At TechSparks 2026, Naren Shaam, founder and chief executive of Omio Group, delivered a pointed message to entrepreneurs: build around a problem worth solving, think beyond domestic markets from day one, and remain committed long enough to see the idea through. In a startup ecosystem often shaped by speed, hype and rapid pivots, Shaam's advice stood out for its emphasis on endurance, focus and global ambition.
Build for a real need
Shaam's central argument was that founders should begin with a problem that is both meaningful and difficult, rather than chasing trends that may generate attention but not lasting value. That framing matters in India's startup market, where the volume of new ventures remains high but investor scrutiny has become more exacting. The message was not simply to be ambitious, but to be useful in a way that can survive market cycles.
His advice reflects a familiar pattern among globally scaled technology companies: the strongest businesses are often those that solve an everyday pain point with enough clarity that customers return repeatedly. For founders, that means resisting the temptation to build for novelty alone. It also means accepting that the best opportunities are often the ones that require patience, operational discipline and repeated refinement before product-market fit becomes obvious.
Think global early
Shaam also urged entrepreneurs to think globally from the beginning, a view that aligns with the increasing internationalisation of Indian startups. The domestic market remains large and attractive, but many of the most valuable companies now design products, teams and business models with cross-border expansion in mind. In sectors such as mobility, fintech, software and consumer internet, the ability to scale beyond one geography can determine whether a company becomes a niche player or a category leader.
For Indian founders, thinking globally early does not necessarily mean launching in multiple countries at once. It means building with standards, infrastructure and customer expectations that can travel. That includes product architecture, compliance readiness, language flexibility and a commercial model that can adapt to different markets. Shaam's remarks suggested that founders should not wait until they are "ready" to think internationally; the global lens should shape the company from the start.
Patience over momentum
Perhaps the most practical part of Shaam's advice was his insistence on long-term commitment. Startup culture often celebrates rapid iteration, but endurance remains one of the least glamorous and most essential ingredients in company building. Many ventures fail not because the idea was weak, but because founders abandoned the problem before the market had time to respond.
That warning carries added weight in the current funding climate. Investors are more likely to reward efficient growth, clear unit economics and credible execution than broad promises. In that environment, founders who stay focused on a durable problem and continue improving the product over time may be better positioned than those who pivot repeatedly in search of momentum. Shaam's comments effectively reframed persistence as a strategic advantage, not merely a personal virtue.
The broader takeaway from his remarks is that the startup playbook is becoming more demanding. Founders are expected to be globally minded, technically rigorous and commercially disciplined from the outset. Yet Shaam's message was not pessimistic. On the contrary, it suggested that the path to building a significant company is still open for entrepreneurs willing to choose hard problems and commit to them with conviction.
For India's startup community, that is a useful reminder. The next generation of breakout companies may not be defined by how quickly they launch, but by how clearly they identify a real problem, how well they design for scale and how long they are willing to stay in the fight.