Screwvala: Herd Mentality Has Repeatedly Caused Major Setbacks in India
Ronnie Screwvala · Abundance vs Scarcity: We Built 20 Brands With 30 Strangers In 90 Days | The Foundery · Nikhil Kamath · Jun 25, 2026 · at 27:37
Ronnie Screwvala, founder of Unilazer Ventures and upGrad, argues against over-indexing on tech startups at the expense of consumer brands.
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“The herd mentality is some of the major setbacks India has had from time to time.”
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More from Ronnie Screwvala
Ronnie Screwvala: Abundant venture capital fundraising corrupts founders and businesses
“I think I've been blessed by not being spoiled with a lot of fundraising from time to time, which I think really corrupts people and corrupts minds and corrupts businesses and corrupts many other things.”
Ronnie Screwvala: Traditional schooling will not be disrupted in our lifetimes
“I don't think schooling, we should be, in our lifetimes also, forget mine, it's not going to get disrupted to that level.”
Ronnie Screwvala: Counter-trend businesses generate 10x to 20x enterprise value
“But I think normally when you're going against the grain and you know, it means when a lot of people think they've not understood your model, I found that that's normally where 10 X, 10 X, or 20 X value gets created.”
Ronnie Screwvala: Prioritize hiring problem spotters over problem solvers
“Five years back, if I was looking to back a founder or hire somebody which is as a partner with me, I would say problem solving skills is important. Today I'm saying spot the problem before you can solve it because I'm not looking for problem solvers anymore. …”
Screwvala: India's top consumer segment will double in four to five years
“This India one is gonna grow, right? So whatever India one is today, by the time you get into real business in four or five years, that India one will double.”
Ronnie Screwvala: Having a backup plan ensures a founder's primary venture fails
“And I was quite clear that if I had a plan B in my life, then plan A wouldn't work out. Because I think that's half the situation, right, when you want to start something, and you feel you have an optionality, you're going to run aground definitely 10 times.”