MD & CEO Edelweiss Mutual Fund, Radhika Gupta posted on X, busting the romaticised startup culture in India. She gave a reality check to those who want to potentially foray into the startup world.

Radhika Gupta: Take On Startups

“There is now an increased air of “start-up romance”.   That paints start up life as working in chiller attire out of a fancy co working space, talking ideas all day, raising funding rounds, giving gyaan on social media, hosting Fri Eve drinks for colleagues.  Don’t fall for it.” Radhika Gupta tweeted.

“Start-up reality” hits soon.  It means painful execution, limited budgets and even more limited working conditions, constant rejection, challenges in hiring and retention, pressure for revenue at any cost, and uncertainty for a very long period of time.” She said.

Reactions Galore

Deepak Shenoy Founder,CEO of Capitalmind replied, “In 1998, when I started my first startup, people thought it was because I couldn’t get a job at a big IT company. And now people are proud of the label 🙂  it’s less risky now as a funding round ensures you get a decent salary at least.”

Someone else wrote, “The toughest job is of start-up. Working for 10-12 hours is ok, but even after that nothing is assured. People only see the success stories and get allured but forget that after every 5 success there are 95 failures too.” Another X User wrote,  “I disagree with “pressure for revenue at all costs”  – that’s a completely personal choice that founders make.” 

Radhika Gupta is Edelweiss Mutual Fund’s MD and CEO, an asset management company. Her LinkedIn describes her as, an “Asset management professional, who enjoys leading teams and building businesses. Proud daughter of an Indian diplomat, global citizen, and child of change. Writer, storyteller, TEDx, and Josh Talks speaker, finding magic in words.”