Kiran Mazumdar Shaw Urges Indian Startups to Turn Cultural Creativity into Global Brands

Touching on India’s demographic advantage, Shaw highlighted the country’s youth and digital infrastructure as key assets.

At the inaugural World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES) held at Mumbai’s Jio World Centre, Biocon Founder and global business leader Kiran Mazumdar Shaw delivered an inspiring message to India’s next generation of creators and entrepreneurs. Participating in an “In Conversation” session with Maneet Ahuja, Editor-at-Large at Forbes, on the second day of the summit, Shaw emphasized the need for Indian startups in the creative content space to expand their horizons — moving beyond just cinema to create globally recognized brands and intellectual property (IP).

From Stories to Startups: A Vision for Global Franchises

Speaking on the theme “India's Innovation Renaissance: The Next Decade of Global-First Startups,” Shaw drew on India’s rich storytelling tradition, referencing the Ramayana and its influence on global creators like George Lucas. “It’s time for India to create new stories that blend tradition and technology. Just as Star Wars was inspired by our epics, we can use emerging tech to reimagine our own cultural heritage as global franchises,” she asserted.

She stressed that India’s creative power need not remain confined to cinema. Instead, Shaw called for building a broader ecosystem — one that harnesses creative energy, storytelling skills, and technology to develop cross-media IP that can travel across borders and resonate globally.

India’s Digital Demographic Dividend

Touching on India’s demographic advantage, Shaw highlighted the country’s youth and digital infrastructure as key assets. “With more than a billion smartphones and a tech-native Gen Z, India is uniquely positioned to lead in digital innovation,” she said. Shaw encouraged startups to harness this massive base not just as consumers, but as co-creators of globally relevant ideas.

Drawing from her own journey of founding Biocon in a Bangalore garage and transforming it into a biotech leader, Shaw stressed the importance of patience and strategic focus. “Like any blockbuster film, success begins with a single spark — an idea, a story, a relentless belief,” she said.

Unlocking the Orange Economy

In one of the session’s key takeaways, Shaw urged India’s creative entrepreneurs to tap into the “Orange Economy” — a term that refers to the cultural and creative industries. “Today, the media and entertainment sector contributes around $20 billion to our GDP. But we must set our sights higher — aim for $100 billion, and eventually, a $1 trillion Orange Economy by 2047,” she said. This vision, she added, is aligned with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s aspiration for India’s centenary independence milestone.

Powering the Future with Tech and Creativity

Discussing technological convergence, Shaw identified augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and immersive storytelling as key drivers for the future. “Tomorrow’s unicorns won’t just be apps or platforms — they’ll be creators and companies that understand IP, technology, and cultural storytelling,” she said. Pointing to the international success of the Oscar-winning Naatu Naatu song from RRR, Shaw said India’s creative content must evolve from appealing solely to the diaspora to becoming universally impactful.

She also noted that while India has the creative depth and narrative strength, it lacks structures for monetization and IP protection. “Creators must be empowered not just to create, but to own and commercialize their work. That’s where real innovation lies,” she noted.

A Call to Originality, Persistence, and Risk-Taking

In a closing message to India’s startup community, Shaw emphasized that innovation begins with authenticity. “Every great idea starts small. What determines its impact is how persistently and fearlessly you nurture it,” she said. She encouraged creators to not be deterred by failure, which she described as a natural part of the entrepreneurial journey.

Her words served as both a rallying cry and roadmap for India’s creative visionaries — urging them to not only imagine big, but to build lasting legacies rooted in Indian heritage and driven by modern tech.