Archive for March 2011
What the Indian Government can learn from Chile
Chile is a very small country in South America with a population of ~17M. Chile like India was a colony of the Spanish and went through a freedom movement and became independent in early 1800s and became a democracy in 1891 after a civil war. Fast forward 200 years and Chile is a very vibrant country which has overcome a lot of issues and is now trying to make a mark in the new world order. I specifically want to draw your attention to a program launched by the Chilean government to promote startup culture called the Startup Chile program. Entrepreneurship is the single largest contributor to the progress of many nations around the world. In the 6 years that I have spent in India I have not seen one organized initiative that promotes this culture. There are attempts by NASSCOM and some private companies to attempt to promote entrepreneurship but they all amount to nothing but “fancy dress” contests for startups and do nothing to provide an organized support system and hard cash to entrepreneurs who want to go and change the world.
Here is a direct quote from the Minister of Economy of Chile J. A. Fontaine
“Instead of changing the world through revolution, we can change the world through #innovation”
This one statement sums up the attitude of the Chilean Government to promote the Startup culture and set them on a course of development and economic progress.
