A startup born from thousand conversations

Most people think Venture Mozart was born January this year.

It wasn’t.

Actually It was felt… two years ago when I was leading StartInUP: the startup mission of Government of Uttar Pradesh.

A thousand founders, one realisation

As part of that role, I had the privilege to meet more than a thousand startup founders one-on-one over the years. And no, am not talking about those glossy startup events but the real heart-to-heart conversations.

What I discovered was Founders with energy and belief in themselves willing to move mountains but didn’t know where to start and which direction to push.

They were building. But what?

There was always this restlessness in their pitch. Like they knew they wanted to build something big but couldn’t name the pain they were solving. Or the customer they were building for. Or sometimes, couldn't describe their own sufferings and the help they needed.

And honestly, I couldn’t give them any meaningful advice unless I truly understood:

• Where they came from
• What their family situation was
• How much risk they could actually take
• What they were afraid to admit
• Who was the individual behind that founder

You see, context is everything. Startup advice isn’t a TED Talk.

There is no “one size fits all.”

Too many instruments but no symphony

First thing what I noticed was that these founders weren’t just stuck on one problem but ten problems at once.

They didn't really understand why were they chasing the idea in hand. Their product wasn’t validated. Their pricing made no sense. They had no clue about the business model and they were fundraising without knowing why.

It felt like they were playing multiple instruments all at the same time; and if Founder is to be considered an orchestra conductor, he was failing himself in the job and all he could create was noise, a lot of NOISE.

And that’s when it hit me.

This is the missing piece. Startups don’t need just funding. Or mentoring. Or government schemes. They need someone who can bring all the chaos into a rhythm.

A conductor. That’s what I had unknowingly become during those founder meetings. Tuning their instruments. Helping them find harmony.

the idea of Venture Mozart was born.

Why ‘Mozart’?

Because building a venture is like composing music.

There’s strategy. There’s emotion. There’s tempo. There’s silence. There are wrong notes. And then there’s that one moment when everything clicks.

And like a symphony, it needs a Mozart; not to perform for them, but to help them orchestrate their own music.

From idea to identity

For the longest time, Venture Mozart was just an idea scribbled in my diary. Something I knew I had to build but didn’t know when and how.

I decided to use it like a "Pen Name" in all my Linkedin Posts. It felt like giving identity to my emotions and a purpose to serve the motherland through my humble contributions.

Until early this year, when I took the leap. No backup plan. Just belief. And the conviction that I wasn’t starting a company I was answering a calling that had been patiently waiting deep inside me.

What this journey means to me

Venture Mozart isn’t a startup for me. It’s my life’s work.

It’s where my experience, empathy, and energy come together. It’s where I find unison with other souls. Where I’m not just a mentor but I am also healing the parts of me that once felt lost.

And this - this VM Diary - is where I will keep documenting it. Not to teach. Not to preach. Just to share. So that maybe, someone out there who’s building in silence, feels a little more seen.

Thank you for reading the first chapter of VM Diary. The next one is coming soon. Until then, keep building and but don’t forget to listen to your own rhythm. 🎵

happy venture building

Abhishek Tiwari