Upstarts with NET'worth

It’s not everyday that one gets to make an intelligent conversation while sipping on lager at a city pub. Member of Parliament and tech entrepreneur Rajeev Chandrasekhar got talking at the Get Offline event, as part of a series of events by Social, where young peeps can indulge in an intimate conversation with the featured speaker. Rajeev spoke on relevant issues — net neutrality and start-ups. We caught up with him over a freewheeling conversation.

India is a hotbed for entrepreneurial activity under the Start-up India initiative with entrepreneurs mushrooming in every nook and cranny. Rajeev, who took time out to talk to youngsters on start-ups says, “I always tell them that while a start-up appears fashionable, one must have a compelling idea, something unique, for which there is a market. I’ve helped many youngsters who wanted to enter this space, including those from a disadvantaged background and like engaging with youngsters, as I’m a product of a start-up too.”

So what advice would he give his son who will be finishing school in about a year, we ask? “He must have the right skill set to implement that idea. It isn’t enough to wake up one morning and get that Eureka moment, but not have the capability for it. He has to be passionate about it, so that even if he fails, we know that he has tried and learnt the process. The boom right now has a layer of froth and there are too many people getting into the start-up space, but only those who’re serious about what they’re doing will emerge successful,” reveals the MP.

Engaged with the government since a year, he holds strong views on net neutrality. The engineer with masters in computer science from Illinois Institute of Technology, US who helped design the Pentium chip, gave up a successful career in Intel to become an entrepreneur, says, “At that age, I felt there’s no risk one can’t take. I’ve seen this tech space being created and evolve and it’s the best time to be in the technology space.”