Start-ups yearn for handholding to tide over growth pangs

According to industry experts, start-ups need crisis managers

Until three years ago, keying “Indian start-ups” on search engine Google would show results such as “50 coolest start-ups to watch out for”, “Indian start-up investment increases by 300 per cent”, “IITs roll out the red carpet for start-ups”, and so on.

Cut to 2017, the narrative has completely changed. The same words now pop up results such as “Founder of The Viral Fever, accused of sexual harassment”, “Askme shuts down, lays off 4,000 employees”, “Spat at ShopClues spills from bedroom to boardroom”, “Stayzilla co-founder behind bars”. It seems that the erstwhile “rock stars” of the start-up world are buckling