This document discusses the differences between services and product startups. Services startups are customer-focused with varying customer requirements, while product startups are product-focused with standardized software. Services startups are harder to scale than product startups, which can build software once and sell it many times. The document recommends taking a product approach to building a startup for better scalability.

2. Services & Product
Startups
Vishnu Gopal

3. Services versus Products

4. Why?

5. Because it’s important to realise
& consciously design what kind of
startup you are building.

6. Services = customer focused.
Product = product focused.

7. Services = customer is king.
Product = product is king.

8. Services = do what the customer wants
Product = do what is best for the product.

9. Services = Infosys, TCS, …
Product = Flipkart, Freshdesk, …

10. Services = every software delivered is
different. Customer requirements vary a lot.
Product = every piece of software delivered is
the same. Customisations are small.

11. Services = hard to scale.
Product = easier to scale.

12. In the real world, it’s not always
this black and white.

13. Uber?

14. Uber?
App for Users
App for Drivers
Onboarding
Promotions for Users
Onboarding Process
for Drivers

15. Uber?
offline to online.

16. Uber?
reducing/standardising the
number of custom elements.

17. Software-only scales.

18. Build once.
Sell many, many times.

19. Product thinking wins.

20. That’s the kind of startups we
encourage through this program.