I am happy to announce the summer edition of Proto.in to the Venturewoods community. This is slated for 21-22 July at Chennai and is in continuation of its first edition that took place in January earlier this year. For those who came in late, Proto is intended to be a springboard for upcoming startups in India. Modeled on the hugely successful DEMO that is held in Silicon Valley, Proto is organized by the Knowledge Foundation, a non-profit body started by a group of like minded tech enthusiasts.
The first edition of Proto was a good stepping stone. We did some things right, while there were some areas where we could have done better. We intend to leverage on its learnings and make sure that the second edition is a more compelling experience for all participants- startups, technologists, investors, media etc.
So how will ProtoSE be different? For starters, the event is being thrown open to startups from other Asian countries & we expect participation from South East Asia. We are expecting more widespread representation from the investor community, having received confirmations from quite a few VC firms. Prominent industry/academic bodies like IAMAI, TiE, TeNeT, ASES (Incubation Cell Network based out of Stanford University), The Technopreneur Development Division of Malaysia (TeDD), IDA of Singapore have confimed their support as well. More details on the Proto blog.
The format of the event is likely to be the same as before – anybody can nominate, but only 30 chosen startups (selected by a expert panel) will get to take the stage during the event. The nominations are now open, so if you are a startup wanting to tell the world what you have created, go file your nominations right now. There is a participation fee of 10K, but only if you are in the final 30. Registration for attendees will open shortly. The website for Proto SE07 is currently work in progress and should be ready in a week. We are also looking for event sponsors, so if that is you, drop us an email.
We look forward to support from Venturewoods community for this event. We are also open to suggestions about how we can take this event to the next level.
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How can one attend this event in Chennai?
Vijay has mentioned time and again that proto is not about the money…but in the mind of a entrepreneur thats all it is about. They are pitching for money, because they feel money is what makes a startup, I am, and always have been of the belief too much money ruins a startup.
I have just looked through a bplan, and once you get down to it, you start to realise that most of the money is for marketing etc, which after a little careful thought one can actually do away with if you can help them open the correct doors instead.
i.e lets imagine a company which sells sms type things, instead of throwing money, all they need is to get to talk to the decision makers at places like airtel etc, once they get their initial set of customers…the VC’s will come, they really want to come.
Why am I saying all this,
a) to help the startups think a little differently
b) to amplify (I hope) Vijay’s message
c) for a selfish reason in that I am working with 2 guys out of delhi, on a alternative type of seedfund…i.e one without money 🙂 (well for now), we don’t bring money, we bring knowhow, and also contacts in the business world…its a little more than just emailing someone, we are trying to actually help them sell. Whether it works or not, have no idea, what has it cost us, nothing, except time, and we all have limited time. The way I look at it, even if the startup gets 1 deal/ 1 corporate closure, thats better than a ton of money.
I guess ultimately (well in my eyes), startups need sales, they need revenue, they need infrastructure, wouldn’t it be great if people like vsnl, sify, etc etc, could just give a rack of servers for free….maybe I dream to much
Iqbal
last time proto.in website was a work in progress upto the end. what u r doing this time?
@Satyam: I often tell the team within proto.in that whether we are ‘not for profit’ or not, doesnt make a difference. At the end of the day, the value that we offer has to be the best – to make sure that the startup ecosystem in India gets somewhere. There is almost a devoid of experience to share, people who have built companies and have successfully made an exit, how to build a business that scales (you wouldnt beleive how many companies fail here), and just the introductions to various people who could help to take your company to the next level. We are in some cases, flying in people, and making sure that the concerns and issues of the startups will find an answer in Proto.in. We are working the rates backwards from the cost that we incur. 10000 x 30 gets you to 3 lakhs. If you have ever organized an event – even a barcamp, you would realize that 3lakhs is barely enough to get you anywhere. Instead of trying to justify a perfectly excusable cost, I can make an assurance: if a company comes to Proto, they WILL be provided with all the resources and right contacts and the resources to take their product/company to the next step. That is something we will deliver on, and have made every arrangement for that.
@Iqbal: Thanks for the support. It’s not easy to drive an initiative like this. 🙂 it means a lot when someone acknowledges it.
@Deepak: It’s good to hear from a guy who knows the reality of the situation. Thanks
@Sanjay: I hear you.
1. We’ve already made arrangements for a webcast.
2. I am in touch with the PAN IIT Associations. If you know of someone else as well, do put me in touch with them. I am involved with IIT Madras, and to be honest, even after we did the last event here and there was enough news on the media, they still arent too keen on the event – let alone give it for free 🙂
3. Yeah, I do realize that 30 presentations might be too long. We have been considering to split it across two days. But we also hold the rehearsals and the meet with the industry experts, mentors and veteran entrepreneurs and business folks to help clean up the presentation and business plan for these companies the day before the D-day (and last time it took an entire day for it). We will finalize on this regard soon. Or might simply cut down on the number of companies to 20.
4. Yeah, we are getting a demo video of the companies before the date this time.
Sanjeev, What is the most crucial thing for a company? Is it money? I am not sure. What most of the companies required for our last edition of Proto.in was to get a compelling mindshare among the audience to take their company to the next level.
@Krish: I’d agree with you. Also in our form when we say, if they are making money, and you are a startup which doesnt have paid customers, they can just put zero on leave it blank. The reason the form has that field is cause there are companies that do make a revenue and are looking for funding that come to Proto.in and we needed to identify them.
I think there is something that needs to be clarified here. All, or most of the questions that are raised here comes from the perspective of funding. I dont think thats the entire picture of Proto.in. Imagine a fashion show… various designers showcase their latest and trendy “offerings” to an audience of journalists, potential suitors, interested and vested parties, and partners in an effort to put their vision on a pedestal – in most cases as a matter of pride and for visibility. Funding, is just one element and result of it all… there is more to the equation than just funding. There are business cases of companies that are and were sitting on piles of cash who failed miserably simply because they didnt get a grasp of market reality, lack of channel partners, didnt have a customer who would be willing to “try them out”, or a mindshare among developers who would eventually leverage their product. proto.in is a platform to provide that better picture. If you have your business process in place, then the funding will eventually flow – and you’d have a much stronger case to present to the VC and will make his life a little simpler as well. I hope that explains things a bit more clearly.
🙂