This is one thing India was missing on till now- but I see some traction building up now.  And its about time.

Karam Lakshman, this year’s programme manager for iAccelerator (an incubator of internet & mobile startups in India) introduced me to this relatively new but exciting programme they have come up with.

The Centre for Innovation, Incubation and Entrepreneurship (CIIE), an IIM (Indian Institute of Management) Ahmedabad endeavour, has invited entrepreneurs in the internet and mobile space to submit application under its iAccelerator incubation programme.

The incubation programme runs from June 1st to August 1st this year, and the deadline for submitting application for the iAccelerator’s current edition is April 10, 2010.

iAccelerator have their own building in the IIM campus, and the programme has run thrice in the last 2 years, and have already funded about 16 companies.

What to expect from the programme? Verbatim from Karam here:

Its fairly simple. You send us an application for funding saying that you want a startup that does xyz. We read every single application that comes in. If we like your application, we’ll get in touch with you via email and then meet you if the email conversation goes well. We’re funding companies in Delhi, Hyderabad, Bombay, Bangalore & Mumbai.
We offer living and working space in each of these cities if the startup needs them. Once you get selected, you spend 10 days at IIM to sort things like your business plan, get your company incorporated, etc… After that, you spend 3 months building the first version of your product.
We’ll have weekly meetings with mentors & inspiring speakers in your cities + free dinner !
After 3 months, we help you get your first set of customers so you can see if your product is actually viable.
We’ll take it from there after that… if you need funding and your customers are happy, we’d be happy to fund you ourselves or introduce you to other investors too.

The programme will be run by experienced professionals and CEOs from the Indian internet and mobile space.

The selection criterion:

According to iAccelerator, all you need to have is brilliance and a good idea. More here.

This differentiates their programme from other incubators in the present landscape.

More. (Verbatim again):

I think there’s a great story around the fact that there are extremely few incubators in India who are willing to fund a startup even if all they have is just an idea.

The other thing is, given that we’re backed by IIM-A… we can do a tremendous amount to help startups apart from just funding them.

If they apply from a place like mysore for example, we can give them living and working space in Bangalore.

We’ll get them in touch with mentors to advise them if they come across any difficulties and I think the greatest value we provide is the fact that we’ll help them get their first set of customers once their product ready.

The other great thing is that we’re the only incubator that can support a startup across the country, We’ve got amazing partners in Delhi, Bangalore, Bombay & Hyderabad apart from our own facility in Ahmedabad.

And no Red tape.

The best thing I can say however is that we’ve got zero in the way of red-tape even though we’re technically a government organization. That and we read every single application that comes in.

So that’s about it. if you are an Indian entrepreneur, go ahead and try this out. Best of luck to iAccelerator and all the applicants.

Keep on Chasing The Storm.

One thing I feel disenchanted about in Asia, is the fact that there is more “talking the talk” than “walking the talk” – when it comes to encouraging the start-up ecosystem.

Like many other things in life, people look at the West, marvel about how good the start up environment is (can the real slim shady please step up and explain- Silicon Valley is not ‘the West’). But when  it comes to supporting the start up ecosystem, hardly any one seems to put the money where their mouth is.

This seems to be true even in countries like Singapore, with a focus to foster entrepreneurship. There are loads of institutions for start up mentoring and support, but when it comes to seed stage or idea stage funding, there is more talk, than play. Many of these incubation institutions seem to be self serving tools for their founders (“I am a ‘mentor’/father figure for start ups”) than making any tangible real difference to start ups. 

Businesses need more than a garage and some computers to start with- though that makes for a nice story.  For a 50k grant, the expectation is that entrepreneurs will not have any earning and work full time to bring a product out in the market. Which is the reason why you see school/college kids starting up operations rather than serious, mature individuals. (and by that, I don’t mean grandpa). The ones who eventually do get something out of this, will probably be experienced individuals in the game of funding and ‘well connected’.

Most funding institutions have limited sight, angel investment is a rare thing, venture capital looks for (perceived) risk free/me-too projects (Online travel operator? tick. Online book selling company? tick. Online ad network? tick. Mobile ad network? double tick- because “you know AdMob got acquired by Google”) -you got the idea.

Yes there are incubation/funding institutions, but the truth is, it is too little with too much effort (to get at it- not the effort to make a successful company). Add the red tape (wait for 5 months for a 50k grant and still not be sure where you are)- and you are set for disappointment. (happened to some people I know).

This space has more action in words than deed.

Prove me wrong and I’ll dance with you.

“Think About It”- Ideas shaping digital media and marketing in the new decade

Its love’s labour. Really.

After more than a year of running ChasingTheStorm – with loads of loving time spent- and acquiring loads of loving friend circle, this is it. I put together a book.

“Think About It” is a book inspired by Ideas from this website. With more meat, more thoughts and well, in a different format. The title of the book is actually the signature I use in most articles.

The book covers Digital Media and Marketing trends in the new decade, Mobile Media, new marketing paradigms and Marketing Case studies.

It is written not as a tutorial to digital media platforms or Digital marketing 101. Rather- it attempts to raise a storm on specific Digital media issues. Offering an easy read for the evolved, thinking marketer, it is a book to raise debate- and expects a degree of interest in Digital Media.

I’ll talk more about it later- but since I am quite excited about it, I decided to put up the news anyways.

It’ll go in print soon (and available online and on the Kindle)- but as usual, not without your support in its making. I need you to help pick up the right cover design.

My good friend Ankur Khurana volunteered to get the cover design done- and boy- he did get them designed in two days flat. Many thanks buddy. And many thanks to MG Harti- the Art Director who helped the idea come into reality by doing many iterations.

So here are the designs- (the copy/text and some elements are dummy).

Just from a design layout perspective- let me know which ones do you like the best?

You could comment here, or

Email me: shalabhpandey at gmail dotcom

DM or @ at Twitter : @shalabhpandey

The cover Designs for “Think About It”

GROUP 1:

Cover One

Cover 2

Cover 3

Cover 4

GROUP 2:

Cover 5

Cover 6

Cover 7

Cover 8

Comment here, or

Email me: shalabhpandey at gmail dotcom

DM or @ at Twitter : @shalabhpandey

Think About It

Shalabh

Think of some oxymorons. And then think about this- “templatized entrepreneurship”.

In case you are actively looking for starting your own (tech/web) venture- and looking for any kind of assistance- financial or otherwise- be prepared for these templatized requirements from establishments:

Template 1) Single entrepreneurs are not welcome.Entrepreneurship support/financing companies are of the belief system that starting business is something that necessarily needs more than one founders.

This started from the hotbed of all such activities- Silicon Valley. Their Asian counterparts- as expected- take the template apply here. But is this requirement true of startup success /entrepreneurship all over the world? Is the culture in Asia more individual led than partnerships led?

This presentation from TED India descibes some nuances in the different value structures between the East and the West:

Template 2) If you are tech start up- not only do you need multiple partners, at least one of them has to be ‘Technology’ background.

Template 3) The younger you are, the more schemes there are for you. Age is inversely proportional to the chances of getting funding- and is directly proportional to the demands from the prospective venture

Template 4) Don’t get your spouse involved in the business. An incompetent partner is more welcome that a competent spouse. No body wants a Mom and pop show.

Template 5) A bad idea that everyone else is doing- is more valuable than a ‘good’ concept that no one is pursuing.

So in case you are looking for funding- follow these templates. And remember- it is always more important to spend your time in contests, shows and funding presentations.The work on business can wait- get the glamor on first.

Think about it

Shalabh

Passion is everything.

It makes up for many weaknesses. It drives you to jump over the hurdles, go around them, or just kick them out of the way.

If you are passionate about your business or product, great marketing ideas will happen.  Great products will happen. Why, even great relationships will happen.

Passion is everything. It is not about teeth flinching, fist swishing, swash buckling, frantic paced walking up and down type. Passion can be quiet. Passion can be fun. Passion can be unassuming.

Passion is everything. Marry it with consistency- and it steers you to excellence.

Just a note to ending a very tough but very learning 2009. Wishing you a happy new year- may it be full of positive passion for newer and more interesting things in life.

Shalabh

I’m sure you must have heard the story of the Little Red Hen.

In a barnyard full of animals, there was a little red hen.

The Hen finds some wheat grains/seeds (lets say an entrepreneurial idea or a project concept) and wants to germinate it to grow into wheat plants so there could be a crop and everyone in the barn could eat the wheat.

She goes to every animal in the barn to sell the idea (team building/funding) and ask if anyone would be interested in joining in. All the animals decline- and so the hen does all the work herself.

Once the crop is done and bread is made, all the animals come in to eat it and demand a share.

Have you been through this?

Here is a beautiful modern adaption of this story here- my bits only in Italics:

Once upon a time, there was a little red hen who scratched about the barnyard (say looking for opportunities) until she uncovered some grains of wheat.

She called her neighbors and said, “If we plant this wheat, we shall have bread to eat. Who will help me plant it?” (say, Concept development/fund generation stage)

“Not I,” said the cow.
“Not I,” said the duck.
“Not I,” said the pig.
“Not I,” said the goose.

“Then I will,” said the little red hen, and she did.

The wheat grew tall and ripened into golden grain. “Who will help me reap my wheat?” asked the little red hen. (The prototype stage)

“Not I,” said the duck.
“Out of my classification,” said the pig.
“I’d lose my seniority,” said the cow.
“I’d lose my unemployment compensation,” said the goose.

“Then I will,” said the little red hen, and she did.

At last it came time to bake the bread. “Who will help me bake the bread?” asked the little red hen.

“That would be overtime for me,” said the cow.
“I’d lose my welfare benefits,” said the duck.
“I’m a dropout and never learned how,” said the pig.
“If I’m to be the only helper, that’s discrimination,” said the goose.

“Then I will,” said the little red hen. (Getting the funding, product prototype, business plan, legalities, done- and the concept is now successfully launched)

She baked five loaves and held them up for her neighbors to see. They wanted some and, in fact, demanded a share.

But the little red hen said, “No, I can eat the five loaves.”

“Excess profits!” cried the cow.
“Capitalist leech!” screamed the duck.
“I demand equal rights!” yelled the goose.
And the pig just grunted.

And they painted “unfair” picket signs and marched around and around the little red hen, shouting obscenities.

When the government agent came, he said to the little red hen, “You must not be greedy.”

“But I earned the bread,” said the little red hen.

“Exactly,” said the agent. “That is the wonderful free enterprise system. Anyone in the barnyard can earn as much as he wants. But under our modern government regulations, the productive workers must divide their product with the idle.”

And they lived happily ever after, including the little red hen, who smiled and clucked, “I am grateful. I am grateful.”

But her neighbors wondered why she never again baked any more bread.

————————————————————————————————–

OK the last bit had communist overtones- but pretty much summarizes the attitude of many people. Has this happened to you? As a manager, entrepreneur or in your personal life?

Think about it

Shalabh

Thumbnail Image: http://orrinwoodward.blogharbor.com/Little%20Red%20Hen.bmp

In part 1 and part 2 of this 4 series video brainstorm, we discussed Orsiso and Advertising on social networks previously.

In Part3, we discuss whether downloadable appplications have a significant advantage over browser based or web based applications. Also another point- the funding story- the issues- what do investors look for, and the like.

Enjoy

Shalabh Pandey

We featured Orsiso in Part 1.

In part 2 of the discussion between myself (Shalabh Pandey) and Thorben, amongst other things, we discuss advertising on social networks, its significance and nuances.

Enjoy!

Whew!

We did this about a fortnight ago. A (apprx) 40 minute discussion caught on video- on Start ups, funding story and advertising on Social media- amongst many other things. Between me (Shalabh Pandey) and the CEO and co-founder of Orsiso- Thorben Linneberg.

I finally managed to clean up the video and uploaded the final video brainstorm- after about 2 weeks of having shot it.

Featuring the entire series in 4 parts- so enjoy this over the next few posts.

Part 1 of 4:

This is our first time doing a video- and the quality is a bit low. The video was on analgue tape- and I had only Windows Movie Maker- to help me with the editing. There was a time lag between the video and the audio- which was proving impossible to curate in WMM. And hence the quality is still not up to my satisfaction, but after having spent close to 25 hours or more on this- I thought I’d better get this up and running now.

The problem with me is I cannot compromise on quality of end product- and that pushes me to do as much as is within the outer boundaries of my limits.

But I believe web video is the future- and there are learnings for the next time.

• One learning has been that even though you can manage without the best equipment and software- it is not advisable to do so. You end up spending too much time and effort just cleaning the whole thing up.
• Another learning for me has been- in the absence of external mikes, speak up! My voice is a bit soft, and I also have a bit of a hunch- and since video is about presentation, it shows. Tip to remember next time.

Overall, it went off well- we had some help too- from Orsiso’s side- we had Laurent Roux- Business Director- helping co-ordinate- and from ChasingTheStorm we had some great help from Mohd Hisham with the camera set up.

The objective was to introduce Orsiso and alongside also have a little discussion session around the Web landscape of today.

In the first section, we discuss largely about Orsiso- how it aggregates various social networks and organizes your social life on the internet.

In the second section, we move on to discussing advertising and social networks

In the third section- we discuss whether downloadable applications are back or the browser based applications?

And in the last section, we discuss How to market a start up- basis Orsiso’s experience.

Enjoy!

Shalabh

Sometimes my mind plays the Gemini tricks. Indecision. Yet sometimes I grant it the liberty to fly. Like when I am in one of those futuregazing whims.

Been observing the case of some niche services around Social Media offerings that have entered the market and got themselves flush with VC money. One cannot but wonder if they are riding the wave OR really have a solid ground OR are here for the taking (buyouts). Or worse, for the kill (low entry barriers by more established players).

Come to think of it. The web is becoming dangerously monopolistic. Or maybe cartel like. Or maybe we need to device a new term.

Where the big 5 or so players (across media/platform/services) take over anything with a probable potential. Like the lesser publicized acquisitions made by Amazon. Or in cases where they can’t, they decide to kill the infant in the cradle. By launching against their offerings with their own version- only with bigger and better resources.

Ironically, many a times, it might not be so evil as it sounds. Specially in cases where research has already been done, markets have already been explored and a solid product has already been delivered.

In such a scenario, if there is a new product in the market that sells due to package innovation, and makes money (and noise), there are obvious reasons (and lesser barriers) for the bigger brand to get a foot in that market’s door.

I talked about the lesser known case of Amazon acquisitions. Now take the more well known case of Google. Probably the most powerful force on the web- with its fingers in every pie and head in the rolling cheese.If it wanted, what are the new offerings it could eat up today- if it wanted to?

And Google is just an example. Though a strong contender to bulldoze through many niche and upcoming services, there are some services dangerously in Google terrain and so especially susceptible. I am listing three of those here.

Buzz monitoring/Social Conversations


• The PR folks have ruled and brought about the Web 2.o communications revolution, according to me. And they probably brought with them this entire idea that people are talking about brands in online various online forums. “If you could track down how many events for discussion around your brand are taking place- it would give you unprecedented tracking abilities”.
• Sure enough- many companies including traditional research agencies to web security agencies to nimble programming-business brains- sensed the opportunity and launched products that are being sold and used by many today.
• Companies- the likes of Google- have been delivering some of these services since ages.  Google has services like Alerts, news, Blog search, maps and local search, trends, insights and now the likes of Video insights. These products are free to use.
• So if there are free products, why would someone pay? The common contention for going to paid services is that they have less noise and could dig deep into forums etc- sections not indexed well by Google (or others) Other reasons listed here . Alongside others contend that the tools don’t matter, efforts do.
  

The question then is- how much does it take Google to scale up/package? It already has the reach and the infrastructure. Not to mention the products.

Sentiment tracking/Social conversation Search


• This is another differentiation by the niche service providers. While the likes of Google could provide instances, how would you know their relevance and context? Enter Sentiment tracking- where these companies identify positive or negative references in context of your brand
• How do they do that? Many ways- including ‘semantic’ methods to a mix of human-machine analysis.
• Again, the likes of Google have been doing this research for ages now. If they want to enter this space, will they hesitate?

Examples of both buzz/sentiment (and others like influencer tracking etc) are Radian6, Buzzmetrics/Nielsen Blogpulse, Techrigy, Samepoint, jamieQ, CC, Brandtology- just a few that are top of my mind


Enterprise Group Collaboration systems

• There has been a lot of talk around Social Media-tizing the organisation. Inspite of the fact that many group collaboration systems have been around since ages, like (Zoho or webex), the social media element was missing. Of course they are charged for, or at best freemium.
  
• So smart entrepreneurs grabbed a chance at it- and developed products that employees could use for better project management efficiencies (like Yammer, or SocialWok- a good Asian alternative) and where employees could co-ordinate via tweets 0r other popular social media tools

Google has been delivering some good products around the enterprise space. Their offerings on emails on custom domains etc have been quite successful. Similarly Yahoo with small biz solutions. Lately with the demonstrations of Google wave, it becomes clear that the likelihood of Google entering this space is not a remote concept to say the least.


Real time search

• This is where the big fight is. Though many smaller players are in the fray, the frenzy of the big guys is what makes this a different category
• Another reason that niche conversation tracking tout- real time search for “in time crisis management”- is where the big guys have already taken big steps

Facebook and Twitter are in the fray, with Google already working on some solutions in this area (Google Caffeine)

• This is the area where the fight is concentrated right now
• Latest developments like Facebook buying FriendFeed might have future impact in this domain
• On Facebook’s search capabilities, Mashable reports: While the new Facebook Search only launched this week, the new real-time search platform can search far more than status updates. With access to 250+ million users, the world’s largest social network can tap into photos, links, events, apps, and more for its new search engine.

Long post. I will try to highlight in the next post why historical evidence proves it might not be such a bad thing for the niche players.

Shalabh Pandey

(twitter.com/shalabhpandey)

Thumbnail courtsey : http://www.flickr.com/photos/stinkiepinkie_infinity/2658569216/sizes/m/

In my profession, I meet a whole lot of people from various companies. That exposes me to an eclectic variety of business cards of people from all walks of life.

I recently started attending many conferences as the editor of this blogzine. That has made me interact with bloggers, consultants, podcasters et al. Of course I attended these conferences earlier, but as a Senior professional from the industry, I guess you meet a different crowd (and NO- I am not as old as I sound saying this. Had to clarify ) than when you represent a blogzine. Some of these guys have cool business cards.  However, I noticed, many of them might have spent a bomb getting them printed. And unless you know someone in the creative printing or advertising or any such business- best of luck with explaining your concepts to the mom and pop neighborhood printing shop.

That got me thinking- home based (and part time) businesses have this powerful tool at their disposal- the business card! Most of us do not put a whole lot of effort into business cards. But I will tell you what- the time spent on designing that business card will reap you rewards for times to come, and will probably be the most important fundamental marketing exercise that you can undertake.

It is a branding tool , a direct marketing tool and a CRM tool- all combined in one. And how much does it cost? Well, maybe $15 for a bunch of 100+ good quality (basic) business cards. And if you spend some time on it and be creative about it, the returns will far far exceed the time and money investment.

A business card is not just a paper card with your contact details and company logo- it is the attitude of your business. It should shout your personality out loud. When someone opens their card folders, it should scream- “look at me!” and when you give it to someone, they should raise their eyebrows and give you a second look. It should be an ice breaking tool and a conversation starter. A marketers delight and a sales warrior’s weaponry.

I made some new business cards for Chasing the storm. The brand personality can be gauged from here. But in short- CTS is about finding your own path, a brave attempt at doing something differently and looking beyond the obvious. I also wanted things a bit different- I wanted many different flavors of a business card. In effect, I wanted all (OK many) of my different cards to be different. Yet depicting the same attitude.

Here are four of them – I made 8 varieties in total (and they look way cooler on paper)

CTS Business card with an attitude 1

CTS Business card (How many legs?)

CTS business card- What do you see? Good or Evil?

CTS - One bus or two buses?

Imagine if I had asked my printer to print me not one bunch of similar looking cards, but a whole lot of different looking cards? He would’ve hung himself upside down and eat a dozen bananas before coming back to his senses.

How did I do it? Here is a simple (but VERY time taking- beware) process:
First- The preparation:

• • Photo paper with gloss or matt finish 9matt works better usually, but for bright colors you can use glossy finish) : Should cost about $8-$20 for a 20 sheet deck. Anything above 150 GSM thickness should do as per preference
  • A (photo) printer: Since a normal pronter might not have that impact, if you have a photo printer, yur card will shine through. A reasonably good photo printer could come at around $60+. They are dime a dozen nowadays- printer companies want to sell cartridges anyways.
  • A decent cutter: You could use a pencil like cutter- shaped like a small knife, used to cut, well- papers. It can start from $2 or so- and you need a scale to cut the paper. But I recommend spending a little bit more and get a “paper cutter” equipment. Will cost you about 15$ plus (till about 300$)- but you really need a basic no fancy cutter for this. One that can cut A4 size paper should do fine.

That’s it- you are on!

Second- creating the card on your computer:

You can very easily make this on MS word.

Step1
On MS Word Open the File menu and choose New.

Step2
Tools menu-> Envelopes and Labels section
Step3
Click Options.
Step4
By default Avery Standard is selected in the “Product type” menu, if not, select it
Step5
I chose “3612 – Business Card” in the “Product number” menu. Then clicked OK. You can choose to pick up a label – and a different size if you are adventurous.
Step6
Click “New Document”. You get a template with the correct margins for a business card.
Step7
Insert menu-> picture-> and browse your files for a picture or your logo to put on your card.
Step8
Adjust the graphic to the size you want. If you have a logo, insert that and align as per preference
Step9
Choose a font for the text and type your contact details
Step10
Instead of Copying and pasting a single design into each space on the page (recommended if you have one set), I tried something different and repeated the process for different cards that I wanted.
Step11
Select the table, right click and enable borders on the page so that they are visible once you print on the paper. Helps immensely when you are down to cutting yur masterpiece in the right dimensions
Step 12
Press Print on the toolbar when you’re ready to print

Simple! Eh?
There are softwares available on the web, some of them very cheap and good that can help you as well. Microsoft has some templates online, but they are run of the mill.
You can find other cool resources here

All in all, I’d say it was a damn time taking exercise, and not as cheap as having it made from a print shop. But the satisfaction it gave me was immense- and with probably the first optical illusion cards- all different from the other, I might as well be the first blogzine editor in the world doing it.

Like them? Let me know if you want to see more. Either which ways, what do you think of these?

So you think if you follow Warren Buffet, Donald Trump, Li Ka Shing and Laksmi Mittal and practice what they preach, you can achieve at least a fragment of what they have achieved?

The following 14 slides may make you think otherwise. It establishes that if you play close attention to what the richest people in the world say about how they created vast fortunes, you might realize that they are not just saying different things, they are saying OPPOSITE toeach other.

The presentation also goes on to explain why they ALL are right!

But then, Chasing The Storm also says the same thing- so not just follow the leader. Be the leader. Don’t just yearn change- BE that change. Don’t just follow the path that others have created- make your own path. Don’t run away- sometimes it pays to chase the storm. View the slides and you will know what I mean.

Sometime ago, I attended the PHP users group meeting in Singapore. While waiting for the meeting to start, I met this tall, young guy who introduced himself as Neo. He had founded an association that did sound Matrix-ish to me at that point of time. Intrigued by the concept, I promised to get back to him and know more about his association- TAWA- Technopreneurs’ Association of Wireless Applications.

Earlier this week, I got back in touch with him and asked him some questions that myself and other Storm chasers would have wanted to know. After all, this is what CST stands for- promoting and helping start ups and entrepreneurs to achieve their missions. What followed was an interesting volley of questions and answers- mentioned here. With this, we added another category on the site: BrainStorm- where we storm the brains (Bad one I know) of some interesting storm chasers with our questions.

ChasingTheStorm has no association with TAWA, and this is not a paid plug or anything. Pure intentions, zero bullshit.

While they are not half as cryptic as in Matrix the movie, the questions (from Shalabh) and their answers (from Neo) here:

1.  Shalabh:  Give us a twit pitch on TAWA (140-180 characters)
Neo Wee Wu: TAWA aims to create a cohesive and entrepreneurial resource-sharing platform within the wireless sector through business networking events and workshops.
2.  Shalabh:  And another one about yourself

Neo Wee Wu:I am a typical Singaporean who had undergone a typical education in Singapore for the past 16 years. I came from a middle-income family. Without financial backing, I had to take up 4 part-time jobs for allowances during my university days. From my past working experience, I have come to believe that life is never a smooth journey.  Hard work and a clear objective are essential ingredients for success, and during the planning for our event, I ensured that my team are clear about the objectives and are willing to work hard for our common goal.
(The twittometer goes Beep!)
3.  Shalabh: How exactly do you help entrepreneurs through TAWA?
Neo Wee Wu:TAWA serves a marketplace where entrepreneurs can exchange ideas and business contacts. Our business networking activities provide numerous opportunities to foster new business relationships at virtually no cost to the entrepreneurs. In the future, we wish to develop funds or loan schemes to finance wireless start ups.
4.  Shalabh:  Does TAWA only help start ups in the wireless sector? What exactly is the “wireless sector”?
Neo Wee Wu:There is no clear definition of “wireless sector”. However, it is broadly referring to the field of wireless communication which includes players from the mobile handsets makers, GPS makers, telcos, ISPs and even software makers.
During the planning of the first TAWA event, we came to realise that it is very hard to draw a clear distinction between a technology company which develops internet applications and those which develop mobile applications since the type of expertise required are pretty similar. The wireless sector encompasses many players who may be involved directly or indirectly. As such, the values that we bring to the industry may very well extend beyond what we might narrowly define as the “wireless sector”.
5.  Shalabh:  Why did you choose Wireless sector specifically? Is there less awareness or more opportunity in this area?
Neo Wee Wu:Wireless sector is still young and possess a lot of opportunities. Despite having strong infrastructure, Singapore is still lagging behind some other developed countries in terms of the availability of software or wireless solutions.
6.  Shalabh:  How many members does TAWA have?
Neo Wee Wu:We have 5 active members and we are still growing.
7.  Shalabh:  Does TAWA operate in Singapore only?
Neo Wee Wu:TAWA started in July 2008. Currently, it is operating within Singapore but we intend to expand our regional presence in the next 1 or 2 years’ time.
8.  Shalabh:  You yourself are very young, with little work experience. Do you think the start-ups take you seriously? Why should they take you seriously?
Neo Wee Wu:I agreed with you that my team is young. However, age is not the best benchmark to measure the efficiency and the capability of the team. In fact, I selected my team members based on their characters, passion and commitment.
Furthermore, I have observed there is an increasing trend of younger Singaporeans taking the path of an entrepreneur. With a young management team, our organization helps to bind these young entrepreneurs together. We are not only there to provide business networks and resources but also, to give support and encourage our peers to move on.
9.  Shalabh:  Can you share with us some examples where entrepreneurs have benefited through TAWA?
Neo Wee Wu:We had our first TAWA networking forum in Sept 2008. Mr Ken Chua, CEO of iCELL Network, has made the opportunity to showcase the new security features of Wireless@SG – Wireless@SG VPN service and Seamless and Secured Access.  This is an example of how our existence can help these companies to reach out to the correct audience, that is, audience that are interested in technological innovations and are much more ready to try new products. In this way, we help the entrepreneurs achieve better market penetration.
We are currently planning for an event of a larger scale where more entrepreneurs can showcase their products.
10.  Shalabh:  You must have some interesting insights into some cool new start ups that you might have met. Can you share with us some of them?
Neo Wee Wu:I am not sure you have heard of this company – Human Network Labs. It develops mobile social networking applications for mobile devices that allow users to know who’s around you as well as the relationship between users.

11.  Shalabh:  What are the major concerns that start ups in this sector have? How similar are their concerns as compared to any other start ups? What are some unique issues facing entrepreneurs in this sector?
Neo Wee Wu:It is a complex technology sector. Wireless or mobile applications need to take into account of compatibility issues across different platforms. It is a common problem faced by all hardware engineers and software developers in the whole technology industry.
Monetizing such wireless applications is a problem. However, the more serious issue is to address the security of this wireless network. Entrepreneurs must have these at the back of their minds when developing their products or services.
12. Shalabh:   Do you think the entrepreneurship culture in Asia is as advanced as some western countries?
Neo Wee Wu:Technology ventures are always within the radar screen of entrepreneurs and venture capitals in all parts of the world. It is hard to conclude whether entrepreneurship culture in Western countries are more advanced than in Asia.
13.  Shalabh:  What do you think about the funding environment here in Asia? Are investors usually more tight fisted when it comes to incubating or investing in a start up?
Neo Wee Wu:As mentioned earlier, investment strategies will be different here in Asia. The key difference is the investors’ risk profile. In developing Asian countries, almost any industries are fast growing. Technology venture is just one of the many that Asian investors can park their money with whereas the more mature Western economies have to rely on technology and innovation to drive development of their nations. Hence, they are much less risk adverse, and are willing to take bold moves to find the one gem in million ventures. This is very evident in US where we witness the bubble in the private equities market.
I am not saying that Asian investors are not ready to fund early stage startup.  I would like to reinforce the point that you need to develop a solid business model to prove to investors that your business will succeed.

p.s. anyway, if you have developed good business model in the first place, you should be able to generate revenue to keep yourself afloat. Besides funds, business incubators are there to provide advisory and networks for expansion.
14.  Shalabh:  Where do you see TAWA, 2 years from now? (The proverbial 5 years is too much in today’s dynamic environment)
Neo Wee Wu:I wish to hold a mega business exhibition which showcases the products of the wireless/mobile start ups from the region.
15.  Shalabh:  Again, if you had to microblog a message from TAWA to the start ups or entrepreneurs, what would that message be?
Neo Wee Wu:US financial tsunami has wiped out the global market confidence but not the ambitions of the entrepreneurs. It is “the survival of the fitness”. Pull through and you will be there!

In case this discussion has intrigued you enought to know more about TAWA please contact them through their website. Neo is contactable at weewu.neo(at)tawa.sg. CST encourages its readers to take full advantage of this association and forward this to someone who they think could benefit from the association.

Or as always, leave your comments here – we will pass them off to TAWA, and others get enriched as well

Adios!

Whether recession or no recession, starting up, specially a start up requiring software development was always a challenge. I think the biggest challenge is getting good people to start up with- specially tech/scripting guys with a vision of giving that additional extra edge is a task in itself…

To me funding and and mentoring is probably the next stage after the initial stages of product development and launching- maybe getting that first customer are over. And that needs good people.

Having said that, starting up is always great. But expensive. And resource hungry. For the first timers, it goes beyond that- finding mentors, capital and resources.

Enter Microsoft. Realizing that start ups and entrepreneurs and small businesses are the cash cows of the future- if you target them in the intial phases, it is very very likely that they continue to scale their operations using your products, many companies now have solutions targeting this segment.

PS: Posted this much before Straits Times, the leading newspaper in Singapore, who then published this on 22nd November, who knows, inspired by ChasingTheStorm?

No longer the blue monster?

So in effect partnering with entrepreneurs when they most need it and can least afford it.

Microsoft has this initiative for start ups (but only in the technology development field mind you) where they assist by:

• Providing them with “express access” to Microsoft tools and technologies, for their immediate use in design, development, testing, demonstration, and hosted application production and deployment;
• Connecting them with Network Partners and a united, global community of support resources; and
• Offering them global visibility on the MicrosoftStartupZone website via the BizSparkDB, an online Startup directory, hosted on the MicrosoftStartupZone website.

There are no initial costs to enter the programme, but Microsoft has some conditions on what kind of companies can apply. Not very stringent- basically if you are trying to come up with something that software development component, you should more or less meet the criterion. You could enroll even if you deploy open source software/tools. More details here.

Apart from the obvious software/tech component, applicants can get access to Microsoft’s Network of professional members (incubators, mentors etc) and a chance to get visibility by listing them in their BizSpark database.

The potential hiccups? The start up needs to be associated with a network partner- and I could not find Asian network partners. Hmmm. The revenue eligibility criterion is USD 1 mill or less but for upcoming countries, the revenue criterion is reduced. Again surprised at seeing Pakistan there but no India. China has a ceiling of USD 750,000.

Overall good initiative for small enterprises- where an entire ecosystem is working for them and not just hardware/software support.

I’ll try to explore this scheme in detail in the near future.

Till then, any other such initiatives that you might have found or you’d like to shed more light on this initiative?

Recession just a hype for digital media

The dark clouds of economic uncertainity are now approaching Asia- reminds me of this Credence Clearwater Revival classic:

I see the bad moon rising.
I see trouble on the way.
I see earthquakes and lightnin.
I see bad times today.

Dont go around tonight,
Well, its bound to take your life,
There’s a bad moon on the rise.

That’s the general sentiment- with most Asian economies. Japan took a dip and most developed Asian economies are now talking about an imminent recession. There has been carnage on stock markets and pessimistic forecasts are abound.

It’s strange- as I heard someone saying “…when the US sneezes everyone else catches cold”

Singapore,  Southeast Asia’s richest country, is believed to be slipping into recession, and almost everywhere there seems to be a “recruitment freeze”.

However- here is the silver lining- The digital marketing and media world is more resilient, and as a matter of fact, in these times, this seems to be one panacea for agencies and brands alike.

Mediapost mentions a healthy growth in the first half of 2008 in the US- Search advertising seems to be the hotbed- what with most advertisers realising that online is the medium to deliver measurable and effective refturns on marketing investment. Remember this is inpite of the fact the financial category ad spend has taken a dip this year.

Verbatim:And while spending on other media formats is flat or declining compared to a year ago, Nielsen estimates that online ad dollars overall increased 13% in the first half of 2008. Enjoying the biggest increases in ad spending are kids and family-oriented sites as well as comparison shopping sites, at close to 30% gains.

Another news by the Hollywood reporter headlined “Online ads defy slowing global economy” says-

Despite the damage inflicted by the financial crisis, turnover with advertisement banners, sponsored links and other online advertising format will grow.

Markets:

US- 13% to $18.6 billion still by far the largest market in the world

Europe: Developing fast and is forecast to grow 31% in 2008 to $12.4 billion.

Japan: Will surge 15% to $4.5 billion, while China will leap forward 46% to $1.6 billion

Jason blogs on “5 reasons why digital marketing will thrive in recession”

So what’s the big deal then? Why the hullabaloo about recession? Neither the forecasts nor the past 6 months show any signs of worry for the digital marketing/online advertising world.

This the time for brands to embrace a mature digital marketing space and be one up on the competitors. Now is the time for them to set up specialist units focused on digital marketing. Now is the time for agencies to recruit the best talent there is and demonstrate efficiency for their clients and competitors alike.

Agencies specially more so- many have been viewed as opportunistic digital media embracers- jumped on the boat in 2000s and abandoned at the first sight of decline..and then coming back to position themselves as forward thinking digital media embracers starting 2005. And then again, at the first sign of a financial crisis, they freeze!

In a panel discussion that I was invited to a few months ago, I asked a question to the panel- comprising of agency and brand side representatives: “What if your media/marketing budget reduces to half? Where will you continue to spend?” The unanimous answers from client side was “Digital/Online marketing”- not only continue to spend, but they would probably allocate more spends to online and make their online marketing initiatives more effective.

Do you see a similar trend happening elsewhere? Have your clients reduced their budgets? Has your agency been proactive enough in attracting and retaining digital talent? Anxious to hear your comments.