'iit-iim Filters, Not Us...': Vc Founder Busts India's Brain Drain Myth, Slams Gatekeeping For Driving Away Talent

India’s talent exodus to nan United States has agelong dominated nan encephalon drain debate. But what if nan existent nonaccomplishment isn’t geographical? What if it’s taste — embedded successful nan biases that govern who gets seen, heard, and supported? Venture capitalist Archana Jahagirdar flips nan book pinch a bold critique of really India undermines its ain potential, not because talent leaves, but because it’s often stifled astatine home.

“India’s existent encephalon drain isn’t to nan US. It’s to our ain biases,” wrote Archana Jahagirdar, Founder and Managing Partner astatine Rukam Capital, successful a thought-provoking LinkedIn station that’s now stirring speech crossed nan startup and tech communities.

She criticised nan celebratory reside that often accompanies visa denials: “Every clip a apical student gets stuck successful a visa mess, Twitter claps. As if keeping them backmost will abruptly hole nan system. It won’t. Because nan existent problem isn’t that nan US takes our brightest. It’s that we don’t worth nan ones who take to stay.”

Jahagirdar challenged nan communicative that nan champion minds ever time off India, arguing that occurrence overseas is often tied to unfastened systems alternatively than superior intellect: “It’s not that America has amended brains. It’s conscionable that they’ve built a strategy pinch less gatekeepers. You don’t request to beryllium from nan correct school. Or speak English a definite way. Or person a communal relationship from your dad’s play club. If you’re bully — they’ll money you, prosecute you, stake connected you.”

Comparing startup environments, she took purpose astatine India’s insular ecosystem: “Here, we still measurement worthy by IIT-IIM tags. We build walls astir opportunity, not doors. Just look astatine our startup ecosystem. Still tally by nan aforesaid 300 group from nan aforesaid 10 institutions. And deity forbid you travel from a Tier 2 college, a mini town, aliases worse — person an unconventional idea. You’ll beryllium judged, doubted, and discarded earlier you moreover begin.”

Jahagirdar didn’t extremity astatine critique. She issued a telephone to action for Indian entrepreneurs and investors to rethink really they position and support homegrown talent: “If India wants to build a $5T system — we request to extremity treating pedigree for illustration a passport. We request to dainty talent for illustration infrastructure. Build for it. Bet connected it. Back it. Because staying backmost successful India shouldn’t consciousness for illustration a compromise. It should consciousness for illustration a privilege.”

Her station struck a chord pinch galore connected societal media. One personification wrote, “Brilliantly articulated. As personification moving intimately pinch mini and mid-sized businesses, I spot first-hand really galore unthinkable founders get overlooked simply because they didn’t travel from nan ‘expected’ background.”

Another added, “So work together pinch you — we really request much players successful nan startup ecosystem and much opportunities for nan talent we have.”

Published on: Jun 21, 2025 5:07 PM IST