The highly anticipated TiEcon Mumbai 2025 Entrepreneurial Leadership Summit, centred around the theme “Dhanda First,” brought together a stellar lineup of entrepreneurs, investors, and thought leaders. The event served as a dynamic platform for attendees to gain deep insights into business strategies, industry trends, and innovative ideas, all while emphasizing the core tenets of sustainable and ethical entrepreneurship.
The ‘Dhanda First’ Philosophy: A Guiding Mantra for Entrepreneurs
The theme “Dhanda First” underscored the significance of prioritizing business fundamentals, adaptability, customer-centricity, and ethical decision-making in today’s fast-evolving economic landscape. As businesses navigate challenges ranging from technological disruption to financial sustainability, this approach encourages entrepreneurs to focus on long-term growth, resilience, and innovation.
Speaking at the summit, Ranu Vohra, President, TiE Mumbai and Co- founder & Executive Vice Chairman, Avendus emphasized Mumbai’s pivotal role in India’s startup ecosystem and its blend of financial expertise, technological prowess, and entrepreneurial spirit. He said “Mumbai is uniquely positioned to drive job creation, economic expansion, and innovation, contributing to India’s goal of achieving Vikshit Bharat by 2047. It is necessity for startups to focus on solving pressing societal challenges and leveraging Mumbai’s strength in physical resources, extensive infrastructure and human capital to propel the country’s startup ecosystem forward.”
Dr Apoorva Ranjan Sharma, President-Elect, TiE Mumbai and Co-Founder, Venture Catalysts & 100Unicorns, remarked that India has the potential to produce global tech giants like Google and OpenAI but requires substantial capital infusion to realize this vision. “While India has witnessed a surge in retail and institutional investments, with family offices and investors contributing around $1 B to startups, India needs at least $5 billion in early-stage funding annually to achieve its goal of creating 1,000 unicorns. This can be achieved by encouraging large-ticket investors from family offices and the stock market to invest in early-stage startups, a goal that TiE Mumbai aims to support.”
Key Takeaways & Insights from TiEcon Mumbai 2025:
- Compassionate capitalism fosters motivated employees and sustainable growth by ensuring fair wages, recognition, and a strong corporate culture.
- AI should be assistive, not disruptive, meaning it should enhance human productivity rather than replace jobs.
- Investment in AI components such as liquid coolant manufacturing and chip logistics presents lucrative opportunities, particularly as the demand for data centers and AI-driven computation grows.
- Navi Mumbai is emerging as India’s data center capital, attracting global tech investments due to its robust infrastructure and strategic location.
- Ease of doing business will be a key accelerator for India’s growth story, requiring streamlined regulations, reduced bureaucratic hurdles, and greater access to funding.
- India is on the cusp of the Free Intelligence Era, with AI playing a transformative role in education, healthcare, and governance, enabling widespread automation and decision-making improvements.
- Quick commerce and D2C brands are exploding in India’s retail ecosystem, fuelled by increasing internet penetration, evolving consumer preferences, and advanced logistics solutions.
- Strong governance, focus, and perseverance are crucial for entrepreneurial success, ensuring businesses navigate market fluctuations and regulatory challenges effectively.
- Building a MOAT (competitive advantage) by selecting the right audience is key, as companies that deeply understand their customers will sustain long-term market leadership.
The summit featured an array of engaging keynote addresses, panel discussions, and interactive sessions, where renowned speakers shared their wisdom on leadership, market dynamics, and investment strategies.
N R Narayana Murthy, Founder, Infosys championed the principle of “compassionate capitalism,” urging businesses to treat employees with dignity and minimize wage disparities. He emphasized that employees seek recognition, appreciation, and respect beyond just monetary rewards. Highlighting Infosys’ share distribution model, he demonstrated how businesses can foster a motivated workforce, contribute to national development, and alleviate poverty through innovation and job creation. On Artificial Intelligence (AI), Mr Murthy stated that AI involves two fundamental principles: machine learning, which enables large-scale correlation for predictive analysis, and deep learning, which mimics human brain functions to handle unsupervised algorithms. “Unsupervised algorithms which use deep learning and neural networks are the ones that have much greater potential to do things that will mimic human beings better and better,” he said. He added that AI should be deployed in an assistive manner to enhance productivity without replacing human capabilities.
Atul Nishar, Founder, Hexaware Technologies Ltd & Chairman, Techpro Ventures and Azent Overseas Education captivated the audience with a poetic tribute to the stock market, encapsulating its highs, lows, and unpredictability. His session offered a balanced market outlook, forecasting an optimistic rebound in the near future while acknowledging the cyclical nature of financial markets.
The Chief Guest, Arvind Kumar, Director General, STPI lauded the ‘Dhanda First’ theme for its clarity, impact, and ability to shape India’s entrepreneurial narrative. He emphasized Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) as a catalyst for inclusive growth, calling for increased investments in deep-tech sectors like AI, quantum computing, and semiconductors. He highlighted the three pillars of startup success—Passion, Persistence, and Partnership, urging stakeholders to support long-term investments that drive India’s vision of becoming a $35 trillion economy by 2047.
Ritesh Agarwal, Founder & Group CEO, OYO shared OYO’s extraordinary turnaround story, transitioning from a ₹1,000 crore net loss in FY21-22 to a ₹240 crore profit in FY24, with projections of ₹1,100 crore in FY25. He attributed this recovery to customer proximity, adaptability, and resilience. His insights reinforced the importance of perseverance and a profitability-driven approach for entrepreneurs.
T V Mohandas Pai, Chairman, Aarin Capital laid out a visionary roadmap to position India as a dominant digital power. He proposed a $1 billion annual investment in AI, Machine Learning, robotics, genomics, and biotech, calling for stronger coalitions between academia, industry, and government. His focus was on nurturing deep-tech startups, fostering innovation, and attracting global collaborations.
Harsh Mariwala, Chairman, Marico Ltd stressed that growth is essential to excite stakeholders and must be ingrained in an organization’s DNA. He emphasized that businesses must balance sustainability and profitability while focusing on both topline and bottom-line growth. His key takeaway: dedicated resources and a focused approach are essential for scaling international operations.
Shaleen Sinha, Head, Growth Tech India, Boston Consulting Group underscored India’s economic trajectory, citing key growth drivers such as Quick Commerce, Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) brands, and fintech innovations. He projected that India’s GDP would double in the next seven years, with AI applications alone valued at $1 trillion.
Trivikraman Thampy, Co-Founder & Co- CEO, Games24x7 stated “We are witnessing a fundamental shift in the way businesses operate. Technologies like AI and data science have evolved from being enablers to becoming the very backbone of operational efficiency and personalised innovation. As India moves towards a trillion-dollar digital economy goal, the strategic adoption of AI and data-driven decision-making will be pivotal in propelling the next generation of startups and solidifying India’s position as a global technology leader.”
Speaking about his product, technology and quality focused brand, Tarun Mehta, CEO, Ather Energy stated “Customers don’t buy commodities, they put a lot of trust on brand and quality. There is an enormous power of word of mouth and all that comes down to the quality a product has.”
Commenting on the current geopolitical scene, Amrit Acharya, CEO Zetwerk stressed “As an entrepreneur, when you start a business, you don’t think of hedging and diversification. Bust over a period, diversification is a good trait to have. In addition to being an expert in manufacturing, we also need to become an expert un geopolitics for our business long term.”
The TiEcon Mumbai 2025 Entrepreneurial Leadership Summit successfully reinforced the ‘Dhanda First’ mindset, fostering critical discussions on business fundamentals, strategic investments, and leadership. As India continues its journey toward global economic prominence, events like these play a pivotal role in shaping the future of entrepreneurship and driving innovation-led growth
About TiE Mumbai
The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE), was founded in 1992 in Silicon Valley by a group of successful entrepreneurs, corporate executives, and senior professionals with roots in the Indus region. Since 1992. TiE has been supporting entrepreneurs by offering education, mentorship, networking and funding opportunities. The mission of TiE is to foster entrepreneurship globally through the 5 pillars of TiE : mentoring, networking and education, funding and incubation. Dedicated to the virtuous cycle of wealth creation and giving back to the community. TiE’s focus area is to generate enable the next generation of entrepreneurs. There are currently 11,000 members, including over 2,500 charter members in 60 chapters across 17 countries. TiE’s mission is to foster entrepreneurship globally through mentoring, networking, and education. Dedicated to the virtuous cycle of wealth creation and giving back to the community, TiE’s focus is on generating and nurturing our next generation of entrepreneurs.
