Latest news with #TamilNaduStartupSummit2025
Business Mayor
24-04-2025
- Business
- Business Mayor
Security should be there by design in a startup, says Sify CEO
C.R. Srinivasan, CEO, Sify Digital Services, in conversation with Suresh Vijayaraghavan, Chief Technology Officer, The Hindu Group, at the T.N. Startup Summit 2025 in Chennai on Thursday. | Photo Credit: B. VELANKANNI RAJ 'Security should be there by design' is a mantra that every cybersecurity startup should follow, said C.R. Srinivasan, CEO, Sify Digital Services, at the Tamil Nadu Startup Summit 2025 in Chennai on Thursday. He was in a conversation with Suresh Vijayaraghavan, Chief Technology Officer, The Hindu Group, on 'Cybersecurity in the Startup World: Why Stakeholders Can't Afford to Ignore It'. Speaking on the mistakes done by startups in the initial stages, he said: 'Most of the time they want any product to hit the market as soon as possible as they don't want to miss the opportunity for the product and want to be ahead of the competitor. They genuinely don't know if it is secure and lastly, 'we'll see when it happens' attitude. However, it becomes a significant roadblock at some point if they don't think about cybersecurity.' He said cybersecurity spending is an integral part of the product build. 'The startup is financially constrained but everybody starts out that way. If you compromise on cybersecurity, the cost of non conformance to security is very high. Its not just financial loss but also reputational loss. It is something they need to balance. They should ensure that they do what is minimally required.' Stressing that the consumer should also be aware of the importance of security, Mr. Srinivasan said that the startups need to understand that their reputation is at stake and it cannot be built mid way on the journey. 'It has to be built from day one,' he said. Funding firms must also stress on cybersecurity in a startup product. 'Not all founding teams come with technology exposure. Its important for founders to present themselves in a way that funding firms understand that they care about cybersecurity. The firm that's funding should also ask for that.' Published – April 24, 2025 10:05 pm IST
The Hindu
24-04-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Retail has to be there both physically and digitally, says expert
'Retail has evolved over the years and the main driver is the consumer,' said Sadique Ahmed, CEO, Pathfinder at the Tamil Nadu Startup Summit 2025 that was organised by The Hindu along with SRM Institute of Science and Technology, and co-presented by StartupTN in association with Sify Technologies. In a conversation with John Xavier, Editor–Technology, The Hindu, on the topic 'Democratising Retail – How AI is empowering business of all sizes', Mr. Ahmed said that in retail, those who adapted and changed succeeded, while traditional retailers were struggling. 'The reason for suffering is the gap has widened now... unless something miraculously comes to their rescue... they would perish,' he said referring to the technological advancements happening in this particular sector. He explained how technology had improved and how one knew what the consumer would be buying during the weekend. He also pointed out that technology had evolved but the adoption was not there. 'This is purely because the availability of tech is limited or cost of embracing it is high and also there is a herd mentality like 'let somebody do it and then I'll follow',' he added. Noting that quick commerce had always been around, Mr. Ahmed said that neighbourhood stores were like quick commerce catering to neighbourhood needs and delivery at homes. 'But they lost because they did not keep up the pace. The new platforms understood that sitting in one place they can know what consumer wants,' he said. He also noted that most online platforms were also having a physical store now. ' experiential buying will never die. Phygital is the solution – Retail has to be there physically and digitally,' he said. He also touched upon how consumers were expecting rewards on their spends and how brands were chasing this trend.
The Hindu
24-04-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Security should be there by design in a startup, says Sify CEO
'Security should be there by design' is a mantra that every cybersecurity startup should follow, said C.R. Srinivasan, CEO, Sify Digital Services, at the Tamil Nadu Startup Summit 2025 in Chennai on Thursday. He was in a conversation with Suresh Vijayaraghavan, Chief Technology Officer, The Hindu Group, on 'Cybersecurity in the Startup World: Why Stakeholders Can't Afford to Ignore It'. Speaking on the mistakes done by startups in the initial stages, he said: 'Most of the time they want any product to hit the market as soon as possible as they don't want to miss the opportunity for the product and want to be ahead of the competitor. They genuinely don't know if it is secure and lastly, 'we'll see when it happens' attitude. However, it becomes a significant roadblock at some point if they don't think about cybersecurity.' He said cybersecurity spending is an integral part of the product build. 'The startup is financially constrained but everybody starts out that way. If you compromise on cybersecurity, the cost of non conformance to security is very high. Its not just financial loss but also reputational loss. It is something they need to balance. They should ensure that they do what is minimally required.' Stressing that the consumer should also be aware of the importance of security, Mr. Srinivasan said that the startups need to understand that their reputation is at stake and it cannot be built mid way on the journey. 'It has to be built from day one,' he said. Funding firms must also stress on cybersecurity in a startup product. 'Not all founding teams come with technology exposure. Its important for founders to present themselves in a way that funding firms understand that they care about cybersecurity. The firm that's funding should also ask for that.'
The Hindu
24-04-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
T.N. Startup Summit: ‘An idea is built, iterated, and refined by students before going to market'
An idea is not just an idea; students build on it, iterate, learn, and build on it again, said Dr. Ananth Kumar, Associate Director of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at SRM Institute of Science and Technology, at the Tamil Nadu Startup Summit 2025 in Chennai on Thursday (April 24, 2025). Speaking during a session, 'Fireside chat: Nurturing startups from campus to the global scale – building entrepreneurial ecosystems in universities', he said, 'This sort of cycle helps students grow, as the idea goes through multiple iterations and, at some point, becomes ready for the market.' He was in conversation with R. Sujatha, Deputy Editor, The Hindu. Recalling the inception of incubator cells, he said that he and his colleagues had visited many incubation cells across the country. 'We then worked on our strengths, as that is the only way to build an active and growing incubator. The strength of SRM is its diversity in terms of programmes, research, and development, as well as people, who are our key strength,' he added. Narrating an incident about developing a motor for an e-bike, he said, 'It takes over four years to nurture a deep-tech product, bring it to market, and turn it into an investable company. If the founders have persistence, passion, and the resilience to stay the course, they will succeed. We want to focus on such startups.' Stating that they are focusing on setting up a Centre of Excellence for Rural Technology, he said that it would come up on the new campus, as it is connected to 100 villages. 'We want to focus on making it an innovation hub on rural technology and agri technology,' he added. Pointing out the differences between the early days of Silicon Valley and the startup ecosystem in India, he said there was access to risk capital, or patient capital, where investors were willing to wait. 'So, the best innovators went there and pitched ideas. They received the capital and delivered. Statistics show that over 30% of Silicon Valley startups have Indian founders. Now, in India, we have created a lot of resources for risk capital — from government grants to angel investors. The problem is not in finding funding, but in finding the right problem,' he added.
The Hindu
24-04-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
T.N. Startup Summit: Panellists stress need for policy framework that fosters inclusivity in startups
Even as Tamil Nadu is heading towards a vibrant and tech-led startup ecosystem, there is a need for a policy framework that fosters inclusivity in startups, noted panelists in one of the sessions hosted at The Hindu Tamil Nadu Startup Summit 2025, in Chennai on Thursday (April 24, 2025). The summit is organised by The Hindu, along with SRM Institute of Science and Technology, and co-presented by StartupTN in association with Sify Technologies. During a session on 'Building a diverse startup ecosystem: inclusion and gender equality', panellists discussed the power of inclusive technology, role of academic institutions in fostering the same, and how inclusion must be unbiased. Speaking about the challenges faced by persons with physical disabilities and the role of innovations through assistive technology in empowering them, Prateek Madhav, co-founder and CEO, AssisTech Foundation, said the country is now growing into one of the best assistive technology hubs in the world. The number has grown from a mere 10 or 15 to a vibrant ecosystem of 500 startups, which have changed lives and enabled persons with physical disabilities to gain better accessibility, independence, and social inclusion. Several of them were from Tamil Nadu, Mr. Madhav said. Highlighting technological innovation as the reason behind societal transformation and the growth of the startup ecosystem, he said it is essential to include assistive technology in the policy framework. Noting that persons with disabilities cannot be left behind in the attempt to build an inclusive ecosystem, he said they contribute 5% to 7% to the country's GDP. Investment, technological innovations, and research in inclusive startups would help in improving the economic impact of including persons with physical disabilities. Subalalitha C.N., professor, Department of Computing Technologies, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, spoke about the role of academia in nurturing startup and entrepreneurial mindset among students and encouraging faculty startups. Besides hackathons and project based courses, students are encouraged to commercialise their ideas through industry collaborations. Moreover, faculty startups help them align with their research domains and gain exposure to market requirements. This is reflected in the quality of their teaching. Jyotirmayee Dash, managing director, TeraLumen Solutions Private Limited, elaborated on her journey of building a startup and the terahertz technology. Underlining the need for diversification in startups, including research-based products and manufacturing, she said consistency and dedication are important to build a company based on deep tech. Collaborations, including those with business experts and various stakeholders, would help balance research and business ventures, she said. The session was moderated by Ramya Kannan, Chief of Bureau, Tamil Nadu, The Hindu.
