My work profile demands that I closely work with the software product ecosystem in India. As a part of this profile, I get to speak to CXOs of product companies of various sizes, and of various software segments from the ERP to the iphone application.
Somehow every time I came across a product it is usually solving a larger problem created by a larger product company in most cases from markets abroad. This is not a dampener when you realize the market share and the kind of revenues that the companies make. But the concern is that we are missing out on the bigger piece of action.
When you are a company of a size of a SAP, Oracle, Microsoft, IBM they have so many Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) that develop software around their platforms that they need to run a partner program to coordinate with the ISV eco system. In this case this case SAPs, Oracles, Microsofts & IBMs of the world are the problem creators. So when I say problem, I mean that they have created a product of such great usage, that consumer wants to extend/customize to their daily lives at work/home. To address the pain area we have a number of applications in the market to address the consumer needs.
Ipod is one such case, they created a way for listeners to listen to quality music on the go with great use, but the problem that it created was that, consumers felt would it not be great if I could play games on this device, get my personal accounts, carry work on this device. So now you have App stores which are just solving all these problems. Which is great, but you are not the problem creator.
Tally is one product company we love to talk about and they are typical example of a problem creator.
Now When you question why this is so. It looks like a problem with eco system itself that does not encourage problem creator level entrepreneurship. Google, Microsoft, HP all these companies are formed by individuals from Ivy League colleges, but now we have IISC, IIT , IIM and premier engineering and management schools out there with their own incubator programs. So the issues must be the money, there are more VCs looking at India than some of the mature markets.
So according to mean it’s the idea with what you start your company, most the companies look at the ecosystem there is ready 40 million user base for this product or consumer need so let me go and design a product for that. Not many companies In India come up with an idea, let me sell virtual 30*40 plots (referring to Second life, the idea still seems way above but we have every company buying space on Second Life). In years to come we need such problem creator ideas.
Hope there is a day in the Software product ecosystem in India, when the enviorement is dominated by problem creators.
Happy Independence day!
Somehow every time I came across a product it is usually solving a larger problem created by a larger product company in most cases from markets abroad. This is not a dampener when you realize the market share and the kind of revenues that the companies make. But the concern is that we are missing out on the bigger piece of action.
When you are a company of a size of a SAP, Oracle, Microsoft, IBM they have so many Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) that develop software around their platforms that they need to run a partner program to coordinate with the ISV eco system. In this case this case SAPs, Oracles, Microsofts & IBMs of the world are the problem creators. So when I say problem, I mean that they have created a product of such great usage, that consumer wants to extend/customize to their daily lives at work/home. To address the pain area we have a number of applications in the market to address the consumer needs.
Ipod is one such case, they created a way for listeners to listen to quality music on the go with great use, but the problem that it created was that, consumers felt would it not be great if I could play games on this device, get my personal accounts, carry work on this device. So now you have App stores which are just solving all these problems. Which is great, but you are not the problem creator.
Tally is one product company we love to talk about and they are typical example of a problem creator.
Now When you question why this is so. It looks like a problem with eco system itself that does not encourage problem creator level entrepreneurship. Google, Microsoft, HP all these companies are formed by individuals from Ivy League colleges, but now we have IISC, IIT , IIM and premier engineering and management schools out there with their own incubator programs. So the issues must be the money, there are more VCs looking at India than some of the mature markets.
So according to mean it’s the idea with what you start your company, most the companies look at the ecosystem there is ready 40 million user base for this product or consumer need so let me go and design a product for that. Not many companies In India come up with an idea, let me sell virtual 30*40 plots (referring to Second life, the idea still seems way above but we have every company buying space on Second Life). In years to come we need such problem creator ideas.
Hope there is a day in the Software product ecosystem in India, when the enviorement is dominated by problem creators.
Happy Independence day!
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