Entrepreneurship is the driver of growth. It helps creating innovative enterprises which provide foundation for building a nation's competitiveness. Enterprise creation needs risk capital. Venture capitalists provide risk capital and facilitate the development of entrepreneurship. There are several issues relating to entrepreneurship development and venture capital that deserve serious discussion. To put these issues into perspective, the Centre for Innovation, Incubation, and Entrepreneurship and Entre Club at IIMA organized a panel discussion which was coordinated by I M Pandey, Professor at Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. Some of the key questions that the panel has addressed to are: What is the contribution of entrepreneurship in the economic development of India? What factors have facilitated or hindered the development of entrepreneurship in India? What role has venture capital played in fostering the growth of entrepreneurship in India? What do entrepreneurs look for from venture capitalists other than the capital in the growth of their enterprises? What are the experiences of venture capitalists and entrepreneurs vis-a-vis the interface between venture capital and entrepreneurship? The following are some important points that emerged from the panel discussion: There is a direct link between entrepreneurship and the economic growth. There is some evidence that entrepreneurship has made contribution to India's growth. Factors responsible for the slow growth of entrepreneurship and lack of innovative spirit included the faulty education system, absence of proper incentives and environment to innovate, lack of proactive and favourable government policies, non-availability of risk capital, and the Indian mindset favouring comfortable and secured career choices. Entrepreneurship is a prerequisite for building our nation's global competitiveness. There is no short-cut. The liberalization of the Indian economy and the increased access to the global capital have paved way for entrepreneurship development and for facing international competition. The role of venture capital in fuelling the growth of entrepreneurship is inevitable. Venture capitalists need to play a proactive role. The Indian experience shows that venture capital is capable of creating a facilitating environment to build entrepreneurship culture and help entrepreneurship develop as a preferred career option. Venture capitalists should play the dual role of financiers and mentors. They should facilitate the networking of entrepreneurs with customers, distributors, financial institutions, consultants, etc. Efforts should be made by public and private sectors to create critical mass of venture capital funds, especially to finance start-ups and ventures of the first-time entrepreneurs. The education system in India should focus on developing entrepreneurship skills and risk-taking abilities of students.
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