In a post on social media platform X on National Startup Day, Kamath argued that despite widespread pessimism about India’s growth prospects, the country is entering its most powerful phase yet for building companies, one shaped by deep domestic capital, policy support and technology that has radically lowered the cost of ambition.
“There’s a lot of pessimism about India’s growth prospects right now, amplified by the sheer amount of geopolitical drama we’re living through. But if we aren’t hopeful that India will do better, then everything becomes moot,” Kamath wrote on X.
Kamath recognised the headwinds facing the broader economy. “This isn’t to say we don’t have real problems. We do. But every successful country has had to deal with its own share of thorny challenges along its development path. What matters is how we respond,” he said.
Marking National Startup Day as a moment for introspection, Kamath said that despite near-term uncertainties, the broader environment remains favourable for entrepreneurs. “I can’t think of a better time to build something in India, and for the world, despite all the challenges,” he added.
Recalling the mid-2010s, Kamath noted that India’s startup ecosystem was far less developed and widely accepted at the time. “If I were tweeting this in 2015–16, the startup landscape barely extended beyond a handful of large e-commerce firms,” he said. Back then, he pointed out, there were no substantial domestic funding pools, limited institutional support, and a prevailing perception that startups were not a viable career option.
That landscape, Kamath argued, has since changed fundamentally. “Today, everything has changed,” he wrote, pointing to deeper pools of domestic capital, particularly long-term investors, an improving ease of doing business, a massive domestic market and active government support for startups.Link to post: x.com/Nithin0dha/status/2012035080081039644
A world being redrawn
Kamath also framed current global uncertainty as a structural reset rather than a temporary disruption. “We are truly living in unprecedented times,” he wrote. “The world order is being redrawn geopolitically, economically, and technologically.”
In his view, the retreat from unchecked globalisation and the growing focus on national self-sufficiency could work in India’s favour. “But massive shifts create massive opportunities for entrepreneurs who can see them coming,” he said.
Technology, particularly artificial intelligence, is a critical enabler in this cycle. “Most importantly, AI has dramatically reduced the barriers to experimentation,” Kamath wrote, noting that founders can now build and test ideas that would have required entire teams and significant capital just a few years ago.
Taken together, Kamath said, these converging forces amount to a rare opportunity. “Given all of these converging factors, if you’ve always had a dream to build something, there’s never been a better time to take your shot.”
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