In this in-depth interview on IT entrepreneurship, Lakshmi Pratury talks about winning formula for IT start-ups, major IT development that will bridge the digital divide and finally, redefining success: “The single most important thing that we need to do is to rewrite our societal definition of success, which is currently defined as the amount of wealth one amasses. If the currency we collect is the only symbol of success, we lose sight of the path we take to amass the wealth and focus only on the end result. We need to find a way to reward failure, risk-taking, integrity, passion, and contribution to society as all these form part of defining the true net worth of the person. We need to place more emphasis on the quality of the journey and not just on the singular end goal defined in monetary terms.”
INK shifted its HQ to the Bay Area in the United States just for the month of May. Between catching up with friends and family, the INK team managed to squeeze in some time for a brainstorming session with the student community there. The result was an explosion of collective energy.
INK Curator and Host Lakshmi Pratury spoke at TEDx on what the West can learn from the East.
Lakshmi Pratury brought TED to India in 2009, when the first TEDIndia conference was held in Mysore. In December 2010, she curated and hosted the INK Conference, in association with TED, (www.inktalks.com) which carried forward the momentum created by TEDIndia. Lakshmi Pratury brings with her a varied and rich experience that spans for-profit enterprises, venture capital and non-profit organizations.
Featured in the list of ‘100 Most Powerful Women’ by Forbes Asia in 2010 (http://www.forbes.com/global/2010/1108/power-women-10-zeti-akhtar-aziz-peggy-liu-women-watch_2.html), Lakshmi has traversed an incredible distance professionally.
As a social entrepreneur, Lakshmi was a leading force at the American India Foundation (AIF), where she was part of the management team that raised over $30M in five years to channel towards development activities in India. She was the founder of the Digital Equalizer program, which brought technology education to over 100,000 children and 2,000 teachers in India.
Prior to AIF, Lakshmi was a partner at the venture capital firm Global Catalyst Partners. At Global Catalyst Partners, she established relationships between GCP, the development community in India, and key executives in India.
Before this Lakshmi was with Intel Corporation for 12 years and had various roles in marketing, marketing communication, advertising, and evangelizing the developer community.
Lakshmi holds a Bachelors degree in Mathematics from Nizam College, Hyderabad, India. She attended IIT, Mumbai; got an MBA from the Bajaj Institute, India, and a second MBA from Portland State University, with a minor in theater arts.
Lakshmi has published articles in San Jose Mercury, San Francisco Chronicle, Mint (leading business daily in India); interviewed celebrities, contributed to radio shows, including National Public Radio, and acted in local (US) theater.
Lakshmi spoke at high profile conferences like TED conference in the US (http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/lakshmi_pratury_on_letter_writing.html), the DLD Conference in Germany, and at IIM Bangalore.
