Entrepreneur Stories
IKEA And How It Changed The Way People Designed Their Homes
Born in Sweden in the year 1926, Ingvar Kamprad (IKEA’s founder’s) entrepreneurial journey began at the age of 5. Belonging to a family which could not afford the basic necessities on a daily basis, Kamprad’s flair for business came to be when he sold matches to help out his family. Despite cracking a profit in this business early on, Kamprad wanted to try his hand at selling a wide range of things.
Progressing through the years, Kamprad started selling fish, pencils and Christmas decorations by the age of 10. However, like every successful story, Kamprad’s entrepreneur journey was cut short by the increasing popularity of Hitler. Heavily under the influence of a Nazi sympathetic grandmother, Ingvar joined a youth Nazi movement only to realise very quickly that it was perhaps the biggest mistake of his life.
The beginning of IKEA
Despite having such a brilliant flair for business, Kamprad had a major problem; he was dyslexic. A disorder like this was not heard of back then and for people to complete schooling at the time was a big deal! When Kamprad did the impossible at the age of 17, his father gave him some money as seed investment for his dream. This was the first round of funding ever received by IKEA!
With the money his father had given him, Kamprad started working on making his dream come true. IKEA did not sell furniture. The journey began with the sale of frames and small household items. Making the most of an untapped market, Kamprad started making profit from the very beginning.
It was not until the year 1956 that the world of furniture marketing was revolutionized. When Kamprad introduced a new cost cutting system in the form of flat packing, a new way of buying furniture was introduced to the people! The IKEA concept finally started taking shape and new products like POANG and the BILLY bookcase came to being in the market.
The IKEA expansion
With IKEA growing so much, an increase in taxes was but inevitable. To counter the unfavourable taxes imposed by the Swedish government, Kamprad moved his family to Denmark. While most people thought this was a bad idea, the move turned to be a good thing for IKEA. Not only did the company expand to Denmark, it also moved to the United States, France and the United Kingdom.
With the arrival of other classic products like KLIPPAN, LACK and MOMENT, IKEA started to take the form of the IKEA of today. What made IKEA grow so much was that not only did they expand their stores across different locations, they also started developing products synonymous to the IKEA style.
IKEA’s growth through the years has shown that it takes a vision and dream to turn what you want to reality.
A decade ago, the success of a startup was measured largely by its ability to raise capital. Today, a different metric is gaining importance: the ability to generate meaningful exits for investors. Large stake sales by early backers are becoming increasingly common, not because growth opportunities have disappeared, but because India’s startup ecosystem is entering a more mature phase where capital is expected to complete its full cycle from investment to returns.
This evolution is particularly significant for consumer brands that have successfully blended technology, retail, and strong brand-building. Companies that were once viewed as high-risk startup bets are now attracting institutional investors capable of absorbing large transactions. Such developments indicate that these businesses are no longer being valued solely on future potential; they are increasingly being assessed on operational performance, market leadership, and long-term profitability. In many ways, investor exits are becoming a validation of a company’s ability to create lasting enterprise value.
The broader implication extends beyond a single company or investor. Successful exits encourage more global capital to enter India’s startup ecosystem because they demonstrate that liquidity opportunities exist at scale. As more venture-backed companies approach public listings, secondary transactions, or strategic investments, the focus of founders and investors alike may shift from chasing headline valuations to building durable businesses. The next chapter of India’s startup journey will likely be defined not just by the creation of unicorns, but by the creation of companies capable of delivering sustained returns to all stakeholders.
Apple has unveiled the new MacBook Air with M5 chip, starting at $999 for 13-inch and $1,299 for 15-inch models. The MacBook Air M5 boasts a 2nm M5 chip with 12-core CPU, 18-core GPU, and 50 TOPS Neural Engine for seamless AI tasks like real-time translation and 8K editing. Up to 22 hours of battery life, Thunderbolt 5, and Wi-Fi 7 make it the ultimate ultraportable, now 10% thinner at 0.44 inches with fanless cooling.
Key MacBook Air M5 features include Liquid Retina XDR display (500 nits, nano-texture option), 12MP Center Stage camera, and six-speaker Spatial Audio. Colors like new Sky Blue join Midnight and Starlight. Pre-orders are live today, with macOS Sequoia 15.4 enhancing Apple Intelligence and iPhone Continuity for students, pros, and remote workers.
Why buy MacBook Air M5 now? It outpaces Snapdragon X Elite rivals with ecosystem magic and future-proof performance, eyeing top 2026 laptop sales. CEO Tim Cook calls it “more capable than ever.” Visit apple.com for M5 MacBook deals and specs.
Delhi NCR-based gaming startup Zupee has acquired Mumbai-based microdrama platform Vertical TV in a deal valued under INR 40 Cr. This move strengthens Zupee Studio, its short-video arm launched in September 2025, by integrating Vertical TV’s expertise in bite-sized dramas like romance and thrillers.
Facing challenges from India’s 2025 real-money gaming ban, Zupee valued at $1 Bn after raising $120 Mn has pivoted to non-gaming content, including recent layoffs of 40% of its workforce. The acquisition builds on its November 2025 purchase of Australian AI firm Nucanon for interactive storytelling, targeting its 200 Mn+ users with engaging, mobile-first formats.
This deal underscores the rising microdrama trend in India, helping Zupee diversify amid regulatory pressures and compete in the short-video space dominated by quick, shareable content for on-the-go audiences.
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