OPINION

Can Startups Build Robust Moats?

Lines of defense to protect, retain their competitive advantage.

Unless you are extremely well-versed with medieval literature, it is somewhat unlikely that you had heard of “moats” before Game of Thrones staged a crucial episode at the fictional Moat Cailin. Till the cult favorite show branded the term into our collective consciousness, many people, barring the voracious readers, probably had little idea of what a moat even was.

And few can blame them for their ignorance.

For a generation struggling to get their hands on a decently sized apartment in a bustling metro, castles, and ditches to defend their gates can sound like a distant dream. However, being unrelatable doesn’t mean that moats are useless to us today. While we may not have the sprawling mansions like the Knights of yore, we do have burgeoning economies and their highly lauded growth engines: the startups.

Struggling against mounting competition and the fast pace of change, these fledgling new businesses could definitely do with a good line of defence, and that is where the concept of a moat can come…