Innovation in India walks a tightrope between promise and actuality. Regardless of a booming startup ecosystem and a deep expertise pool, entrepreneurs usually discover themselves up in opposition to a wall of systemic apathy — bureaucratic inertia, meager R&D help, and risk-averse traders.
Nowhere is that this wrestle extra sharply captured than in a latest Reddit submit by a founder whose AI-powered autonomous retail startup hit a lifeless finish — not because of lack of functionality, however a damaged funding system unwilling to again something past fast wins.
In a blunt Reddit submit titled “Indian startups won’t ever be modern,” the co-founder of a tech startup constructing autonomous, AI-powered retail shops laid naked the hurdles Indian innovators face.
“Hello, I’m a Co-Founding father of an Indian Startup which is engaged on constructing autonomous shops utilizing Imaginative and prescient AI and Sensor Fusion for 24×7 retail,” the founder wrote. “We’re the one firm in India that has constructed a Imaginative and prescient AI foundational mannequin for figuring out folks and monitoring folks… Our international competitor Amazon GO costs $200K for setup of such a retailer whereas we will do it for simply $7500. But we misplaced as a result of we’re primarily based in India.”
Regardless of constructing a lean product at a fraction of worldwide prices, the workforce of three couldn’t appeal to funding. The founder shared blunt rejections from Indian VCs:
- “VC: Indians don’t want such shops, qcommerce hai hamare paas (we’ve qcommerce).”
- “VC: Don’t go for innovation, yaha pe koi paisa nai dega (nobody provides you with cash for this). Simply drop this.”
Some demanded traction far past a seed-stage startup’s scope. “VC: Get $100k to $200k ARR then we will discuss,” one advised them. The founder pushed again: “We’re constructing in AI with no outdoors workforce, how can we scale up there with none backing?”
Disillusioned, the submit ended on a grim be aware: “Our VC sector is constructed round funding espresso, drinks, shirts, dashboards-based providers or AI corporations which really work on ChatGPT. Indian startups won’t ever be modern because of this… As soon as we’re utterly lifeless Indian corporations will tie up with some overseas firm (Amazon GO), pay them 10X and say that we’re innovating in India.”
The submit rapidly sparked debate.
One person highlighted cultural and market mismatch: “India isn’t the appropriate marketplace for this enterprise in the intervening time… Go on the road and ask ten folks if they are going to be okay to let digital camera monitor and establish them.”
One other pointed to structural points: “Each VC needs to see both a IIM or IIT tag… Nobody needs to understand the sweat it takes to do the R&D and construct the groundbreaking tech.”
Others provided cautious encouragement and recommendation on partnerships, grants and investor alignment.
However the harshest commentary struck at deeper cultural roots. “R&D spend of prime Indian corporations is nowhere close to international friends… Indians reside near the underside of Maslow’s pyramid… Self checkouts will not work right here… Mechanisation, automation, and DIY haven’t picked up, won’t ever choose up.”
The submit ended with a sobering evaluation: innovation in India usually fails not for lack of mind or effort, however as a result of the ecosystem — from VCs to markets to cultural behaviour — isn’t constructed to help it.
