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by source99 3589 days ago
Can someone explain why their are so many startups concentrating on India? Is it in part due to the overall expansion of the internet and economy?
5 comments
runesoerensen 3589 days ago
Relevant article from a couple of days ago: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/trend-tracking/The-Y-Comb...

A few snippets:

- "Once upon a time, bright graduates from top Indian colleges took up wellpaying jobs with MNCs or headed to the Ivy Leagues for higher education. That is passe. More and more of them now harbour startup dreams."

- "There is no doubt that India will be the fastest growing economy in the world for the next 10+ years. We will see many more $100M in revenue businesses being built in India"

- "The first startup we funded that focused on building for the Indian market was ClearTax in 2014. The Times of India wrote a story about ClearTax being in YC - and after that we started seeing more Indian founders applying to YC. The increase in Indian companies in YC is likely reflective of the fact that we're seeing more applications from India. After the US, India is the country that sends us the most applications."

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ryandamm 3588 days ago
Large population, favorable demographics (entering its 'demographic surplus' phase), lots of untapped potential?

Also: English-speaking, personal and professional ties to SV? Solid educational system, history of in-sourcing US-based IT and tech development?

Or maybe it's just a big love-fest for Narendra Modi. I have no idea.

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hackuser 3588 days ago
> Solid educational system

My impression is the opposite, but maybe I'm misinformed ?

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hnarayanan 3588 days ago
The system is heterogeneous, tracking wealth distribution inequality, but can be very good.
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pavlov 3589 days ago
AFAIK, Y Combinator had a particular focus on international startups for this round, and India is an enticing emerging market.
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1_listerine_pls 3588 days ago
My guess is that the market is getting crowded in developed countries. It's easier to find a simple solution for a large problem in a place with scarcity of good developers.
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mkagenius 3589 days ago
total 3 out of 92 is 3.2% of total.

GDP (PPP) of India vs United States (ppp) is 30%.

So..

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ryandamm 3588 days ago
PPP is a kind of useless statistic for comparison, here. YC partners are looking for real-money returns.

That said, I'm bullish on India in the 10-20 year time table. Eventually it will be the most populous country in the world, and wealth will eventually track population. I think.

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