Have you ever been to the edge of a cliff? Looking down from there, you must have felt that the world was so much different, larger and prettier than what we see daily. And perhaps wondered how the view would be from one of those other cliffs. Then, most usually go back to their daily grind and forget everything. But, some set out to explore and experience more.

When I joined Headstart I was asked ‘Why do you want to join it’? I had little idea then, of what I am going to do and how, but I knew for sure, why I would want to do that. There were two reasons, first one being, I was at a point where I wanted to explore the other side of the cliff. To get more closer and experience Startup Saturday from the other cliff. I saw a new world where people were very much like me, but there was something different. They were not waiting for someone’s approval to execute their ideas, they were doing it. And the second one was that, I wanted to do something bigger. I could smell a revolution brewing and I wanted to be a part of it. I had no clue about what startups were, how startups work, or how to begin, or if I could actually work on my idea and make it successful.  

I was excited when I began my journey with Headstart, as a volunteer. My first volunteer meeting was quite an experience. I suggested something along the lines of “We should do…” and the response came, “Sure, can you take it up?”. I nodded slowly while trying to fathom the unexpected responsibility. My first lesson was to take ownership of my ideas, think them through, make a plan and make it happen. I also learned that Headstart wasn’t a place where you wait for orders. You create your own targets and accomplish your own missions. Find a gap in the ecosystem and fill it. That’s how we enable the ecosystem. Find gaps, create initiatives to fill them, improve initiatives and repeat. The reward is the love from startups when they tell us how we have helped them knowingly or unknowingly. I think that’s the gap in the heart that you can fill with volunteering.

I am proud to be witnessing the centenary celebration of this 8 year long tradition. They say it’s hard for an organization to run this long when driven only by volunteers. Yes, indeed it was. But, what they forget is that the world’s largest revolutions were not sponsored. They were completely volunteer driven. Be it religious reformation, freedom struggles or industrial revolution. All successfully accomplished by volunteers who believed in a purpose. When volunteers join Headstart, they adopt the hope and vision, that Headstart begun with – “To change the world through entrepreneurship”. With a vision that big and a culture that speaks of being transparent and action oriented, the revolution only gets stronger, bigger and more intense. Yes, we’ve come a long way, and we still have miles to go. We will keep looking for the gaps, filling them and make the world really flat.

 

Written by: Ujjwal Trivedi

Edited by: Monica Movva