In the eye of the start-up storm
Shradha’s story begins in a vaguely familiar fashion - the walking away from a cushy job that promised security, comfort, brand recognition...everything except what she really wanted. “My stint in the media brought me in touch with so many entrepreneurs and all of them had a different story to share — each unique and personal. The problem — nobody was listening,” she says.
She still remembers that fateful late night phone call that served as the trigger. “This then-new businessman (he is quite big in his domain today) rang me up to vent out his frustration on the lack of coverage about a certain company news,” she says, “His whole world revolved around that big milestone. Yet nobody knew about it. He was shaken.”
Entrepreneurs are a unique breed, says Shradha. “They put themselves out there, against the multitude of population that is judgemental and waiting to see them make a mistake. Everything is personal. Everything is emotional.” And the more she started talking about the amazing things that were coming out of start-ups, the more she realised that she was providing an invaluable service. “Just encouraging these first-generation entrepreneurs and holding their hand through the tough first years of a start-up meant so much to them,” she says, “That’s how my business model evolved and before I knew it, I was a start-up myself.”
Today YourStory is the country’s biggest platform for start-ups, providing them with visibility and support by putting them in touch with investors, holding special events for them and, in the process, kick-starting a whole new culture among Indian entrepreneurs. The subjects of many of Shradha’s earliest stories are today heading multi-million dollar ventures and, more importantly, are eager to give back. “We are a community based on goodwill. These old hands readily help out the new guys with their initial hiccups. It is an amazing cycle.” And Shradha is literally at the centre of of it all.
“I was handling YourStory by myself for two and half years during which I made absolutely no money,” she says, “People used to think I was just passing time and that I had the backing of a rich husband. I could see them smirking inside. That was the drug I needed to keep me from giving up early on.”
For Shradha, the finish line is still nowhere in sight. “We are looking at building a strong India-Silicon Valley connect and create the biggest database of start-ups in the country,” she smiles.
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