Rising costs don’t decide who grows. Preparation does.

At the Vettri Tamil Nadu MSME Summit 2026 in Chennai, Tanstia president S. Vasudevan named what every promoter here already feels: gas, raw materials, transport, power and labour costs have all moved up at once.

He also said something worth holding on to. Strengthening MSMEs is essential to Tamil Nadu’s vision of a $1.5 trillion economy.

Both things are true at the same time. Costs are rising. And so is the target.

In over 20 years of working in business funding, I have seen several cost cycles. Each time, the promoters who came out larger were rarely the loudest or the luckiest. They were the ones who had already thought about capital before the cycle turned.

They knew what the next order would need. They knew how a new line or a new market would change their working capital. So when costs moved, they adjusted the plan instead of abandoning it.

Vasudevan’s advice to entrepreneurs was prudence and efficiency, with a focus on long-term growth. I would add one thing: treat capital as part of that discipline, not as an afterthought.

A $1.5 trillion state economy will be built by its promoter-led businesses, not by waiting for costs to settle.

At Yash & Co Ventures, we fund established, promoter-led businesses across Tamil Nadu and Kerala directly, with no intermediaries in between. The conversations I value most start early, with a growth plan and time to structure it well.

If you’re planning your next phase, I’d be glad to talk.

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