Startup showcase events are blossoming all over India. A handful of events now dot the startup calendar where you can showcase your venture to interested stakeholders- these could be investors for funding purposes, media folks for marketing/PR, users & customers for product validation/feedback, industry experts for guidance & mentorship or to other companies with an eye on mergers, acquisitions and alliances. Many of these events have an inherent bias towards technology, but there is no reason why non tech events can’t be organised along the same lines. Every now & then I come across some new event taking shape, so decided to compile a quick list that every Indian tech startup should have on its radar. The list is not exhaustive; in case you can think of the ones I missed out, do let me know and I’ll add it in here..
Proto– Proto is a technology showcase event whose third edition is slated for Jan 08; organized by a not for profit umbrella organisation called the Knowledge Foundation, it is shaping into a good launchpad for early stage tech startups. Proto features app 25 startups mostly from the internet, mobile & software domains. Previous editions (Proto I & Proto II ) have been well received; this is where you need to apply for the event.
TiE – TiE has been an instigator on the technology startup scene in India; The upcoming TiECON in Delhi has a showcase section for startups, along with mentoring sessions. TiE regualrly organises showcase events at its various chapters (Bangalore, Chennai, Mumbai).
Nasscom– While Nasscom is dominated by mid to large sized organisations; it also organises various events and awards for startups, though they are more focused on mid sized and growth stage companies; One needs to be glued into their calendar to know about their events.
HeadStart– This is another startup showcase event that is planning its first edition in Bangalore in Jan08. It is focused on four domains- consumer serveces, mobile, embedded system & enterprise platforms. It seems to be targetting not just startups but also individuals, research institutions, large and established businesses etc. Its organisers are Kickstart, a body of entrepreneurs & tech professionals and it is sponsored by ACM Bangalore. This is where you need to apply for the event.
MoDemo – This is a new event for the mobile space; it is happening is Bangalore on the 16th of Dec and attempts to showcase mobile & telecom products; its orgainsers are a bunch of mobile domain professionals. Go here to register.
Canaan-TiE Entrepreneurship Challenge– This business plan competition happened last year; it was co-organised by Canaan Partners & TiE; it might be the first and only event (that I am aware of) showcase event being organised by a VC firm in India; go here for details & winners ; not sure if it was a one off event or whether its slated for a repeat this year as well.
Microsoft I3– Microsoft India organised an innovation focused conference in October this year called India is Innovation (I3); this included a startup showcase session to a select gathering of VCs, entrepreneurs, media etc. This is an annual but invitation only event; go here to know how to apply the next time; details here for startups that presented this year.
Venture Intelligence Mobile-VAS Connect– Venture Intelligence provides information and networking services to the private equity and venture capital ecosystem in India and they orgainsed a demo showcase for the mobile value added services companies in Dec last year: not sure if this event is being repetaed this year.
Tie-ISB Connect: This is a business plan competition being co-organised at Hyderabad by The Indian School of Business & TiE; this is an annual event and its last edition happened just weeks ago and featured 36 startups. Details here…
BarCamps/Mobile Mondays– Barcamps & Mobile Mondays are community events with low entry barriers where you can showcase your venture to the audience which typically consists of startups, bloggers, media, VCs & angel investors. They are less formalised and an excellent way of getting feedback about your work-in-progress product/service.
BSchool/Engg Business plan competions– Most B Schools and engineering institutes have entrepreneurship cells and they organise internal or external (sometimes international level) business plan competitions; this could be an excellent launch pad to test out your idea, create a business plan around it, seek feedback from the market and maybe drum up some seed capital as well. IIT Mumbai organises Eureka; Bits Pilani organises Conquest; IIT Kanpur’s competition is called MegaBucks; IIM Ahmedabad’s is called MasterPlan. I am sure there are many others that I am not aware off (please leave behind names in the comments)
With so many showcase events happening, surely the lack of networking and feedback from the right people can hardly be cited as an excuse by Indian startups for not producing world class products & services..
