The book of lists: Review of startup Asia, top strategies for cashing on Asia’s innovation Boom

Abstract

Startup Asia is a coffee-table book. No, not in the sense in which we understand coffee-table books; it is a book that feels like a purposeless chat around the coffee table. What does it say? It says that Asia is the next innovation hub and that it should be watched. What do we mean by Asia? Asia here means Vietnam, India and China (VIC). If BRICS – Brazil, Russia, India, China and, later, South Africa – could be coined as a term to describe emerging markets, we could do so for other regions as well. So, welcome to the world of VIC, an innovation hub.

Startup Asia is written in the curious style mastered by Ruchir Sharma. Sometimes, it reads like a series of blogs; other times, a rushed travelogue. It even has a P3 party feel; and it occasionally reminds us of a Keya Sarkar column that assumes that the entire world is interested in a sari shop in Santiniketan. The tone is chatty, directionless and preachy — all at the same time.