Startup CEO Leaves Bengaluru Citing Cultural and Investor Biases

iCliniq founder Dhruv Suyamprakasam highlights language barriers, lack of an IIT degree, and startup ecosystem challenges as reasons for relocating.

Dhruv Suyamprakasam, CEO of telemedicine startup iCliniq, left Bengaluru after 16 months due to cultural and investor biases.
He cited exclusion stemming from his limited Hindi proficiency, lack of an IIT degree, and being from a lesser-known small town, Coimbatore.
Suyamprakasam found Bengaluru's 'grow fast, fail fast' culture unsuitable for the healthcare sector, which demands precision and trust.
After initially moving back to Coimbatore, he faced challenges such as unreliable internet and a lack of a robust startup community.
Despite returning to Bengaluru in 2016 seeking better conditions, he left again after 18 months, finding little change in the healthcare ecosystem.