In an exclusive conversation with ETNOW on ‘Leaders of Tomorrow’, V Vaidyanathan, MD & CEO of IDFC FIRST Bank has warned India’s many MSME companies that “if we are not digitised and not using the full power of AI, we are going to miss big opportunities.”

Kicking off the 14th season of ETNOW ‘Leaders of Tomorrow’, according to a Times Network press release, he also defined the India Advantage as demand, digitisation, entrepreneurship. “Some countries have demand but no digitisation. Some have digitisation but no demand. India has both— this is the right time and the right place,” he emphasised.

One of India’s most committed voices on entrepreneurship and financial inclusion and with over 15 years of deep focus on the MSME segment, Vaidyanathan also captured the defining shift in India’s small business mindset, saying “Earlier people thought of business as a local business and operated in their zone. Now they’re thinking more national — some sectors are even going international.”

From traditional dal (lentil) and flour mills to digital-first D2C brands, he argued the shift from offline to online is “a big, big deal” — and that AI is now the great equaliser: “Small companies with no staff can just do marketing on the fly.”

But Vaidyanathan didn’t shy away from the hard truths either. On growth capital, he was blunt: “Out of 100 entrepreneurs, VCs invest in maybe 3 or 4. What about the balance 95? They don’t get equity — and without equity, you don’t get debt.” .

His interview will air on ETNOW on Friday (today) at 7.30 pm with a repeat telecast on Saturday at 6.30 pm.

Times Network has launched the 14th season of its flagship entrepreneurship show ‘Leaders of Tomorrow’ with the theme ‘Emerging Businesses: The India Advantage’, highlighting the opportunities driving India’s startup and MSME ecosystem.

Presented by IDFC FIRST Bank and co-powered by STAR Health Insurance, the opening lineup for this season will feature conversations with Bharat Khera, Secretary, MSME, Government of India; Raghav Chandra, Co-Founder, Urban Company; CP Gurnani, Co-Founder, AIonOS; Sonu Sood; Abhinandan Lodha; Santosh Iyer, Managing Director and CEO, Mercedes-Benz India, Nobel Laureate Prof. Mohan Munasinghe and many more.

The season will culminate in March 2027 with the Leaders of Tomorrow Awards.