Mentor Tarun Sharma: “Perseverance Goes a Long Way. There Can Be a Thousand Naysayers; You Just Need a Few Believers.”

This time, we meet Tarun Sharma, a venture expert currently working with Nokia Ventures. He passionately offers his time and expertise to help enterpreneurs, support venture community, strengthen the local business ecosystem and get inspired by new ideas & innovation.

For Tarun Sharma, mentorship is not just about offering advice; he sees it as a chance to guide entrepreneurs through the (seen and unseen) complexities of the startup ecosystem, “Mentoring is multi-dimensional. On the one hand, you’re contributing positively, helping someone who needs guidance because I’ve been in that position myself. On the other hand you learn from enterpreneurs new things and new perspectives. It’s a way to be part of change and to drive innovation, new ventures forward." he says.

As Partner & COO of Nokia Ventures, Tarun has a career that spans Fortune 100 companies like IBM, Microsoft, and Nokia, as well as experience with startups, corporate venture capital and high growth unicorns. Therefore, he has extensive experience in venture building, venture investments, strategy, finance, and general management to draw upon when seeking new venture opportunities and driving business growth. 

From the beginning of his career, Tarun Sharma has let curiosity steer the driving wheel in his bid to help improve the world around him. It all started in India, where he earned his engineering degree. "Like many engineers, I started with a focus on technology," Tarun recalls. 

His first major role was with a startup that was quite ahead of its time, as it turns out, now looking back 20+ years ago. He and his team were developing a platform for e-commerce long before Amazon, Alibaba or any current Indian e-commerce players existed or dominated the market.

Regrettably, the startup in question fell prey to the dot-com downturn, but not before giving him some invaluable lessons. "The key lesson I learned from that experience is that no matter what you’re building, if you don’t have a handle on finances, it’s tough to survive,” he says

That early setback made him realise that technology alone doesn’t necessarily drive success; it must be coupled with a strong understanding of business, finance, and strategy. This led Tarun to pursue an MBA in finance and strategy, which, as it turns out, complemented his technological expertise. 

His career trajectory took him through various entrepreneurship & intrapreneurship roles in large corporations, where he continues to leverage his combined knowledge in technology and business to great effect.

Being as deeply involved in Nokia Ventures as he is, Tarun has the knack for making an impact beyond just the startups he mentors. He explains that his work in Nokia’s venturing unit allows him to guide internal innovations and shape the company’s future, “We at Nokia innovate a lot, and we have been for last 150 years thankfully. Some of that innovation goes into our existing businesses. However, some ideas don’t make it directly into the business, so we explore their potential as ventures—could they solve interesting problems or can we create new opportunities.”

"It’s about guiding technologies and innovations toward the right path. Sometimes that path isn’t very clear, so you need an innovation & business mindset to evaluate alternatives, whether exploring new business models, industries, or use cases,” he adds.

In addition to the internal impact, Tarun has been involved in ventures that have the potential to make a broader difference in the world, particularly in the areas of safety & sustainability. "For example, one of our ventures focuses on using real time 360-degree video streaming technology to replace humans in dangerous environments like mines, where accidents and fatalities unfortunately occur. If we can replace humans with technology in such settings, that’s a significant external benefit.". Another venture is looking at energy grid simulation and optimization in a world where demand and supply are more dynamic than ever. For example, sustainable energy production methods like solar, wind are becoming more common but are not entirely predictable. 

As a mentor, Tarun Sharma has worked closely with the Helsinki Incubator programmes. He highly supports the University of Helsinki's mission of nurturing startups and entrepreneurs, and connecting them with mentors like himself who have walked the path before and can be invaluable to these founders. "I think the University of Helsinki and the City of Helsinki are doing a fantastic job with this programme. You’re fostering innovation, growth and making city attractive for enterpreneurs."

According to Tarun, opportunities like these at Helsinki Incubators are essential for fostering entrepreneurship within Finland and building a stronger local ecosystem. "Finland needs more entrepreneurs, startups, and ambitious founders.”

Tarun also strongly believes that local incubators are vital to the region's economic development. Supporting early-stage companies, they help create local jobs and fuel the economy. "If it’s a purely private accelerator, companies can set up wherever they want. But here, you’re doing it for the local ecosystem—to support your cities, country, and the economy here,” he adds.

One of the most fulfilling aspects of mentorship for Tarun Sharma is seeing the tangible impact his guidance can have. Imagine how does the coach feels when their team wins, usually far more happier than the team itself. He fondly recalls a particularly memorable experience mentoring a startup at Slush a few years back, who went on to raise double digit $ million. “Knowing that my advisory role contributed to their successful fund raising was incredibly fulfilling."

Tarun’s advice is clear for aspiring entrepreneurs: perseverance and execution are essential. However, he emphasises that perseverance alone isn’t enough; it must be paired with execution. "At the end of the day, all these ideas ultimately boil down to whether the team can execute. That is so important, if not the most important thing."

He also advises founders to tackle the hardest problems first. "Usually, the hardest assumptions, problems, are the ones that will get procrastinated and will ultimately make or break your entire venture. We are often either too afraid or don’t want to confront the hardest problems, and instead end up focusing on easier things. My advice is to attack the hardest thing in your venture early on. There’s a higher likelihood of success when you tackle those big challenges early."

However, he encourages founders to be ready to pivot if necessary. "Your journey will change, and the problem you thought you were solving will also evolve. You will succeed but also fail, and that’s OK. Those who thrive aren’t the ones who never fall; they’re the ones who rise, again and again. Important thing is to keep going, learn quickly, adapt, pivot and come back stronger”

Tarun’s view of entrepreneurship consists of a blend of courage, purpose, and humility. "Entrepreneurship to me is a journey. It’s about converting ideas into action with all the uncertainties and unknowns but still pursuing the betterment of something. It’s about creating something new with many risks, challenges, and opportunities."

He likens the entrepreneurial journey to jumping into the open sea without knowing what’s ahead, "You don't know what you'll get or what will come in front of you, and you need to be prepared. It's a journey of courage, passion, perseverance, purpose, collaboration, and humility,”

“It teaches you a lot, and more often than not, regardless of whether you succeed or fail with your idea, you'll likely come out as a better person. It teaches you human behaviour and hard and soft skills, all combined.” Tarun explains.

He views this involvement with academia as part of his broader mission to support innovation and entrepreneurship. 

He does this by regularly giving guest lectures and participating in university activities. "I strongly believe in giving back to the community, especially working with the next generation of entrepreneurs, who often have very interesting and exciting ideas. That’s one of the most rewarding part of my career,” he concludes.