Bengaluru is known as the Silicon Valley of India and has long been celebrated as the epicenter of the Indian startup ecosystem. However, the city’s fast-paced culture and high-pressure environment may not be the ideal setting to build certain types of businesses for some entrepreneurs. A telemedicine startup founder’s experience highlights why it may not be the best choice for every venture.
The founder was originally from Coimbatore in Southern India and grew up inspired by his first-generation entrepreneur father. He had a background in mechanical engineering and a passion for entrepreneurship along with a medical doctor cofounder. He launched a telemedicine platform to connect patients with doctors for virtual consultations.
The startup team relocated to Bengaluru in 2010 as Bengaluru attracted him by its reputation as a thriving hub for startups. The startup scene operates on a “grow fast, fail fast” mindset. Healthcare startups that require careful trust-building and long-term reliability. Investors in the city often pushed for quick results and expected metrics such as 100 paid consultations daily.
Cultural and linguistic barriers further added to the challenges. The founder felt excluded in Bengaluru’s tightly knit circles as someone who did not speak Hindi or attend India’s premier engineering institutes like IIT. The team decided to move operations back to Coimbatore after 16 months.
The shift allowed the startup to focus on steady growth without the pressure of rapid scaling.
In 2016, the team made a second attempt to base operations in Bengaluru, hoping for a more inclusive environment. While the city had made strides in diversity and inclusion, the same challenges of high-speed expectations persisted. After another year and a half, the team returned to Coimbatore.
