0ver the Rainbow: Saurya Velegapudi on Guiding Big Tech Companies to Asian Unicorns

There is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all solution. When it comes to startups and small businesses, there are so many obstacles and issues that are unique to each one that no single solution can be replicated. Big technology businesses usually deal with this by developing broad answers to the specific problems that startups and SMEs encounter. The crux of each problem, on the other hand, is rarely addressed.

Within Southeast Asia, we have people from about 100 ethnic groups and a population of 655 million people who speak over 1,000 different languages and dialects. Even in a small region, the diverse backgrounds of people should cause no surprise when we need more specific methods to address the problem of overgeneralization.

It's tough to fix every problem when there's such a wide range of people and possibilities, especially when there's a lack of understanding of the problem. According to the World Bank, rural areas account for over 43 percent of the world's population. Large technology businesses' talent has been squandered as a result of their failure to reach out and understand these groups.

To quote an example, in order to figure out what kind of user experience (UX) worked best in India, Google deployed a team of American researchers to Bandra, Mumbai. They concluded that India is not much different to western nations. However, any Indian can attest to the fallacy of this conclusion! Being one of Mumbai's wealthiest regions, Bandra is in no way a representation of India’s requirements. This exemplifies the problem with large corporations that are consensus-driven, as a lack of exposure to the complexities of our world leads to the dilemma of a one-size-fits-all solution.

Therefore, we need local companies that can sense the pulse of the community and produce practical and relevant solutions. They are better placed to identify these issues and offer locally relevant remedies. However, they lack funds, hence, monetary support given from Big Tech companies is still needed despite their lack of insight on these local startups. Asia has the largest number of internet users in the world, accounting for 53.4% of the global total. However, the amount of capital raised by South-East Asia's tech upstarts declined 3.5% from the year before, down to $8.2 billion in 2020. This misalignment in the weightage between end-users and investors leads to a lack of comprehension.

Enter Saurya Velagapudi who fills this gap by connecting large startups with people who are currently solving local problems. Born and raised in Asia, Saurya is able to understand local issues first-hand, thus ensuring an authentic understanding of the area. Additionally, he has an in-depth understanding of Big Tech's operations, making him the ideal person to bridge the gap between the two.

Saurya_048.jpg

Saurya understands that Big Tech's primary motivation is to invest in ideas that can be commercially viable and scalable. He gained insider knowledge about Big Tech companies when working at Google, and this will help him convey the necessary strategies for investment. His ability to polish startup models and refine business plans makes him one of a kind when it comes to aligning business strategies with Big Tech's goals.

Asia is a treasure trove. Saurya uses his robust networks to steer big businesses over the rainbow to smaller startups, ensuring that they solve issues that affect local communities. His personal motivation to enter the tech industry is to solve problems and improve the lives of others with technology. Saurya seeks to bridge the gap between large and small cities by using the latest technological advances.

As such, would you like to interview Saurya Velagapudi? He will also be able to share more about:

1) The main barriers that prevent Big Tech companies from solving grassroot problems

2) The metrics that Big Techs look out for when investing in local startups

3) How local startups can refine their business models to secure funding

4) Examples of local startups solving problems at a grassroots level via sophisticated technological solutions

Press contact: For media queries, please contact svarrupa@saltinecomms.com

Revolutionising the startup industry, Simhapura provides an all-round solution for all startup issues. Starting from trouble-shooting, he works with companies to identify key issues before implementing sustainable solutions for them. His function as a startup therapist ranges from technical solutions to organizational restructuring.

This release was published on openPR.