BUZZWORD COMPLIANCE Sanjay Anandaram A friend narrated this to me this morning. He was on a business trip to Taiwan and bumped into a colleague from a much larger division of the same company at Taipei airport. After exchanging some chit-chat, the colleague told my friend that he was likely to be now based out of […]
CONFLICTS OF INTEREST Sanjay Anandaram Julius Caesar the great Roman emperor divorced his wife Pompeia as heconsidered his honour and position compromised because Pompeia was indirectly associated with a trial for sacrilege. He explained that his wife should not only be free from sin but from suspicion. Given the state of our political system, this […]
INDIAN CRICKET NEEDS A KERRY PACKER! Sanjay Anandaram That cricket is a religion in India is a cliché. That cricket exists as an “international†sport largely because of India is a fact. More people, perhaps, play cricket in Mumbai’s Shivaji Park than there are first class cricketers in Australia. Yet how is it that the […]
ENTREPRENEURIAL MBA? Sanjay Anandaram An increasing number of universities and colleges are offering courses in  “Entrepreneurship†as part of their business education. Around the world, business plan competitions are held by academic institutions at regular intervals. The wide publicity given to “entrepreneurship†in recent times has resulted in entrepreneurs gaining respect and being acknowledged as […]
One of the things that intrigued me when I visited a startup recently was the amazing conformity and homogeneity on display. Most of the team members were from a particular community, from a particular part of the country, had studied in the same set of colleges and had worked in similar roles in similar companies […]
ENTREPRENEUR-BOARD DYNAMICS Sanjay Anandaram  You’re delighted to have successfully raised capital. You can now execute the plan and grow the business. One of the first things you do is hire senior sales and marketing people. You negotiate their compensation with them and are about to issue an employment contract. Then you remember that you’re […]
The Right CEO? By Sanjay Anandaram __________________________________________________________________________ Most entrepreneurs (especially wannabees) believe that they should naturally be the CEO of their venture because “hey, its my idea and my company!†Really? are you indeed the right CEO to steer your entrepreneurial dreams to success?  Entrepreneurial ventures are usually created in either or both of these […]
Am I Good Enough? by Sanjay Anandaram Over the weekend I was a panel member at a mentorship event. One of the presenters was the founder of a company whose business card simply read “Chief Architectâ€. On being asked who the CEO of this company was, he surprised all by saying, “I’m looking out for […]
Once in a blue moon, this situation repeats itself. The board of a company along with the stake holders and investors are pushing the entrepreneur towards a direction and he/she is really not liking it, and tries the ownership card. “This is my company, and I do have the best in mind for it”. Nobody […]
I’ve seen a number of posts lately discussing the ‘changing face of venture capital’. Paul Graham talks about the change in dynamics caused by the low capital requirements of technology startups. Fred Wilson discusses the need for a market for privately held common stock. There seems to be a general consensus about the growing role […]
Interesting vision of ten years ahead from Microsoft Office Labs. Video: Future Vision Montage There is also a longer version here, and the Labs Blog here.
Venturebeat has a great summary on whats happening in the venture capital world. While the specific conversation is focused around US, some of the aspects have relevance in other markets like India. From new deal structures, building profitability versus value (when there is a tradeoff), virtualization as a macro trend, kids as a market, evolution […]