Why Sifar?

Sifar,
literally translated, Sifar means Zero.

Something that doesn’t have a beginning, doesn’t have an end and encircles everything

Sifar finds it root in Arabic root ‘sifr’, the same place where the English word Cipher finds its roots in. So, why Sifar? Who wants to talk about Zero? Well, mathematicians would disagree and so would philosophers. Zero is a symbol of nothing, but it is obviously a lot more important that nothing can ever be. Or maybe we are yet to discover a lot about nothingness. Perhaps it is us who need to understand ‘nothing’ as the force it is. What existed before the Big Bang? Sifar. What will exist when we everything is over and you have to start again? Sifar. Imagine something so vast, so powerful, so absolute, it spewed your entire Universe. That something is Sifar.

Sifar or Zero is the only entity, only idea in this entire Universe that is unsubtractable. You can take all of Sifar away from Sifar, and still what will be left is Sifar. It is indestructible, unmitigated, unalterable. It is absolute, in absolute terms, which is a massive achievement in the whimsical existence that we a part of. In a Universe where truth is arguably a variable entity, depending on who, when and what you are asking, Sifar is the only undeniable, truest of true, purest of pure truth in the entire existence. Sifar or zero was India’s gift to the world of Mathematics, and a decisive turning point for one of the most important, world-changing branch of science.

Sifar is where it all starts for all the founders and we want to be with them from day 0 hence Sifar. Every founder when starting up must first go from “zero to one” a phrase popularized by PayPal co-founder and venture capitalist, Peter Thiel, in his book Zero to One. This is the first and most challenging stage in building any company. Before you’ve hired your first employee, found your first customer, made your first dollar, this is the time to put everything to work and prove that your idea is worth. Journey from “Sifar to One” is the most interesting journey for any company and we would like to be part of that and help founders fill the gaps, support them to reach to One.

Hence Sifar Ventures!

• Vishwesh

(Interestingly — my son’s name is also Sifar and there is a similar but little different philosophy behind that as well, which I will write some other time!)