Aman Gupta, co-founder and CMO of boAt, supported the Union Minister Piyush Goyal’s remark. When all the startups criticized Goyal’s statement, Aman took X (formerly Twitter) and supported the minister. He says that we need to aim higher, as Minister Ji said. Moreover, an investor slams Aman Gupta for his support.
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Aman Gupta Backs Piyush Goyal’s Remark.
Union Minister of Finance and Industry, Piyush Goyal’s Remark on the Startup Mahakumbh stage sparked controversy. Startups criticized the minister’s attitude and defended with a bold perspective. On the peak of this controversy, Aman Gupta entered with a tweet on X, supporting Piyush Goyal.
Aman Gupta, founder and CMO of an audio tech brand boAt, writes on X, “It’s not every day that the government asks founders to dream bigger.” Explaining the minister’s inner intention, Gupta further wrote, “But at Startup Mahakumbh, that’s exactly what happened. I was there. I heard the full speech. Hon. Minister @PiyushGoyal Ji isn’t against founders. He believes in us. His point was simple: India has come far, but to lead the world…we need to aim higher.”
He says I often recommend startups to know their competition to champion worldwide. Somewhere it goes to India too. He wrote, “It reminded me of something I say often on Shark Tank India, If you want to build a world-class product, you must know your competition.That applies to India too.”
“Benchmarking against China, the US, or anyone else — isn’t weakness. It’s smart strategy. We’re already the 3rd largest startup ecosystem in the world and the fastest-growing major economy. But if we want to be No.1 — We need to also go deep into AI, deeptech, climate, mobility, infra. We need LLMs and innovation stacks that compete on global standards, “Aman added.
He emphasizes that to make this happen, we need a long-term national vision. He sums up with a quote, “Kyunki jab sapne bade hote hain, toh kadam bhi bade uthane padte hain”.
“So, yes, what we’ve built is incredible. But what we can build… is far greater. Let’s get to work, “Aman Gupta said.
Piyush Goyal’s Remark a Controversy.
The root of the controversy and online protest from startups was Union Minister Piyush Goyal’s jibe on the Indian Startup Ecosystem. He expressed his depression on Indian startups that are only focused on instant grocery delivery, Cookies, and ice creams, compared to others focused on AI, Electric Vehicles, Semiconductors, Robotics, Machine learning, and 3D manufacturing.
While addressing at Startup Mahakumbh stage, he said, “What are Indian startups doing today? We are prioritizing food delivery apps, turning unemployed youth into cheap workers so that the wealthy can get meals delivered without stepping out… Startups should be preparing the nation for the future, not just chasing short-term gains.”
Minister concerned about the future of the delivery boys and girls, and the destiny of India, he said, “Are we going to be happy being delivery boys and girls… Is that the destiny of India? This is not a startup; this is entrepreneurship… What other side is doing — robotics, machine learning, 3D manufacturing, and next generation factories.”
In his speech, he raised the question, “Do we have to make ice cream or chips?”. He encouraged the youth, who are real gems, to fulfill India’s dream of Vixit Bharat, by dominating in almost every field that addresses India globally.
His remark sparked anger among startups, which led them to slam and criticize the Minister’s attitude. Among those critics, Zepto CEO Aadit Palicha, Zoho CEO Sridhar Vembu, Shaadi.com’s Anupam Mittal, Mohandas Pai, and Ashneer Grover are top personalities.
All the critics presented the same perspective that India is ready to take the world. India has no shortage of talent. Only the loophole is the Capital, the ecosystem, and the corrupt officers and politicians. At this criticism, Piyush Goyal responded, They are all Congress supporters, and Congress is behind this controversy.
Read This Also: Piyush Goyal Clarifies the Controversy on His Remark, Says, “It’s a Congress Led Controversy”.
