We caught up with climate startups we’ve partnered with through Rainmatter over the weekend, mostly our team speaking with founders, sharing different points of view.

While I don’t have all the answers on building a long-term, successful business, one thing that’s definitely helped us build Zerodha is staying as far away from the startup ecosystem as possible. Founders, VCs, the whole circuit.

When you’re building, you want as few distractions as possible. Luck, timing, and market cycles all play a role in how far a business goes. The problem with being too connected is that you inevitably get influenced by other founders, most of whom aren’t building in your domain or share your principles. You start optimising for growth targets set by someone else’s journey, or chasing valuations others claim. Focus on the problem you’re trying to solve, and nothing else. Valuations and growth should follow from what you build, not drive it.

Sharing ideas and learning from each other is fine. But staying uninfluenced is hard once you’re in the mix. The irony of saying this at a founder meet isn’t lost on me, but building a startup is best done far away from other startups, founders, and VCs.

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