The Young, The Bold, The Restless
“One of the huge mistakes people make is that they try to force an interest on themselves. You don’t choose your passions; your passions choose you”
— Jeff Bezos
If you are an Indian reading this journal, you would know that the thrust presently in India, while talking of job creation, is on “turning entrepreneurs”.
Now, India has had a rich tradition of entrepreneurs, leading the way not just in wealth creation, but also in nation building. The Independence struggle story is incomplete without references to the examples of industrialists partnering with Mahatma Gandhi. The rich tradition of entrepreneurs turning out in large numbers for nation building continues till date.
What’s more, there is a renewed thrust on entrepreneurship under the Modi government. There is a dedicated start-ups programme aimed at making the country hub for start-ups. The newly-constituted Skills Ministry is also mandated with encouraging entrepreneurship in the country.
All this is important because we have been witnessing, or this is what a dominant section of economists has been saying, jobless growth for years. The government, on the other hand, argues that through initiatives like Mudra, enough enterprises have been created. The jury is still out on this.
We at BW Businessworld have a tradition of celebrating entrepreneurship and new entrepreneurs. Our ‘Young Entrepreneurs’ Awards’ celebrate the best in league, who show promise, potential and spunk to make it big.
This year too, out of the total 215 entries received, BW Businessworld recognises 20 innovative companies for changing the game across various industries. Their founders ooze optimism, innovation and boldness.
The knowledge partner for these awards, Grant Thornton, along with a power-packed jury panel shortlisted 32 entries after vigorous checks and balances and then zeroed in on 20 winners.
We, in our cover story, thus, present to you 20 stories of vision, grit and determination. Tomorrow, the rest of the media will rediscover them as trailblazers with path-breaking stories to narrate.
The bottomline, as Vince Lombardi would say, “Winners never quit, and quitters never win”.
In our second cover this issue, we kick off our Budget coverage, with an insightful write-up by Associate Editor Mahua Venkatesh on the likely contours of the Union Budget, which will be presented on 1 February. In an interesting twist, we ask industry captains to spell out their own Budget priorities in a section titled ‘If I were the Finance Minister’. We will carry forward our Budget coverage in the next few issues. This is also the season where cryptocurrencies like bitcoins have made headlines. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has said that bitcoins or any such cryptocurrency are not legal tender and those indulging in such transactions are doing it at their own risk.
In a comprehensive piece by Mumbai Bureau Chief Clifford Alvares, we bring to you a ready reckoner on cyrptocurrencies.
In this issue, we also bring to you a special story by Media editor Noor Fathima Warsia on Oryxcash, its founder Sajid Jamal and the company’s lead product – a coin that aims to bring the best of the cryptocurrency and the banking sector together by leveraging blockchain and information technology.
Interesting times ahead and we are always here to give you a perspective. Do keep sending your feedback. Happy reading!
