Tibetan Startups Sex It Up With Ambition and Innovation

Ambition overrides despair as Tibetans living in exile in India warm up to the startup culture.

Entrepreneurial ambition can kick out despair – true, more so for the Tibetan entrepreneurs living in exile in India who don’t merely want to survive, but thrive.

And although their startups may not boast of million dollar valuations, their stories are still rich with inspiration. The startup ecosystem for Tibetans may be at a nascent stage in India but some enterprising youth are working hard to change that.

Mind Your Language: An App To Learn Tibetan

Dhondup Passang and his team of designers and developers have created an Android app called Tibetan Kid, which helps people learn basic Tibetan, while allowing those already familiar with the language learn Math and English through interactive games and chapters.

Rise of the Tibetan Fashionista

Tenzin Choezin is the founder of Gurls Closet, an e-commerce fashion startup that sources stylish merchandise from neighbouring countries and sells them at an affordable price. A bit of a fashionista herself, Tenzin can effortlessly spot the latest trends before they become ‘mainstream’.

The Facebook page of Gurls closet displays an array of tank tops, tees, shorts, shoes, sandals, sunnies, swimsuits, chokers and beanies. These can be bought offline.

Digitally Yours

Started by Tsetan Dolkar, Dharamshala-based Tibetan I Tech is a web development firm that creates aesthetically pleasing and affordable websites.

There’s also Lhasa Capital, an investment consultancy business founded by 28-year-old investor-turned-entrepreneur, Tenzin Kunchok. Lhasa Capital is also said to be the first Tibetan e-broking house. Tenzin aims to create awareness among the community about the importance of investing and advises them on how to maximise their savings.

Burgeoning Aspirations

Youdon Aukatsang, Member of Parliament of the Tibetan government in exile, says the Tibetan Entrepreneurship Development Initiative has been created to address the community’s spiralling problem of youth unemployment and underemployment.

According to the Human Rights Law Network, around 1,50,000 Tibetans are currently estimated to be living in India, with over 42 per cent living in Bylakuppe, Karnataka, which is India’s largest Tibetan settlement.

Close to half of the Tibetan population in India is dependent on agriculture for its livelihood, one-third depends on agro-industries, and a fifth on handicrafts. But these first generation entrepreneurs are creating their own opportunities, generating wealth and bringing about a change in their community.

However, when asked if these startups have become popular outside the community, Youdon admits they still have a long way to go.

Till the time ethnic communities don’t come closer and share a level of comfort, how can businesses cut across ethnicities?
—Youdon Aukatsang, Member of Parliament of the Tibetan government in exile

Only a week ago, the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) organised its first-ever Tibetan Entrepreneurship Conference that brought together entrepreneurs and government officials from the community living in exile in India. A corpus of Rs 15 lakh was also announced to help entrepreneurs kick-start their business.

We asked Pranay Gupta, co-founder at 91springboard, who has led investments in over 40 internet and mobile domain startups in India, whether as an investor he would bet on a startup by a Tibetan. Why not, he says, as long as the idea is great and the team is driven. On whether the Tibetan entrepreneurial trend in India is largely ghettoised, and not assimilated with the mainstream, he says

I don’t think the startup ecosystem worries about backgrounds. This is one ecosystem which works purely on merit.
— Pranay Gupta, Co-Founder at 91springboard

Still, with bank loans and licenses difficult to get, one is left to wonder how long the community will have to wait till it gets its first startup success story.