of the world’s largest and most vital industries. This round not only boosts Country Delight's growth trajectory but also reinforces the growing interest in the Indian agri-tech space, showcasing investor confidence in the future of tech-enabled solutions in traditional industries. #AgriTech #DairyInnovation #CountryDelight #AlteriaCapital #InvestmentNews #IndianStartups #Sustainability #TechInAgriculture #FundingNews

Anish Malpani left a good job in the US to start Without (Ashaya), a glasses company in India… He thinks of success in terms of solving social & environmental issues. He wants to recycle hundreds of thousands of tonnes of waste to empower waste pickers come out of multi dimensional poverty. Revenue is not his main metric but only a means to achieve his main goal of impacting the poor. He thinks his business could make Rs 3000 crore by 2030. Recently, he appeared in Shark Tank & landed Rs 75 lakh in funding. Here’s the full story: Anish wanted to help poor people & solve environmental problems in #india. He saw chip packets made of many layers of plastic as a nusciance. Having realized nobody knew how to recycle them well, he thought of a way to turn them into sunglasses. Anish worked hard to figure out how to recycle the chip packets into sunglasses. Tested lots of ideas until he found the right one. Finally, he made sunglasses that were tough, light, & good for mother Earth. Starting a business was tough. Anish had to use his own money, about Rs 1.8 crore. He also had to figure out how to set up his recycling process, finding the right people to help him. Anish had gone viral organically before & Shark Tank was one more opportunity to bring forward this noble cause! Anish Kishore Malpani's story shows that one can truly make a difference. By turning trash into something valuable, he's not only helping the environment but also changing lives for the better to bloom & derisk. P.S. What do you think of Anish’s creative & innovative startup? #business #management #economy PSAI-Professional Speakers Association India Bloom-World #riskderisk

Moringa: Cultivating a Sustainable Future Global Moringa Meet 2024: Innovating for Prosperity and Planet Immerse yourself in a groundbreaking three-day international workshop exploring Moringa's transformative potential. Discover how this remarkable plant is revolutionizing industries and creating sustainable opportunities for forward-thinking entrepreneurs and conscious investors. Nurturing Nature's Bounty: • Explore sustainable investment avenues in the burgeoning Moringa market • Gain insights from industry pioneers on emerging trends and future trajectories • Master risk management strategies tailored to Moringa enterprises Pioneering Tomorrow's Solutions: • Delve into innovative technologies enhancing Moringa cultivation and processing • Uncover unexplored niches within the Moringa value chain • Forge connections with visionaries and potential partners to inspire groundbreaking initiatives Core Themes: 1. Eco-Economic Synergy: Harmonizing environmental stewardship with financial growth 2. Holistic Market Expansion: Broadening Moringa's applications across diverse sectors 3. Ethical Global Commerce: Navigating international trade with integrity and responsibility Why Attend: - Gain exclusive insights from successful Moringa entrepreneurs and investors - Participate in hands-on workshop designed to refine your business strategies - Explore live demonstrations of innovative Moringa products and technologies Seize this chance to lead in the Moringa-driven green revolution. Whether you're an established entity aiming for responsible growth or a budding entrepreneur with a vision for change, the Global Moringa Meet 2024 is your springboard to sustainable success in this flourishing eco-industry. Convene with us in Jaipur, India, November 22-24, 2024, and contribute to molding a future where  Moringa agriculture and entrepreneurship nurture both people and planet. Secure your role in cultivating a greener, more prosperous world. Register today! #MoringaEconomy #GreenEntrepreneurship #SustainableInvesting #AgroInnovation #GMM2024 #MoringaMeet #Moringa #MoringaBusiness #MoringaEconomics #MoringaFinance #MoringaBiodiesel #MoringaOil #MoringaFarming #MoringaCultivation #MoringaNutrition #ClimateChange

Moringa: Cultivating a Sustainable Future Global Moringa Meet 2024: Innovating for Prosperity and Planet Immerse yourself in a groundbreaking three-day international workshop exploring Moringa's transformative potential. Discover how this remarkable plant is revolutionizing industries and creating sustainable opportunities for forward-thinking entrepreneurs and conscious investors. Nurturing Nature's Bounty: • Explore sustainable investment avenues in the burgeoning Moringa market • Gain insights from industry pioneers on emerging trends and future trajectories • Master risk management strategies tailored to Moringa enterprises Pioneering Tomorrow's Solutions: • Delve into innovative technologies enhancing Moringa cultivation and processing • Uncover unexplored niches within the Moringa value chain • Forge connections with visionaries and potential partners to inspire groundbreaking initiatives Core Themes: 1. Eco-Economic Synergy: Harmonizing environmental stewardship with financial growth 2. Holistic Market Expansion: Broadening Moringa's applications across diverse sectors 3. Ethical Global Commerce: Navigating international trade with integrity and responsibility Why Attend: - Gain exclusive insights from successful Moringa entrepreneurs and investors - Participate in hands-on workshop designed to refine your business strategies - Explore live demonstrations of innovative Moringa products and technologies Seize this chance to lead in the Moringa-driven green revolution. Whether you're an established entity aiming for responsible growth or a budding entrepreneur with a vision for change, the Global Moringa Meet 2024 is your springboard to sustainable success in this flourishing eco-industry. Convene with us in Jaipur, India, November 22-24, 2024, and contribute to molding a future where  Moringa agriculture and entrepreneurship nurture both people and planet. Secure your role in cultivating a greener, more prosperous world. Register today! #MoringaEconomy #GreenEntrepreneurship #SustainableInvesting #AgroInnovation #GMM2024 #MoringaMeet #Moringa #MoringaBusiness #MoringaEconomics #MoringaFinance #MoringaBiodiesel #MoringaOil #MoringaFarming #MoringaCultivation #MoringaNutrition #ClimateChange