Open Letter to Incubators & Accelerators

Title: Beyond Photo-Ops: We Need Oxygen, Not Certificates

Dear Incubators & Accelerators,

Arre yaar, stop treating us like props in your glossy brochures. We’re not startup mannequins to be displayed at demo day with a memento photo.

You give us “programs” — 10 weeks of gyaan, one pitch day, free Wi-Fi, a mentor who once read Zero to One. Bas hogaya? Boss, mujhe investor nahi, customer chahiye.

Example? You ask us to build “impact solutions” for farmers, but your own canteen doesn’t stock farmer produce. Kya irony hai! You clap for our millet snacks on stage but still serve imported biscuits at tea breaks.

We don’t need another PowerPoint bootcamp. We need working labs, pilot projects, industry buyers, export guides. Matlab asli oxygen, not certificates.

🎬 Filmy Mic Drop: “Certificate se ghar nahi chalta, customer se chalta hai.”

Sincerely,

A Startup Founder Who’s Tired of Framed Photos