Why Kawasaki at the Nasscom Product Conclave ?
Loading ...Bangalore played host to the Nasscom Product Conclave over the last couple of days, and it was a brilliantly organized event. The best part of it, imo, was the cross section of participants the event was able to pull in. Such major industry events usually get a little intimidating for the smaller, just starting out guys – but this conclave easily avoided that. The sessions were useful, deeper than usual, and because of these reasons, packed. The networking was very very active, and I pretty much caught up with everyone I’ve met and come across over the last four years!
Amidst the relevance, interactivity and focus of the event, Guy Kawasaki – as a keynote speaker and twitter specialist 
– added the superstar draw for many folks. Guy’s a great speaker with ready wit and humour, and very, very approachable. He’s also a persistent marketer.
However, I do think he wasn’t the best choice for the keynote. Also, the session he conducted was as much a distraction from the theme of the event as it was an attraction for many. Why do I think so?Entrepreneurship 2.0
) though one always would love more direct, straightforward and precise ideas about how the real world operates (no discussions on size difference related issues, kickback-demand handling, etc)
and the saving grace for me was that keynote from Guy (possibly the only reason I choose to attend the conclave in the first place).
Great post, Sameer! I completely agree. People like Guy sell a dream which is too big, and while there is merit in selling a dream that size, there are also pitfalls.
The scenario is quite different for Indian start-ups, as they are on Indian soil and have a indian soul, which also means that:
1. Failures are frowned upon- big time- by everybody, including near and dear family. We have been “successful” for too small a time to not wince when the failure does happen. Not true in the US.
2. Indians are extremely cost conscious, as buyers. Also, FOREIGN STUFF IS BETTER is still too recent a memory for them. In most cases, it is still their current reality. Not true in the US.
3. The culture of innovation is found in few pockets. For a start-up to find innovators to sell to, for payments, restricts their pool to less than maybe 0.02 percent of the population. Not true in the US – most US companies and buyers love in inovativeness.
We need indian success stories and indian story tellers. I felt Rajesh Hukkus presentation could be closer to the truth, and their travails closer than the Guy Kawasakis of the world.
-Sangeeta