People often ask why I chose Kolkata to build Indus Net Technologies (INT.)
Why not Bengaluru for talent, Mumbai for customers and capital, Gurgaon for proximity to decision-makers, or even Silicon Valley?
The honest answer is simple: I did not compare cities and strategically choose Kolkata.
I lived here. It was home. My family and support system were here. So I started.
And just as I never consciously chose Kolkata, there was never a formal decision to remain here.
We hired people, found customers, built teams and earned trust. The roots kept growing.
The disadvantages were real.
Kolkata did not have a mature technology ecosystem, a deep senior talent pool, a large local customer market, or easy access to mentors and networks.
We did not have a playbook. So we built our own: delivery systems, training processes, business models and a leadership pipeline.
Could INT have grown faster in Bengaluru or Mumbai?
Probably. We may have gained customers, exposure and experienced talent earlier. But we might also have built a very different company.
We may have relied more on buying talent than developing it, experienced higher employee churn, and focused more on capital and valuation than patient, profitable growth.
Kolkata gave us continuity.
People stayed longer. Institutional knowledge accumulated. Customer relationships deepened. Trust compounded.
The lack of senior talent forced us to build leaders internally.
Bengaluru might have allowed us to buy experience, but Kolkata forced us to manufacture it.
Lower operating costs gave us time to remain bootstrapped, protect cash flow and focus on profitability.
We also faced prejudice. People questioned whether serious technology work could come from Kolkata.
We did not overcome that through arguments, we overcame it by making the work visible.
Kolkata may not be right for every founder. The right city depends on the business, the founder and the ecosystem they need.
For us, Kolkata moved from home, to constraint, and eventually to capability.
I did not choose Kolkata.
I chose to start.
And after starting, I repeatedly chose not to use location as an excuse.