Has India’s green startup revolution arrived? Looks like it has. Jayanth Sinha and Sandip Bhammer lucidly illustrate how India’s new ‘green revolution’ is becoming a game changer in their book India’s Green Startups: Entrepreneurs That Are Driving Growth.’
Compared to India’s IT revolution, which was largely about providing backend services to the world, this revolution is a fine blend of innovative products, smart services and modern technology. While they are intended to address India’s massive environmental problems such as waste and polluted air, they are well-positioned to serve any market, including the developed ones.
Each of the 14 startups featured in the book is a rich case study in how to win despite major constraints – India’s rank in ‘ease of doing business’ is still abysmal. The trust deficit between the bureaucracy, business and politics is still stark.
The interview style writing with the entrepreneurs makes for easy reading. And the size of the book is welcoming.
Except for one company featured in the book, all continue to thrive. That company, BluSmart Mobility, was forced to suspend operations because of alleged financial misconduct by its founders. This episode is a clear warning to founders about how ethics matter.
The good news is that all the companies featured in the book are no longer startups and are not solving small problems. They have taken a leap in solving climate challenges in a big way.
India has missed many technological revolutions in the last three decades, resulting in painful inefficiencies, low agricultural and manufacturing productivity. AI is threatening to destabilise its services-oriented IT revolution.
The climate-tech-driven startups featured in the book do make India hopeful of leading in a few areas. For them to achieve scale and potential impact, India needs deeper structural reforms. It needs to bridge its massive skill deficit. Its financial institutions need to take bigger bets on domestic talent.
India’s Green Startups is both an inspiration and a guide to aspiring entrepreneurs. All startup incubation centres and accelerators should make this book a compulsory read.
