Top expert voices on YourStory in 2016 and why we loved them- Part II

As another promising year dawns, each of us is revisiting old resolutions and penning down new ones. At this time of reflecting on the year gone by, let’s take a look at the authors who have illuminated our paths through their writings these past months.

Between all the policy changes and funding, the year 2016 saw expert voices from every possible sector sharing their experience, one story at a time. As we gear up for a promising 2017, let’s rewind on that sharing.

Here is the second installment of the YourStory guest column.

Sahil Kini- Vice President — Portfolio at Aspada Investment Advisors

What makes him special?

An alumnus of IIT Madras, Sahil is the Vice President—Portfolio at Aspada Investment Advisors. He comes with industrial experience at McKinsey & Company, which included a secondment to the Aadhaar project. His interest areas range from Industrial IoT systems, manufacturing and supply chain operations to product development and building technology platforms.

Our favourite pick -  The day my startup died

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An entrepreneur's life is the hardest because it’s the most lonely

Kashyap Deorah- Angel investor, Co-founder of HyperTrack, Author of The Golden Tap

What makes him special?

With an experience of over 15 years in India and Silicon Valley, Kashyap is an angel investor in over 20 companies spread across the two locations. A serial entrepreneur, his recently released book, The Golden Tap, the inside story of hyper-funded Indian startups, was a huge success. He has founded two companies - Chalo and Chaupaati - in the past. The former introduced a payments app that was acquired by OpenTable in 2013, and the latter was a phone commerce marketplace, sold to Future Group in 2010.

Our favourite pick - Why integrity matters in the startup ecosystem

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Let’s build the immunity to counter the cancer before it kills us

Deepak Kanakaraju- Digital Marketing Manager, Razorpay

What makes him special?

The head of digital marketing at Razorpay.com, Deepak is an avid digital marketing author, speaker, and consultant. With his extensive experience in B2B and B2C startups such as Exotel, Practo and Instamojo, he has a depth of knowledge in all the major digital marketing channels, such as Search Engine Marketing, SEO, Display Marketing and Integrated Digital Marketing, and has invested over a million dollars in digital advertising over the course of his career

Our favourite pick - How the ban on Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes will affect the common man

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Facebook likes and Twitter followers are not your users

Also read : Top expert voices on YourStory in 2016 and why we loved them

Naveen Tewari- Founder and CEO of InMobi

What makes him special?

Founder and CEO of InMobi, Naveen is an alumnus of IIT Kanpur. Having built one of the most successful B2B companies in the ecosystem, he is a very passionate entrepreneur, who has led the company to the stature it has today. InMobi is a young mobile advertising and discovery platform that is challenging industry giants, and Naveen’s infectious positivity belies years of struggle.

Our favourite pick - What InMobi stands for

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This is what an entrepreneur's journey is all about. You fail, you struggle, you change course. But eventually, your persistence pays off, and you proceed full throttle towards your next goal. Little wins along the way are all that an entrepreneur needs

Sanjay Anandaram- Entrepreneur, corporate executive, venture investor, faculty member, advisor and mentor

What makes him special?

With an experience of over two decades as an entrepreneur, corporate executive, venture investor, faculty member, advisor and mentor, Sanjay is a passionate advocate of entrepreneurship in India. Over the years, he has been contributing to Nasscom, TiE, IIM-Bangalore, and INSEAD business school in driving entrepreneurship.

Our favourite pick - Startup India – little action plan

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The beginning of wisdom is with definitions

Alok Goel- Managing Director, SAIF

What makes him special?

With feathers like Google, Freecharge, redBus and Mountain View in his cap, Alok is the Managing Director at SAIF Partners. He holds an MBA from ISB and a B.Tech. from DCE, and was listed in the Fortune India 40 under 40 list for 2014.

Our favourite pick - What are you building – a business, product or hack?

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Whatever we build today will be used in the future. Hence, having a perspective on what the future will look like is very important

Shivananda Koteshwar- Director, Mediatek

What makes him special?

Having spearheaded three startups – Sparsha Learning, Your Philanthropy Story and Coastered Technologies - as their founding directors, Shivananda has over two decades of experience in the semiconductor industry. He is an alumnus of IIMB and an accomplished entrepreneur.

Our favourite pick - Art of the engagement on social channels

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If you are able to create emotional connect, people will keep coming back and looking at your social channels

Himanshu Khanna- Founder and CEO of Sparklin

What makes him special?

Himanshu is the founder and CEO of Sparklin, one of India’s youngest user experience design and technology companies. A traveller and storyteller at heart, he loves to meet new people and discuss innovative ideas. A big believer in the concept of function over form, he works with and helps some of the most interesting startups on design and innovation.

Our favourite pick - How did the ban on Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes change the app and commerce usage?

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One chooses to be an entrepreneur because they cannot have life in any other way. They cannot rest for too long, cannot do without experimenting, cannot do without trying, cannot agree to norms and the usual, cannot stay still or silent, cannot do with mediocrity, cannot stand the ordinary, and cannot not evolve. They’re the frontrunners, the bench-markers, the risk-lovers, the revolutionaries!

James Altucher- American hedge fund manager, entrepreneur, and bestselling author

What makes him special?

Of the 20 companies James started, he failed at 17 of them. These failures, however, have made him a go-getter. An American hedge fund manager, entrepreneur, and bestselling author, he has published 11 books, and is a frequent contributor to publications including The Financial Times, TheStreet.com, Seeking Alpha, Thought Catalog and The Huffington Post.

Our favourite pick - The worst mistakes you can make in a salary negotiation

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Too many people are chasing likes and validation when all you need to do is contribute to the life of one person

Jaydip Parikh- CEO of Tej SolPro and digital marketing enthusiast

What makes him special?

Taking pride in being the CEO (Chief Everything Officer), Jaydip is also a digital marketing enthusiast. The brain behind the innovative ideas and tactful strategies for Tej SolPro’s clients, he has been a known face in the fields of IT and marketing.

Our favourite pick - How businesses in India can use Snapchat

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Communicating through messages is now passé

Mohit Gulati- Founder of Altius Ventures

What makes him special?

A self-taught investor, Mohit Gulati is the Founder of Altius Ventures. With a six-year experience in equity markets, he co-founded Oliphans Capital, where he spearheaded first round cheques and helped build marquee companies like ECom Express, Grab.in, LocalBanya.com, Hugefly Tech, Wigzo Tech and TarusaWorld.

Our favourite pick - Battle of the Bastards: Ola vs Uber version

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Markets are constantly in a state of uncertainty and flux, and money is made by discounting the obvious and betting on the unexpected

Srinivasa Addepalli- Founder and CEO of GlobalGyan

What makes him special?

Founder and CEO of GlobalGyan, Srinivas advises corporates in the areas of strategy, leadership, and M&As. Prior to this, he was the Chief Strategy Officer of Tata Communications, and he has been the author of several business case studies and articles. His case study on business ethics was the winner of the ISB-Ivey Global Case Competition 2014.

Our favourite pick - Do we have our ideas of success and failure all wrong?

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We often have our narratives of failure and success all mixed up; while we must have clear goals to chase, we must also not be so rigid that we fail to pursue alternate paths that might present themselves

Supriya Goswami- Marketing Director, InMobi

What makes her special?

With over 11 years of industry experience across consulting, human resources and marketing, Supriya right now holds the role of the Marketing Director for InMobi- India and SE Asia. She earned her undergraduate degree from Lady Shriram College for Women, an MBA from INSEAD and a Masters in Human Resources from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences.

Our favourite pick - Calling women HR leaders in India — where are you?

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Education and awareness is one of the most important steps towards change

Shreya Dhingra- Executive Image Coach and Corporate Consultant

What makes her special?

An extremely vivacious personality herself, Shreya is an image consultant. She works very closely in transforming individual personalities by enhancing their soft skills through public speaking, dressing, grooming, personality development and presentation skills.

Our favourite pick - Make your self-introduction memorable

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The way you introduce yourself says a lot about how you treat yourself

Vikram Vaidyanathan- Director at Matrix India

What makes him special?

Having led seven investments, Vikram is a Director at Matrix India, an early-stage VC firm. He partners with founders across sectors, including mobile, education tech, video, local services, SME tech and SaaS.

Our favourite pick - The ‘Real’ Mobile Internet in India

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Mobile internet is the most exciting phase of the Internet in India

Grand Master Akshar- Founder of Akshar Power Yoga Academy

What makes him special?

Founder of Akshar Power Yoga Academy, Akshar is often called ‘Grand Master Akshar’. He is one among the leading yoga practitioners in the world, and travels extensively, learning and spreading the art of yoga. He has been practising for the last 21 years, and today, at Akshar Power Yoga, Grand Master Akshar trains more than 4,000 students.

Our favourite pick - Yoga poses for anyone who sits at a desk

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Hard work is the biggest contributor to success, and success begets more success

Alok Patnia- Founder of Taxmantra.com

What makes him special?

An expert in handling taxation issues, Alok Patnia founded Taxmantra.com to understand and address the pain points of individuals, businesses and startups. A Chartered Accountant and a commerce bachelor from St. Xavier’s College, he is an expert in handling taxation issues.

Our favourite pick - How will the Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 note ban impact your business?

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Failing and accepting failures are very much a part of entrepreneurship, and this needs to be learnt and understood

As we wind up another promising year, we can't be enough grateful to all our guest writers for sharing their experiences and learnings. The YourStory top voices and why we loved them is quite evident by now and we are looking forward to 2017.