Global tech giants turn on the charm, offer advice, at launch of ‘Startup India’

Photo credit: Marco Bellucci.

“Twenty-five to 30 years from now, I have a feeling this country may surpass all other countries to become number one in the world.” Those were sweet, big words coming from Masayoshi Son, founder and CEO of SoftBank. And he was talking about India.

“Sitting down the whole day today made me believe [that] from my gut. Thank you for this opportunity and I would really like to support the success of India.”

Son was not the only one to speak. Uber founder Travis Kalanick was there, SoftBank president Nikesh Arora was there, and so was WeWork CEO Adam Neumann. Why had the shining stars of the startup world descended in New Delhi over the weekend?

To toast the Startup India program that has just been launched by the government to boost India’s startup ecosystem – with money, muscle, and magic mantras! That includes an INR 100 billion (US$1.47 billion) fund for startups and a promise to address the pet peeves of tech entrepreneurs.

The words of these global startup big shots were met with thundering applause. In the audience was Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well as top names from India’s tech world.

Magic mantras

Indian PM Narendra Modi patting Uber CEO Travis Kalanick on his shoulder during an event in Silicon Valley in 2015.

Travis Kalanick: Find a passion

“As we see the world going global, I believe R&D and innovation are about the three B’s – Bay Area, Beijing and Bangalore.”

“At Uber, I think of myself as the Problem Solver-In Chief. I want as many hard problems as I can get.”

“Give people their time back. Bring calm back in their lives. Bring joy. Give them some money.”

“Being able to see the future years away is part of entrepreneurship.”

Nikesh Arora: Solve a problem

It’s all about opportunity

Showcase to the world