Corner Stores Are the New Darlings of the Global Tech Industry
In India, we are seeing a clutch of VC funded start-ups and large corporate funded efforts to become a supplier to the kirana store ecosystem. This article in The Atlantic explains that such businesses are mushrooming all over the world: “These stores are so mundane that it can be easy to miss the vital role […]
Reviews of two related books linked by one powerful idea – “The Meritocracy Trap” by Daniel Markovits; and “The Tyranny of Merit” by Michael Sandel
These two books were published around 18 months ago but what has transpired in these 18 months makes it highly likely that the themes highlighted in these books will become the underpinning of political ideas not just in the USA (where the authors of both of these books are based) but in several other countries […]
Three Essential Reads from our Investee Companies
“The first rule of any technology used in a business is that automation applied to an efficient operation will magnify the efficiency. The second is that automation applied to an inefficient operation will magnify the inefficiency” – Bill Gates (Capgemini, 2015). Over the past decade, the way successful companies are managed has changed. The most […]
The three acts of entrepreneurship that accelerated India’s start-up ecosystem
India is going through a bull market of sorts for entrepreneurship with one of the most vibrant start-up ecosystems. Indian start-ups are likely to end the year raising over Rs 2lakh crore in capital. Of course, the easy liquidity has helped capital flow freely but this op-ed cites three factors whose convergence has created the […]
Meet the Kidd Who Goes Toe to Toe with Warren Buffett
A couple of years ago, our colleague Tej Shah wrote a blog What comes first – Strategy or Structure? arguing why strategy should dictate structure and not the other way around like in majority of large organisations. At Marcellus, our endeavour is to find the few companies who retain the fluidity in their structure to let the strategy […]
What meerkats could teach a troubled Uber
In our newsletters, blogs and 3L&3S, we have attempted to understand and bring to light the power of network effects, both at the economy level and for individual businesses. At the economy level, India is experiencing the benefit of networking through the expansion of its highway network, financial inclusion and the even more rapid penetration of telecom. […]
A lack of chargers could stall the electric-vehicle revolution
Few industries as large as the global automobile industry have been through the sort of disruption electric vehicles (EVs) have brought upon the industry. Rapid gains in battery technology have made EVs affordable and practical. Governments across the world have made commitments to put an end to polluting internal combustion engine (ICE) based vehicles in […]
Book review “Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life” by Luke Burgis
Over the past couple of years we have highlighted the powerful ideas of the French philosopher Rene Girard who created the idea of ‘mimesis’ (see our June 2019 blog: https://marcellus.in/blogs/marcellus-things-hidden-since-the-foundation-of-the-world/) and his most famous student, Peter Thiel: “In 1978, Rene Girard published a remarkable book called “Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World”….Girard’s hypothesis unfolds sequentially:1. […]
My favourite investment writing of 2021
Before we set up Marcellus’ shopfront three years ago, we studied the work that the wealth managers at Ritholtz had done in the United States. We learnt a lot from them and became avid readers of their blogs. This blog from their stable is worth reading in its entirety as it contains various pieces that […]
Learning from Global Financials – Part-2: The Evolution of Financial Services
In this newsletter we discuss the evolution of the Financial Services sector in the US and UK and in that context, highlight the implications for Indian investors. Between 1990-2020, the weight of Financial Services stocks in the S&P500 index has increased from 7% to 11%. However, a closer look at the composition of Financial Services […]
The Disrespect
Investing is no rocket science. It rarely requires superior technical skills to succeed. It is more behavioural. This essay by Josh Brown at his rantful best reminds us of one such behavioural skill – how to deal with people with views opposing your own. Especially in an increasingly polarised world amplified by social media, it […]
Ralf Rangnick – The Three Cs
The last three UEFA Champions League Titles have all been won by teams with German coaches – two of them being English clubs. Liverpool coached by the now legendary Jurgen Klopp and Chelsea’s surprise win this year helped by Thomas Tuchel. They are now joined in the English Premier League by Ralf Rangnick as Manchester […]
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