[Arguable] Has the rise of the VC-backed startup ecosystem been a force for good?

Unicorns! Edtech! Startup bros! Welcome to a new episode of Arguable, where we dive into the world of venture capital and startups and try to separate hype from truth.

Seven of the world’s eight most highly-valued public companies were once venture capital-based tech startups. Venture capital and technology are eating the world. But what is VC, really? How does it work, and how does it make decisions about which startups to invest in?

As we celebrate billion-dollar startups and as venture capitalists become media gurus and pundits, it’s time to take a step back and ask some difficult questions. Has the growth of venture capital been good for entrepreneurship and innovation? What are the drawbacks and limitations of venture capital? And what kinds of tech entrepreneurship could we imagine beyond venture capital?

Bringing together experience from academia, investment and building businesses of their own, Utkarsh and Dhruva try to understand the future of innovation and startups in India and beyond.