Aug 6, 2026 · 9 min read
Greed, fear and signalling: what India buys
Kishore Biyani built Big Bazaar around three emotions. What greed, fear and altruism actually mean on an Indian shelf, and how founders use them honestly.
India Insight
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1.43B
People
World's most populous nation
5th
Largest economy
~$3.9T GDP, closing on 3rd
~6.5%
GDP growth / yr
Among the fastest major economies
~28
Median age
One of the world's youngest workforces
950M+
Internet users
Second-largest online population
16B+
UPI payments / mo
The world's largest real-time payments rail
110+
Unicorns
3rd-largest startup hub
1.4L+
Recognised startups
DPIIT, and counting
India's largest industries
by approximate annual revenue (USD)
Oil & Gas
$390B
Mining & Metals
$150B
Weddings
$130B
Automobile
$110B
Tech
$98B
Where India builds
Companies in our directory, by state
Karnataka
8
Haryana
3
Maharashtra
3
Uttar Pradesh
1
Tamil Nadu
1
Largest employers
- 1Indian Armed ForcesActive personnel~1.4M
- 2Indian RailwaysOne of the world's biggest employers~1.2M
- 3Tata GroupAcross all companies~1M
- 4Tata Consultancy ServicesIT services~600K
- 5Reliance IndustriesConglomerate~390K
Oldest companies still standing
- 1Wadia GroupShipbuilding to consumer goods1736
- 2State Bank of IndiaAs the Bank of Calcutta1806
- 3Tata GroupTrading, then steel and beyond1868
- 4DaburAyurveda and consumer goods1884
- 5BritanniaFood and biscuits1892
Worth reading
India-related essays from our blog
Aug 6, 2026 · 11 min read
The ECG content framework for Indian founders
Raj Shamani's ECG framework: five evergreen posts, three controversial, two for growth. What each does, and a 30-day plan you can start tonight.
Aug 6, 2026 · 9 min read
India 1, India 2, India 3: who actually buys
Only about 10% of Indians buy what most startups sell. Kishore Biyani's segmentation, the numbers behind it, and what it means for your pricing.
Jul 29, 2026 · 4 min read
The Great Indian Wedding: a $130B market hiding in plain sight
India spends more on weddings than on higher education. Here's how big the wedding economy really is, how it stacks up globally, and where the real openings are for founders.
Figures are approximate and drawn from public reporting; sources and methodologies vary.
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