1. Hiring Multi-faceted People
Bain's office here has produced some of India's most exciting
startup stars, from founders of Zomato to MockBank
2. Contd..
Here's a little-known but very startling fact about India's new economy
more than a dozen of India's startup stars were executives at Bain India
before they plunged into entrepreneurship.Founders of Zomato,
Delhivery , Kaaryah, FabFurnish, Momoe, Online Prasad and many
more startups are ex-Bain executives, or Bainies as Bain alumni
describe themselves.
So, how come one consulting firm, especially one which set up its India
office just nine years back, in 2006, produces so many entrepreneurial
stars? ET spoke to the stars themselves, to Bain bosses, and to venture
capitalists to try and understand why Bain seems to have become an
unlikely boon for the new economy .
3. Contd..
First off, this wasn't planned. As Bain bosses put it, no one hires talent
wishing they will go away . From Deepinder Goyal of Zomato to Goonjan
Mall of Online Prasad, Bain would have wanted to retain wanted to retain
them. Bain's India boss said the firm didn't plan anything of this sort. “We
want people to come to Bain for learning experience, and to learn general
management,“ says Sri Rajan, MD, Bain India. Arguably the biggest ex-Bainie
entrepreneur star, Zomato founder Goyal, thinks the answer lies in Bain's
culture. “I think Bain's strong alumni network goes to show its focus on
identifying some seriously talented folks, hiring the right people and creating
an environment which provides a comprehensive understanding of the daily
realities of running a business,“ he says. “We learnt how to take ownership of
work and how to manage teams“.
4. Contd..
“Once a Bainie, always a Bainie,“ says Sahil Barua, co-founder and CEO
of Delhivery , a supply chain enabler. Barua says this to emphasise the
Bain alumni. For example, in Delhivery's early days as a startup, Ganesh
Balakrishnan, ex-Bainie and co-founder of mobile payment app
Momoe, would help them with delivery solutions. Balakrishnan calls it
an extension of the Bain culture of helping each other and recounts
that when he was interning in Bain and had nowhere to stay , Goyal put
him up.
Goyal was then giving final shape to the venture, Foodiebay, that would
morph into Zomato, Balakrishnan recalls. “Discussions were going
on...it was inspiring,“ he remembers.
5. Contd..
Entrepreneur and investor Alok Mittal also looks at company net works
for an explanation. “There are a lot of companies that have been
formed by Wipro alumni. If few people come out from one company,
others get a supporting network of mentors,“ he says.
According to a VC who has been closely watching Bain India over the
years, there never was a drive in the firm to create entrepreneurs. The
DNA of the people they picked up made it happen, this venture
capitalist says. “Bain picks up multi-faceted people. It helped that Bain
has a very collaborative eco-system.“ This VC did not wish to be
identified, saying he didn't want comment on specific companies on
record.
6. Contd..
What do other ex-Bainie start-up entrepreneurs say? Nidhi Agarwal, founder
of Kaaryah, a fashion portal, says her being a consultant helped. “Being a
consultant, you do three things: you get to the point; you identify the
problem and get after it; and you need to not just analyse but also articulate
the issue.
Barua credits Bain with supplying talent for his entrepreneurial journey ,
among other things. He started Delhivery with two of his closest friends from
Bain and now has seven people from his ex-employer.
Vaibhav Aggarwal, ex-Bainie and co-founder of FabFurnish (who has since
exited the venture) recalls a conversation with a Bain partner that he says
became a mantra for him: You can't create a structure and fit talent into it,
you need to have the talent first.
7. Contd..
So, does Bain hosting, for whatever reason, this rich entrepreneurial
talent make it an especially hot employer in India's A-list campuses?
“Entrepreneurs who are Bain alumni are pretty well-known in
campuses. We don't leverage it actively,“ says Bain's India boss, Rajan.
However, a recruitment professional differs. “Bain showcasing it has
produced star performers is a very smooth strategy in campuses.
Students care about these things,“ says the placement official of one of
the top business schools. The official did not wish to be named.
8. For details and bookings contact:-
Parveen Kumar Chadha… THINK TANK
(Founder and C.E.O of Saxbee Consultants & Other-Mother
marketingandcommunicationconsultants.com)
Email :-saxbeeconsultants@gmail.com
Mobile No. +91-9818308353
Address:-First Floor G-20(A), Kirti Nagar, New Delhi India Postal Code-110015