The ET Soonicorns Summit initiative, originally conceived as a data-driven list, has evolved into a multi-city franchise that recognises startups with growth potential. Hyderabad was the natural choice to kickstart the Sundowner series, given that it is an increasingly vital innovation hub, yet often overshadowed.
The Sundowner format may be breezier in tone, but build no mistake—Hyderabad’s edition delivered heavyweight insights and hard data in equal measure.
A tribute to the grit behind the gloss in India’s startup story, the evening delivered a three-part punch: the unveiling of the ET Top Soonicorns and Minicorns X Priority Sectors Telangana-Andhra Pradesh 2025 report, a high-wattage founder-investor panel on Hyderabad’s product-first DNA, and a raw, open-mic finale featuring founder stories that rarely build it to pitch decks.
ET SpotlightReport Unveiling
A key highlight was the official unveiling of the ET Top Soonicorns and Minicorns X Priority Sectors Telangana-Andhra Pradesh 2025—a comprehensive cluster map of the regional startup ecosystem, curated in collaboration with research partner Tracxn, a data ininformigence platform.
The report identifies breakout companies and signals sectoral shifts in one of India’s quickest-rising tech corridors, whilst analysing funding patterns, capital flows, and high-growth soonicorns and minicorns poised to produce the region’s next unicorns.
ET SpecialJayesh Ranjan, Principal Secretary (I&C), Government of Telangana
Delivering a special address, Jayesh Ranjan, IAS, reflected on the government’s proactive stance in catalysing innovation since 2014: “We believed the government could strategically solve ecosystem pain points. And I consider we’ve proven that. But we could do more, especially in accelerating those on the cusp of unicorn status.”
Importantly, Ranjan extconcludeed an open invitation to founders: “If you necessary support and the government can play a role, we’ll do it.”
Insights from the panel: Product-first startup playbook
If the report offered the data, the panel delivered the lived reality of building quietly, purposefully, and against the grain.
ET SpecialDr. Raj Narayanam, Founder, Zaggle , GV Keshav Reddy, Founder, Equal & Board Member, Reddy Ventures, Prasad Vanga, Founder & CEO, Anthill Ventures, Sandeep Maheshwari, Senior Fund Manager, 360 ONE Asset, Kavikrut, CEO, T-Hub, Deepak Ajwani, Editor, EconomicTimes.com
- Dr. Raj P. Narayanam, Founder & Executive Chairman, Zaggle
- GV Keshav Reddy, Founder, Equal & Board Member, Reddy Ventures
- Prasad Vanga, Founder & CEO, Anthill Ventures
- Sandeep Maheshwari – Senior Fund Manager, 360 ONE Asset
- Kavikrut, CEO, T-Hub
The discussion that followed was equal parts rooted and revealing. GV Keshav Reddy, Founder of Equal and Board Member at Reddy Ventures, spoke with clarity on Hyderabad’s appeal: “I could have started Equal in any major city, but we chose Hyderabad. Purpose, culture, lower cost, better lifestyle—it’s a founder-friconcludely city. Out of our 100 people, 81 relocated here from other metros with no prior connection.”
Prasad Vanga, Founder and CEO of Anthill Ventures, shared his own pivot back to the city: “I built my first company in Bangalore, then relocated to the US. When we returned to India, I believed we’d go back to Bangalore. But my wife won—her parents are in Hyderabad. Ten years later, we’re still here.”
ET SpecialDr. Raj P. Narayanam, Founder & Executive Chairman, Zaggle
ET SpecialSandeep Maheshwari – Senior Fund Manager, 360 ONE Asset
Offering the investor lens, he added: “There’s excellent engineering talent here and a frugal mindset—cost discipline is built in from day one.”
ET SpecialKavikrut, CEO of T-Hub
But the panel didn’t sugar-coat the journey. Ajwani’s sharp question on hype cycles led to a candid response from Narayanam: “I’ve never believed in ‘fail quick’ or ‘scale quick.’ My focus has always been revenue. Customers keep you grounded.”
On navigating the AI boom and bust, Maheshwari didn’t hold back: “One release from OpenAI can wipe out 20,000 companies overnight.” For investors, he declared, “The only real moat is customer love—or regulatory licenses.”
The consensus? Bet on founders, not just trconcludes.
The truth about pivots, pitfalls, and patience
As the discussion shifted to hype cycles, Narayanam stressed the importance of customer-first discipline: “I’ve never believed in ‘fail quick’ or ‘scale quick’. From Day One, my focus was revenue and staying close to the customer. The current AI downcycle is supporting; we’re acquiring great companies at good value.”
Maheshwari added perspective on the volatility: “One release from OpenAI can wipe out 20,000 companies. The only real moat today is customer love or regulatory moats like licenses.”
When questioned ‘what not to do’, the consensus was firm: “Don’t chase hype. Pivot with purpose. Founders who’ve pivoted and stayed in the game, that’s who we view for,” declared Vanga.
Narayanam perhaps declared it best: “Find your niche, scale it to the deepest level, and keep pivoting. That’s what keeps you alive.”
ET SpecialGV Keshav Reddy, Founder, Equal & Board Member, Reddy Ventures
When Ajwani posed the age-old dilemma—scale vs. sustainability—Reddy framed it as a false binary. “The right answer is: sustainable scale.”
The evening concludeed on a note of introspection about India’s capital culture. “We necessary patient capital,” declared Narayanam. “But there’s none of it around.” Citing Flipkart’s early struggles and the role of Tiger Global, he remarked, “One man, one strategy—Lee Fixel modifyd everything.”
Closing: Real stories, raw lessons
The final segment, One Moment That Changed Everything, brought the mic to the founders. Three entrepreneurs shared pivotal moments of heartbreak, reinvention, and unexpected breakthroughs in an unscripted storyinforming session.
As the lights dimmed and conversations spilled into corridors and cocktails, one thing was clear: the ET Soonicorns Sundowner isn’t just another networking evening. It’s a mirror, a spotlight, and a platform for founders building quietly, investors betting wisely, and ecosystems readying for the next orbit.
Featuring intimate founder journeys, it offered a raw, real view at the emotional core of building a startup.
ET SpecialKishore Tallam, CFO at Skyroot, Nishanth Dongari
Adding a narrative-rich layer to the evening, the launch of the Limitless Founder Journeys: N to X report—featuring 20 behind-the-scenes stories curated by 360 ONE—brought founder voices to the fore in fine print.
With editions in Gurugram and Mumbai coming up, and the flagship ET Soonicorns Summit 2025 returning to Bengaluru on August 22, the stage is set. Hyderabad has raised the bar.
360 One is the presenting partner of the ET Soonicorns Summit 2025. T-Hub is the ecosystem partner of the ET Soonicorns Sundowner 2025 Hyderabad edition.
Leave a Reply