I’ve seen so many “we’re shutting down” posts from founders in India that they barely sting anymore. It almost feels inevitable - because that’s the narrative start-up media has amplified: only x% survive beyond y years.⁣
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But statistics alone don’t explain why. They’re just numbers, not causes.⁣
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If we take a hard look at India’s “tech” start-up investments over the past two decades, one truth emerges: we’ve invested heavily in building products, but very little in distribution, and almost nothing in internal processes and systems. And that is where the cracks appear.⁣
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Start-ups build good ideas, great products, but distribution is left to costly, inefficient online pushes. Many never scale. Among the few that do, too many collapse because they lack the processes and systems to sustain growth.⁣
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We’ve built castles, but they’re in the air. The foundations remain weak.⁣
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The time is now:⁣
To build distribution.⁣
To define processes.⁣
To trust systems.⁣
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And here’s the truth that will make some engineers uncomfortable: Tech in India doesn’t just need better builders. It needs better sellers. And the first batch of sellers must come from among the engineers themselves - because they understand the technology, and they must learn to understand the business.⁣
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That’s how Engineer’s Day stops being symbolic - and starts being significant.