Dark Night of the Soul for Startup Founders

 

 

 "La noche oscura del alma" is a poem by the Spanish mystic St. John of the Cross, which translates into English as "Dark Night of the Soul."
A period of immense crisis of faith, one of unanswerable questions posed to the self and the world, and mental turmoil. It's characterized by a deep sense of meaninglessness, apathy, isolation, and despair. A transformative experience that may lead to spiritual awakening, a deeper understanding of oneself and the world, a renewed sense of purpose — or a fall into the abyss of depression, apathy or worse.
It’s not taught in management schools, by accelerators or mentors. If the Valley of Death is an obstacle to gaining market traction, the Dark Night of the Soul is the deeper, more personal crisis — one faced by founders who are inventors, builders, and problem-solvers. Those who pour their life and soul into their solutions. I am yet to meet a single deep-tech or appropriate-tech innovator who was motivated by money alone. 

That’s another breed of founder altogether.
 

And so, you reach TRL-4 or TRL-5. Your product is good, tested, affordable, and most importantly, needed by society and by institutions.
But the answer is still: “Sorry, not interested.”
Private buyers want market validation or obscene discounts.
The government bureaucracy is hostile.
Incubators see you only as a poster child to justify their own raison d'être.
Investors demand guaranteed exponential returns.
The grant amounts are laughable; the gatekeeping around them is not. Academia is split between toxic know-it-alls, those who prefer easier subjects and rehashing meaningless papers, and yes — a few who would happily pinch your work and declare it their own.

After 5 years of my journey, I’ve learned that Assam is not a flood-prone state — it is a Desert. As, despite having innumerable rivers and 9 departments connected to water, not a single government official visited our facility, located just outside the city.
Even the armed forces — when told about our bamboo composite boats and other proprietary defence tech we are working on— asked us, not once but twice: “Can you make folding bamboo lavatories?”

At a recent state government meeting on the future of Bamboo — I asked: Why bother inviting us? Beyond organizing exhibitions and seminars, no one ever lifted a finger to help bring our Bamboo products to market.
All this talk about promoting bamboo-based industries — what does it amount to? Charcoal, Vinegar, Handicrafts & Doop sticks?
Charcoal is the first indicator that man evolved from ape — dating back over 55,000 years. Vinegar? At least 12,000 years old.
So, can we think beyond these two, scaffolding and incense sticks?
Bamboo has immense potential for modern value-added products. Our Bamboo composite boats are just one example. What about bamboo extracts in bioplastics? Bamboo nanofibres? No answers.

They thanked me for my input, probably making a note not to invite me again.