Celebrating 25 Years of TiE Chennai

Today marked a milestone celebration—the silver jubilee of TiE Chennai. TiE (formerly The Indus Entrepreneurs), an organisation started in the USA by Indian entrepreneurs, has grown to become a global association with chapters worldwide. TiE Chennai is one of its largest and most active chapters, and I’ve had the privilege of being an early Charter Member, learning and growing alongside some of the city’s finest business minds.

Instead of hosting the annual TiECON event in 2024, TiE Chennai chose to go big with a grand celebration. The event began with an insightful panel discussion featuring the past presidents—an inspiring lineup of achievers who reflected on the association’s journey. Their stories spoke of an era when the word “startup” was barely known, especially in Chennai, a city not traditionally associated with business or entrepreneurial flair. Over the last 25 years, the organisation has come a long way, growing alongside Chennai, which is now home to several unicorns like Zoho and Freshworks.

Reflecting on TiE Chennai’s transformation has been truly inspiring. From its early days, when it was primarily IT-focused, to today, where over 75% of its members are from non-IT sectors, MSMEs, and other industries, the diversity is remarkable. The current president, Mr Sriram, shared ambitious goals for the association, including the success of the Personal Boards initiative. The vision of creating 10,000 Personal Boards and nurturing 1,00,000 entrepreneurs by 2033 is bold and exciting. The one recurring theme in all the speeches was adaptability—the ability to embrace change while staying true to the mission of fostering entrepreneurship.

One of the day’s highlights was the conversation between Raju Venkatraman, Founder of Vetri Systems, and Tarun Mehta, Co-founder of Ather Energy. Tarun shared how having a coach over the past 6-7 years has been pivotal for Ather’s journey. He acknowledged that coaching helped him stay aligned with his co-founder and maintain clarity during critical moments. It’s encouraging to see entrepreneurs openly recognise the role of coaching—not just for business growth, but also for resilience and clarity in decision-making.

Another compelling session was with Shankar Vanavarayar (Founder – Forge) and Pankaj Sahni (Group CEO of Medanta). Pankaj’s candid remarks about India’s healthcare system were thought-provoking. He distinguished between “wellness” and what he described as “acute disease intervention,” pointing out that healthcare today focuses on treating illness rather than promoting overall wellness. His critique of technology companies attempting to disrupt the doctor-patient relationship was particularly sharp. He shared a humorous but profound observation: “A patient without a leg walks into the operation theatre, and the doctor says, ‘I can’t confirm you don’t have a leg without a CT scan.’” He added, “If you want to know who the best physician is for your case, ask the nurse—nurses know who the real experts are.” Pankaj’s call to technology startups was clear: spend time in outpatient wards to truly understand healthcare needs before attempting to digitise it. His insights on how pharmaceutical companies focus public awareness on conditions linked to their products were also eye-opening – Pharmaceutical companies have historically shaped public awareness based on their commercial interests. For instance, we know about cholesterol primarily because Pfizer promoted it extensively while marketing Lipitor. On the other hand, less-publicised health issues often remain under the radar simply because there’s no drug to sell for them.

Overall, TiE Chennai’s 25th anniversary was a fantastic day of learning, networking, and reflecting on the incredible journey so far. As an early member, I’m proud to be part of this legacy and look forward to many more milestones in the years to come.