Venture Mozart bridges the gap between vision and execution with professional advice and customized solutions, tackling the difficulty early-stage entrepreneurs confront in obtaining astute, scalable help for strategy, growth, and finance.
I didn’t have a sexy startup idea when I started. Like most confused founders out there, I was also in the middle of a what-next fog.
But there’s one thing clear that I wanted to build something meaningful. I had to find a real problem, a problem that I have lived, seen, and felt.
So I paused and scanned my past few years, all those conversations, mentoring sessions, campus talks, policy meetings, and startup pitches. And I saw not one, not two but three solid problems staring right back at me.
Problem 1:
“Where should I start learning about startups?”
This one kept showing up in my DMs. Young, clueless, but curious minds asking “Sir, koi book ya blog suggest kar dijiye?” Like everyone else, I would send them the usual links i.e. Paul Graham’s essays, YC’s Startup School, maybe a few videos here and there.
But deep inside that the resources written from a Silicon Valley lens didn’t really made sense in Indian context. Certainly not for aspiring founders from places like Saharanpur, Sitapur, or Sultanpur.
Their world talks about raising seed rounds. Ours still struggles to find the right co-founder, a right mentor. Therefore, those sources might be gold for someone but certainly not made for our soil.
Problem 2:
Startup Policy Awareness = Zero on Ground
This one hit me harder. I had spent years helping shape UP’s startup policy proudly creating the foundation for #StartInUP.
From meager 495 startups in 2017 to over 14,000+ by end of 2024 that growth wasn’t luck. It was sweat, meetings, late-night drafting, and on-ground mobilization.
But when I looked around, I see the disconnect. Out of 8000+ colleges in UP, we had around 70 incubators which is barely enough. On an average not even one for each district of UP (UP has 75 districts).
In a state of 250 million people, registering 14000 startups may sound good ad once but not a great achievement to boast of. If you look at MSME segment, we have 9 million MSME units registered in UP and now see the 14,000 startups in that light.
Governments might have funds but not the intent or the speed.
There may be millions bright students across UP reading about “startups” in a newspaper but may never get access to the ecosystem we talk about in Lucknow, Noida or Delhi. It feels like a whole generation being left out, and I always blame non one but myself for not pushing enough to get them onboard.
Problem 3:
Startup quality is in a mess.
Let’s not sugarcoat it. UP may now be the 4th largest startup ecosystem in India by numbers. But if we flip the list and look at quality, we would probably be top 5 from the bottom.
What good are 14,000 startups if most are still stuck on idea stage, or worse, building without solving anything meaningful? I have seen it all unclose and believe every aspiring founder has the right intent but without a direction.
They need someone to guide them, channelize their energy for the betterment of their bright future, state’s economy and ultimately for the sake of a prosperous society.
Time to do something
I have decided to take the bull by the horns by tackling both the problems: the awareness and the quality.
And I turned to the platform that I loved the most: LinkedIn. My small community was already there.
As they say “why build a new house when the guests are already hanging out in your backyard.”
I doubled down on writing:
- Spreading awareness about the startup ecosystem
- Tactical stuff about building a meaningful venture
- Day-to-day founder realities
- and practical insights
Soon, DMs started coming in, comments increased and people started noticing. And that’s when a wellwisher told me, “why don’t you launch a proper newsletter. You can use Substack.”
I did and failed. I could hardly fetch 10-15 followers and my linkedin community didn’t seem to be in mood to migrate. (No one wants to click extra links and the lesson was quickly learnt.)
The accidental discovery
In one of those casual scroll moments, I discovered that LinkedIn had its own newsletter feature.
Boom. I didn’t have to move people. I could build right where my community was.
And that’s how my newsletter Cubicle to CEO was born.
Within 24 hours, I had 1000+ subscribers. No ads. No promotion. Just resonance.
People didn’t just read it, they replied, shared, and even quoted and discussed.
That was the real validation.
Not the kind that VCs ask for, but the kind that tells you “you are solving a real problem.”
Key take aways
- You don’t always need a product to start. You may start with a post.
- Don’t build alone. Build in public.
- Don’t assume anything, validate fast, even if it means failing in front of 100 or 1000 people.
- And never underestimate the power of your community.
I didn’t start Venture Mozart with a VC cheque or a tech team. I never went around seeking funds for my startup from VCs or Government grants.
I started with a problem that pissed me off, used a platform that already knew me, And a mindset that said “let’s go one step at a time.”
So if you are sitting on an idea, confused where to start maybe don’t build an app. Write a damn post. Start a conversation. And who knows? Your Cubicle to CEO moment might be waiting for you.
happy venture building!
Abhishek Tiwari
