Startups and Society seperator

With the new story project, Startups and Society, we will investigate and chronicle stories about how entrepreneurship influences society around us.

Entrepreneurial journeys are like space missions. They combine bold vision and fearlessness with the drudgery of operations. Add to that the millions of tiny pieces of execution that must work in tandem and exactly as prescribed for a spaceship to land successfully. External and internal factors define a space mission and are sometimes too unpredictable to plan.

Remember, though, that the world’s third largest startup ecosystem is littered with failures for every success story. Companies founded by ambitious entrepreneurs that showed early promise impressed angel investors or venture capitalists enough to raise seed or growth capital but got nowhere and disappeared. Entrepreneurial journeys are lonely and ruthlessly demanding. If the startup is bootstrapped, these journeys get even more desolate, and the valleys of death get endlessly long.

With this multi-year story project, FactorDaily will bring evidence-based storytelling and explain what it truly means to be a startup founder, employee and the society around them.

FEATURED STORY

From Loss to Liberation: How Dhiraj Rajaram Fought to Reclaim His Company and Himself

04 December 2023
Dhiraj Rajaram's Battle for Mu Sigma - A gripping story of personal struggles, mental resilience, and a daring buyback of nearly a billion dollars.
Further coverage

Beware of Entrepreneurship

17 October 2022
Entrepreneurship is like a ghost fight. You are fighting with your own ghost every day. In this heartfelt account Sunny Ghosh talks about the struggles of entrepreneurship beyond the usual chase of unicorn statuses and success stories.

The making of Girish Mathrubootham

17 April 2017
Uncovering the untold story of a quiet visionary, this piece explores the journey of Girish Mathrubootham who played a pivotal role in propelling the country to the forefront of the global software industry.

Meet India’s
geekiest couple:
Kiran Jonnalagadda and Zainab Bawa

16 January 2017
Founded by Kiran Jonnalagadda and Zainab Bawa, HasGeek is more than just a tech community. Their story, a blend of technology, activism, and community building has revolutionized the tech ecosystem in India with integrity, innovation, and inclusivity.
FROM OTHER PROJECTS

FINDING SHAMNAD BASHEER

22 December 2022
Exploring the enduring legacy of Shamnad Basheer, whose life's journey reshaped India's legal landscape and inspired a generation of social change-makers.

This Yin and Yang of Screens

19 August 2022
We’ve never been more involved with our screens but is the relationship a healthy one? Even as Indians spent 4.7 hours on average on their phones in 2021, how much is too much?

How the Phone You Chucked is Killing Seelampur

11 January 2021
The story of a teenage boy Aman is common among the 30,000 men, women and children who expose themselves to toxic fumes, acid splashes and lasting injuries in Seelampur, the town where all our old phones go to die.