TiE Mumbai hosted a conversation with Harish Mehta decoding “The Maverick Effect”

by Suman Gupta

Mumbai, April 6, 2022 – TiE Mumbai hosted an exclusive mixer and networking evening yesterday with its Board members, Charter Members, Industry leaders and Mumbai Unicorns in attendance. The highlight of the evening was the conversation between Harish Mehta, Founder & Chairman- Onward Technologies and Past President & Board Member of TiE Mumbai and Anupam Mittal, Founder – People Group and Shaadi.com, decoding Harish’s newly released book “The Maverick Effect”.

Harish Mehta is a co- founder and the first elected president of NASSCOM. He has been an IT industry veteran and an entrepreneur himself. This book is a fascinating narrative of Harish Mehta’s personal life and his work intertwined with the genesis of NASSCOM, the evolution of the IT industry, the Indian economy and our Nation.

When NASSCOM was formed, the software export was around $ 50 m and the business was very difficult to sustain and operate. Software export has now grown to $ 178 b. The book methodically explains the manner in which NASSCOM went about eliminating the hurdles in the way of business and obtained Government buyin by making them see the vision about the impact software export would have on the Indian economy.

The book highlights some of the pivotal role of key government secretaries and ministers (DoT, StPI, communications ministry, finance, PMO etc) who worked tirelessly for the progress of the industry and the nation thereby. The Government of India thus helped build the IT industry with these Tech and IT entrepreneurs. Interesting stories and anecdotes from the pre liberation India to the today’s digitally ahead India have been interspersed throughout the book.

NASSCOM started with a belief “Aapna Time bhi aayega”. During the 80s, when the IT industry was at a nascent stage, our current account situation was appalling. We have come a long way since then. With the unparallel growth of the IT industry we are in a strong foreign exchange situation now and have created immense employment opportunities for the youth of the country. The Brand India Inc. created by the IT industry has helped every single industry globally. All these aspects have been brilliantly articulated in this book.

Today India is unstoppable, entering a golden era of growth. We are on a trajectory of becoming a Global leader. This book is highly recommended to every single Indian citizen to understand how India has reached this pinnacle of success. It is a treasure house of inspiring stories that will make one extremely proud.

Today Entrepreneurship in India is possible because of the policies that were set and have come out during this era. The internet and digital age start-ups have NASSCOM to thank for!

About TiE Mumbai: The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE), was founded in 1992 in Silicon Valley by a group of successful entrepreneurs, corporate executives, and senior professionals with roots in the Indus region. Since 1992. TiE has been supporting entrepreneurs by offering education, mentorship, networking and funding opportunities. The mission of TiE is to foster entrepreneurship globally through the 5 pillars of TiE : mentoring, networking and education, funding and incubation. Dedicated to the virtuous cycle of wealth creation and giving back to the community. TiE’s focus area is to generate enable the next generation of entrepreneurs. There are currently 11,000 members, including over 2,500 charter members in 60 chapters across 17 countries. TiE’s mission is to foster entrepreneurship globally through mentoring, networking, and education. Dedicated to the virtuous cycle of wealth creation and giving back to the community, TiE’s focus is on generating and nurturing our next generation of entrepreneurs. For more information visithttps://mumbai.tie.org/