By Reshmi AR

Copyright deccanchronicle

Asha Jadeja, Founder of the Motwani Jadeja Family Foundation, shares her vision for empowering women entrepreneurs globally, bridging startup ecosystems, and fostering inclusive innovation through mentorship, funding, and global networks.ExcerptsYou have invested in over 200 technology startups. From your vantage point, how do you compare the startup ecosystems of India and Silicon Valley today?I often tell people: Silicon Valley taught us how to dream big. I remember my late husband Rajeev, and I in Palo Alto in the 1990s – the energy, the expectation that even your wildest ideas could become real, global things. India today has that spark, too, but in different colors. In the Valley, failure is an acceptable part of the journey; but in India, humility often delays risk-taking. India, however, makes up for it with scale, speed and sheer resourcefulness – people doing more with less, building for huge user-bases from day one. What India needs is more tolerance for messy early stages, more belief that you can fumble before you fly. I see that changing.What are the strengths India needs to capitalize on to create the next generation of global startups?I believe some strengths are already under-appreciated. One, the engineering muscle – not just in big cities but increasingly in smaller towns. Two, a culture of frugality that forces you to solve hard problems cheaply. That leads to innovations that can be exported globally. Three, the diaspora and global exposure – many founders see both India and abroad, learn in the West, and come back. If these founders are supported (not just by capital, but by networks and mindset), they can build companies with global DNA from day one. Also, tapping into women founders, founders from Tier-2/3 cities – there’s a huge reservoir of untold stories, local problems, unmet demand.With growing global collaboration, do you think India can emerge as the world’s startup capital in the coming decade?India can be one of the world’s top startup hubs, but “the” global capital implies a single center – today’s reality is multipolar. If India continues improving regulatory predictability, deepens late-stage capital, and systematically exports founder talent and IP, it can rival and, in some sectors, surpass other hubs. The key is not to imitate Silicon Valley but to scale what India does best – mass market productisation, distribution, and cost efficiency.How does TiE Global’s network of 64+ chapters serve as a bridge for startups across geographies?TiE is uniquely valuable because it’s local and global at once: chapters surface founders and mentors in their communities while the global network creates warm introductions to international mentors, investors and market partners. For founders that MJF and TiE support, the network accelerates cross-border pilots, talent hires, and investor meetings that would otherwise take years to arrange. The chapter model reduces friction: local context plus global reach.Beyond funding, what role does mentorship and global community play in the success of early-stage ventures?Mentorship is almost like oxygen in the early days. I always think funding is useless if the founder doesn’t know what to do next. I still remember being burned out in the early days, trying to know every single trend, read every paper. What helped was people who told me: don’t try to do everything, build your core first, lean teams, get your product right before scaling. Global community does something else: it normalizes ambition. Meeting peers from other geographies, seeing what’s possible, seeing people who look like you succeeding – that inflames confidence. And confidence makes people take leaps they otherwise wouldn’t.Women founders often cite access to capital as a major barrier. How are TiE Women and MJF addressing this gap?Capital access remains a challenge, but often it’s about visibility rather than intent. At MJF and TiE Women, we focus on preparing founders to be investor-ready, creating direct engagement with capital providers, and offering catalytic early support to show traction. Our aim is to act as a bridge – helping women founders be discovered and helping investors see opportunities they might otherwise miss.What systemic changes are still needed to level the playing field for women founders in India and globally?Levelling the field for women founders requires a mix of policy support, more women investors, stronger care infrastructure, and better data. Just as important is shifting cultural narratives so women-led startups are seen as expected, not exceptional.