Top 5
As 2023 comes to an end, it is time to do my annual reflections. (Here are my previous editions: 2022, 2021, and 2020.) For me, 2023 was about five big themes: the publication of my book “Startup to Proficorn”, a refining of my marketing ideas around Profipoly and Progency, planning for Netcore’s future post the pandemic era bump, witnessing the start of the Generative AI revolution, and Abhishek going to the US for his undergrad.
My Book: This was the year I became a published author, thanks to Jaico. The book has sold about 5,000 copies in the first five months, which by Indian standards is a good number for a non-fiction book. It has received very good feedback, and currently has 4.6 stars (on a scale of 5) from 90+ ratings on Amazon.in. Goodreads has similar numbers. I have done multiple talks, interviews, and podcasts (see the Entrepreneurship section) related to the book. I think the timing was good – with capital hard to come by, there is more interest in bootstrapping than at any time in recent years. The key is scaling – too many startups stay small or die. I am hoping the book’s success will push me to write more in the years to come!
Marketing: I have written almost 30 essays this year. The primary theme has been to detail out what the new world of martech should look like. Brands need to end their AdWaste if they are to improve their profitability. This means focusing on existing customers, rather than constantly acquiring new customers. A whole slew of innovations (Profipoly / Martech 2.0 Stack) combined with a performance-based pricing model (Progency) can help brands conquer marketing’s fourth and final frontier. It also offers an opportunity for martech platform providers an opportunity to move past the red ocean of features and limited budgets to the blue ocean of outcomes and unlimited spends.
Netcore 2.0: 2023 has been a challenging year for Netcore in terms of growth. Every time I have faced headwinds, I have come on the other side with a better business. I hope this time will be the same too. We have many growth opportunities ahead of us. The key is to solve marketing’s three zeros problems: friction, waste, and data. Brands face a $250 billion AdWaste problem even as customers face funnel frictions in their shopping journeys. Innovations like Inbox Commerce can help brands and customers create a win-win future. This is what we must bring to life in the year ahead.
Generative AI: OpenAI’s launch of ChatGPT towards the end of 2022 has heralded a new revolution – the fourth in the world of IT in the past 50 years, after computers, Internet, and mobile. Gen AI will impact every business and every person. I use the Gen AI engines (ChatGPT, Claude, and Bard) often in my writing. I have also created custom GPTs based on my writings to help me with the new essays. What we are seeing is an explosion of ideas and innovations, with talk of AGI (artificial general intelligence) and super-intelligence around the corner. What is going to be exciting is the application of the technologies underpinning Gen AI in different verticals.
Life without Abhishek (at home): In August, Abhishek left for the US for his undergrad in engineering, leaving a void and an adjustment to my life. I miss the nightly chats, his endless stream of “beautiful” questions, our Kitab Khana visits, and watching many OTT series together. But I also know that for him, like it was for me, these years living outside home will transform him for the better.
