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So, in the Hollywood TV series "Billions", a billionaire named Michael Prince has an ambition to bring the Olympics to New York after about 5 years. Of course, it sounds like a pipe dream, but Michael wants to show people how it would look in 2028. Can pictures suffice? A 2D model model? A PowerPoint presentation? Maybe, some of that has become saturated and boring without much flair. Maybe, they're not convincing enough. So, what does Michael do? He presents a headset that the people he needs to convince wear to help them see what it could look like. And they get to look beyond what they see.

Along the same vein, could technology be used to take construction to the next level? How about something like AR (Augmented Reality)? Granted, Michael Prince may have been using VR (Virtual Reality), but maybe, it's sibling technology.

But, if you're in the construction business, you might be acquainted with some of the challenges it takes to manage projects.

Remember when Elon Musk used to be one of Bitcoin's biggest proponents? It sure seemed that way. One could even purchase Tesla vehicles using Bitcoin. Then, something changed in May 2021.

At that point in time, Musk stated that Tesla would no longer accept Bitcoin. Why? Over climate concerns. To those not oriented, they may have been scratching their heads. What was the connection between Bitcoin and climate change?

Bitcoin is said to rely on something called PoW. Not a Prisoner of War, but a Proof of Work, which is, basically, an algorithm that requires miners to solve complex puzzles for transactions to be validated. It sounds cool and very National Treasure-y, but this is something that requires a lot of computational power, consuming a lot of electricity. It's so substantial that just Bitcoin is said to consume more electricity than a couple of countries, including Norway. That might leave a dinosaur-sized carbon footprint, especially if that electricity comes from fossil fuels. On top of needing a lot of electricity for crypto mining equipment, there are said to be cooling systems required to prevent overheating.

So, has that been the stone in crypto's shoe? Not as green as Greta Thunberg would like? Because crypto is something that has been lauded as a phenomenon that could revolutionize finance by decentralizing transactions. But, could crypto be greened? Or could its environmental impact be reduced?

In October 2024, it was announced that Indian performer Rashmika Mandanna had been appointed as the national brand ambassador of the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), which is an initiative of India's Ministry of Home Affairs to combat cyber crimes. And why her? It may not just be because of her name brand. She was, unfortunately, subject to a deepfake in November 2023, making people wonder whether deepfakes could be weaponized as gender-based harassment.

It could go beyond that, however. It could, even, have political ramifications.

"What a bunch of malarkey. You know the value of voting Democratic. Our votes count. It’s important that you save your vote for the November election. We’ll need your help in electing Democrats up and down the ticket. Voting this Tuesday only enables the Republicans in their quest to elect Donald Trump again. Your vote makes a difference in November, not this Tuesday"

Do you remember when Zomato co-founder and CEO Deepinder Goyal decided to deliver food himself? In October 2024, Deepinder decided…

What have you heard about drones? They fly high, they're used for movies, people are using them for their wedding pictures, there are some military applications and now, agriculture is said to be leveraging drones. That's probably what the layperson knows about drones. But, for entrepreneurs going the DeepTech route, what are the on-the-ground realities of a drone entrepreneur in India?

As of July 2023, investments in drone startups in India were said to be about $27 million. Is that enough for something that seems quite capital-intensive and arduous?

And what does the business model for a drone startup look like?

Many have debated when venture capital became a big deal in India. Some think it was in the 1990s after new policies were implemented, some say it was somewhere in the late 2000s and others say it was the 2010s. But, at whatever point it can be pinpointed to, VCs were seen to have the traditional role of a financial backer. But, maybe, in recent times, VCs seem to have become influencers. Not the kind dancing in an Instagram Reel to the latest viral 10-second tune. Maybe, there's a tiny chunk of investors out there doing that. The kind that's shaping narratives for India's entrepreneurial ecosystem.

How did that happen? With the pools of people hooked on to social media platforms & the penetration of the Internet and smartphones in India, VCs seem to have realized that the lava of their words could melt the shackles that hold them back from being brand-builders and storytellers. 

And the need's certainly there. One report outlines that the Indian startup ecosystem attracted more than $150 billion in investments, with FinTech, e-commerce and enterprise tech leading the charge. And India is said to have close to 120 unicorns, as of October 2024. The Shark Tank India-ization of the ecosystem may have meant that more people feel encouraged to drop everything and start their own venture, while not being aware that supposedly, close to 130,000 startups fail every day in India.

So, with the rising trend of VCs as storytellers, can they be the Northern Star for these startups?

Does it feel like it's getting hotter in here? Or in some places, colder. 

It seems to have gotten so bad that in September 2024, a retired SC judge in India called Hima Kohli is said to be pushing for a robust national climate law, because according to her, the current environmental legislation may be fragmented and inadequate to deal with the complexities of climate change.

But, has there been any progress in India, when it comes to dealing with climate change? In April 2024, the Supreme Court of India outlined that climate change impacts the constitutional guarantee of the right to life and emphasized that India should prioritize clean energy initiatives, because citizens should have the right to be free from the adverse effects of climate change. So, a gavel's been struck. CJ Chandrachud was said to have remarked that the rights to life and equality could not be fully realized without a clean and stable environment. It's said that the Court had previously recognized the right to live in a clean environment as part of the right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution.

But, with the link of climate change to fundamental rights, like the right to life and equality, what could tangibly change?

Bollywood performer Alia Bhatt was handed a cup of black tea on The Kapil Sharma Show to promote one of her movies. "Does this have sugar!?", asked Bhatt in a raised voice. She gave the black tea back, remarking that sugar is not good to consume. Bhatt has, previously, endorsed products, like Mango Frooti, Dark Fantasy, Coca-Cola, Cornetto and Perk & if you've consumed any of them, you might get a sense that they contain sugar.

In October 2023, Indian comedian Kapil Sharma and Bollywood performers Ranbir Kapoor, Huma Qureshi and Hina Khan were said to have been summoned by India’s ED (Enforcement Directorate). Why? Because they had, allegedly, carried out promotional activities for a betting app called Mahadev, which was said to have engaged in illegal activities. Just before that, Indian performer Amitabh Bachchan had a formal complaint lodged against him by the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) for a supposed misleading advertisement for Flipkart on smartphones. It was said that Amitabh Bachchan, in Flipkart’s Big Billion Days sale ad, had made a claim that deals and discounts on smartphones weren’t available in offline stores and only on Flipkart, for which CAIT had asked the CCPA (Central Consumer Protection Authority) that Bachchan be penalized with a fine of ₹10 lakh. 

In May 2024, India's Supreme Court stated that celebrities and influencers were equally liable as those who advertise products or services misleadingly. And it was reported that according to the Supreme Court, endorsers are equally responsible for issuing deceptive advertisements. 

So, what's going on?

Ask 50 people you meet what tech has dominated the 2020s so far and many would say “AI”. Since late 2022, with the advent of OpenAI’s ChatGPT, people have been positioning AI as one of the most transformative technologies that could offer opportunities for efficiency, innovation and growth. That being said, AI is not sans its risks, just like many powerful technologies. But, the applications of AI could be so ground-breaking, that when AI systems fail or make errors, the consequences could be significant and costly. Who you gonna blame? The robots? So, who you gonna call? The insurance folks?

Here’s how insurance, traditionally, works. You get a safety net for unexpected events in life. It would protect you from financial losses that could happen and this could be due to accidents, health issues, disasters or other unforeseen circumstances.

So, you pay a regular amount of money called premiums paid monthly or annually. You buy insurance from a company that collects premiums. Many folks pay premiums into a big pool, some of whom would face unfortunate events, for which they would need financial help. At that point, they could make a claim to the insurance company, which the insurance company assesses and if they deem it to be a valid claim, the person would be provided with financial assistance to help cover costs related to the incident. The insurance policy could have certain limits, which is the minimum amount the insurance company could pay and there could be a deductible, which is an initial amount you would need to cover before the company starts paying.

So, you've started a startup in India. You've got a great product and service. And the startup is growing and you're getting investors. Do you continue to set up shop in India itself? Or do you set up a base in a foreign country? Usually, that was what would happen. Indian companies would go to countries, like Singapore or the US.

But, there's been an interesting trend afoot: Indian companies, that were domiciled in foreign countries, may be opting to return to their home countries. There's even a term for it: reverse-flipping. What companies are returning to their roots?

Take Groww, for example. According to Groww CEO Lalit Keshre, as of March 2024, the company completed its domicile transition from the US back to India. Or Pine Labs, which was said to have received approval from Singapore in May 2024 to shift its operations to India. Or think of PhonePe, which moved its domicile from Singapore to India in October 2022. Plus, Razorpay's parent entity, which was registered in the US, is said to be looking to bring its Indian units under a single local holding company and shift its headquarters back to India.

But, why could this be happening?