Zoho Corporation’s head Sridhar Vembu is looking at initiating a project under which he intends to bring the Indian talent pool from the United States of America back to the villages of India.
“We will ask people to come back to villages and invest here. We are looking at 1,000 such people,” he said while delivering his speech on ‘Building a Value-Driven Enterprise’ at the 15th edition of TiE Chennai’s flagship event – TiECON Chennai 2022 – with the theme “Resilience Unlimited.”
Mr. Vembu also narrated that after the COVID-19 pandemic, he had given a subscription waiver for his clients that indirectly helped him two years down the line. “We gave a subscription waiver during the pandemic. And after six months, they came back and paid us (when they got the money). And because of this, our customers are doing marketing (word of mouth), which is helping us have a wider reach across the globe,” he explained.
C.K. Ranganathan, president, TiE Chennai, and chairman and managing director of CavinKare, said, “The post-pandemic world is a new era for business owners. It is a world that has pushed entrepreneurs to redefine their ventures and reinvent their business models. Our theme for this year – Resilience Unlimited – seeks to honour and nurture the spirit of resilience.”
Mr. Ranganathan also had a fireside chat titled ‘Passionate Pathfinders’ with M.M. Murugappan, chairman of Carborundum Universal Ltd., who shared his journey of climbing the ladder of success and the importance of fostering positive upbringing, especially with entrepreneurs who have to uphold entrepreneurial legacies.
Mr. Murugappan also spoke about the Murugappa Group’s plant in Russia and said that despite the ongoing war with Ukraine, it had been functioning smoothly. “It’s been 16 years since we invested there,” he said.
Another session titled Climate Conversations saw Mridula Ramesh, founder, Sundaram Climate Institute, sharing insights with Mahalingam K. , partner/director, TSM Group of companies, on the alarming effects of climate change and the role of organisations in encouraging resilience and the power they hold in speeding up the process.
Sivarajah Ramanathan, mission director and CEO, Tamil Nadu Startup and Innovation Mission (TANSIM), highlighted the various initiatives that the State government had initiated for the benefit of start-ups, especially in rural pockets.
