From Svyambhu to FutureIcons: How Self-Reliance Became a Living Movement Big change rarely begins with big money.It begins with a simple question: what if people already have what they need, and we just help them see it? That question sat at the heart of Project Svyambhu, when our founder Dr Akshita Bahuguna first called for […]
Beyond Unicorns: The India Built by Pico Entrepreneurs Read More »
India’s startup ecosystem achieved the impossible: 2.09 lakh recognized startups, 1.66 million jobs, $131 billion raised, 119 unicorns. Yet beneath these spectacular numbers lies a structural fragility that threatens the ecosystem’s long-term relevance. On January 16, 2026, as India celebrated a decade of Startup India, few noticed the uncomfortable truth: the ecosystem has optimized for
National Startup Day 2026: The Uncomfortable Truth Behind India’s Startup Boom Read More »
How Self-Aware Leadership Transforms Pressure Into Performance and Prevents Preventable Failures Your business isn’t failing because of bad strategy, insufficient capital, or market conditions. It’s failing because you can’t see yourself clearly in the moment that matters most. This is the harsh truth that separates businesses that scale from those that stall, leaders who inspire
In a world scrambling to redefine work and education in the post-pandemic, AI-fuelled era, Thailand has just taken a bold step—and it’s time we in India take notice. Recently, Thailand’s Labour Minister Pongkawin Jungrungruangkit unveiled a five-point workforce strategy aimed at empowering youth, equipping workers with AI skills, and safeguarding informal labour. On the surface,
“Thailand’s Workforce Reforms: A Wake-Up Call for India’s Edupreneurs?” Read More »
Here’s a thought that might shake you: By the time we tell kids to “think like an entrepreneur”… they’ve already been trained to play it safe. Now pause.What if entrepreneurship wasn’t just for MBA grads or 20-somethings in co-working cafés? 💥 What if it started in Class 6? 👇Let me tell you about a student
What If We Taught Our Kids to Start a Business Before They Learn to Write a Résumé? Read More »
(The hardest word in English isn’t supercalifragilisticexpialidocious — it’s just “NO”) I’ve taught Maths for over a two decade — linear equations, quadratic heartbreaks, geometry with sharp angles and sharper students.But the biggest calculation I ever did wasn’t on paper. It was figuring out how many favours I could give before my sanity turned into
The Journey Bridged by NO! Read More »
In today’s AI-enabled workplace, a new leadership challenge has quietly emerged — the illusion of performance. Everything appears flawless: PowerPoint decks are slick. KPIs are colour-coded and aligned with strategy. Performance reviews read like success stories. Automated reports and AI-assisted documentation are immaculate. But the daily operations? The client calls, the team huddles, the actual
When AI Polishes the Surface but Performance Cracks Beneath Read More »
In 2006, I started my first EdTech initiative, Project Handsfree for Teachers. My goal was ambitious yet simple: to revolutionize the way teachers approached remedial and advanced learning. The idea was to take these sessions out of the traditional classroom and into a computer lab where students could engage in online study. This would free
EdTech Insights: Turning Setbacks into Opportunities from Project Handsfree Read More »
As a first-time entrepreneur, your words are one of your most powerful tools. Whether you’re pitching to investors, leading your team, or engaging with customers, the way you communicate can establish your authority, build trust, and shape your leadership style. However, your words can also be misinterpreted, leading to challenges in building credibility. Learning to
Speak Like a Leader: Build Trust and Authority as a New Entrepreneur Read More »
Building a business is a lot like growing a plant. At first, it’s just a seed—a tiny, fragile idea. It holds potential, but that potential means nothing without care, attention, and patience. This is what my experience taught me: even when you do things consistently without much focus, they often yield good results. But when
The Power of Consistency: How 12 Months of Focus Changed My Business and My Life Read More »
