India's start-up world booms with 100,000 new firms in 2014

Industry estimates are that about 80 per cent of the companies that are registered are essentially non-IT.

Start-ups have mostly been synonymous with technology but the trend seems to be changing.

Experts say entrepreneurs are exploring other sectors such as health care, renewable energy, aeronautics, food and beverages services and agriculture, among others.

According to tech industry association Nasscom, till 2014 around 3,500 information technology (IT) start-ups came up in India, a figure projected to rise to 12,000 by 2020.

This is a small portion of the total universe of new companies registered last year. Data from the corporate affairs ministry suggests that around 100,000 new firms were registered in 2014.

Industry estimates are that about 80 per cent of the companies that are registered are essentially non-IT.

While some of these are traditional brick-and-mortar, many are innovative products and ideas trying to elbow their way to the top.

Among the start-ups, around 30 per cent are automobile part companies, 20-25 per cent pharmaceutical and life sciences entities, other 20-25 per cent composite material firms, which make anything from petrol tanks on mobikes to wearable devices, an industry analyst said. 

"Apart from the 3,500 IT companies, the rest were either product-based companies or provide services. A part of their operations might rely on IT as everyone has a website, app or both, but their core business had nothing to do with IT," said Rajiv Banduni, chief executive of GrowthEnabler, a start-up grooming company.

Mentors say the shift started some two years ago. "Till about two years back, 80 per cent of the start-ups in India were IT-based. Now, the number of non-IT start-ups has gone up by about 40 per cent. Innovation-based start-ups in areas such as health care, automotive, aerospace are now coming up in a big way," said Jagat Shah, chief mentor of Mentor on Road Programmer that aims to empower start-ups.

He said more entrepreneurs are now looking beyond IT as finding seed funding in other sectors has become easier.

"Investor mindset is changing. Most have realised putting money in one sector is not wise. So, they are opening up their coffers to these start-ups."

Health care start-ups for one have come up in a big way. Chennai-based Swagene that offers genetic diagnostics for health care treatment outcomes is one such company.

In fact, it also the winner of this year's Contest 2015, an international competition for start-ups run by students of Birla Institute of Technology & Science, Pilani, in partnership with DCB Bank.

Not surprisingly, the founder had originally thought of opening an IT-based company. "I did originally think of opening an IT start-up but realised that I should do something that was related to biotechnology, my core expertise. The health care sector is fast coming up in India. There has been a rise in the number of niche hospitals, but more could be done as far as delivery of health care services is concerned and reaching to rural India. Health care start-ups can bridge that gap," said Sooraj Ratnakumar, founder and scientist, Swagene.

Some start-ups are combining innovative concepts with doing societal good. "While there is a company that is trying to provide refrigerators for villages using renewable energy, another start-up is trying to set up clean drinking water kiosks throughout the country. So, there are a lot many companies trying to do something different, yet benefit the society," Banduni of GrowthEnabler said.

With Prime Minister Narendra Modi setting an ambitious target of 100 Gw solar and 60 Gw wind power targets for India by 2022, start-ups in the field of green energy have also got a boost.

One start-up that has made experts take notice is Longman Suntech from Mumbai.

It sets up solar power plants for consumers on their rooftops without charging any installation cost up front. Consumers then buy the solar power at tariffs lower than what they would pay for power from the grid.

However, Sujith Thannikkatt, one of the founders of the company, said starting such a venture is no easy task. "These are not companies that you can start in a garage. We face problems such as procurement, logistics and it takes a lot more to persuade investors."

INDIA SHINING

• 100,000 New firms registered in 2014
• 80% essentially non-IT
• Among start-ups
• 30% automobile part companies
• 20-25% pharmaceutical and life sciences entities
• 20-25% composite material firmsRest either product-based companies or service providers
• Till 2014: Around 3,500 IT start-ups came up
• By 2020: IT start-ups to rise to 12,000

Source: Nasscom, Corporate affairs ministry, Industry estimates

The terrible ordeal of TinyOwl employees who lost their jobs

Employees have been asked to return company-owned assets such as laptops, phones and data cards.

For 52 people waiting outside TinyOwl's Gurgaon office, it was a frustrating day.

Monday was their last day there and they were asked to return company-owned assets such as laptops, phones and data cards.

The guards stationed at the door said no one was allowed inside but the employees had e-mails asking them to submit all gadgets and end their story with TinyOwl.

There was uproar. People had been forced from across the national capital region to come into the office and were turned away.

Calls went out to the offices in Mumbai, some officials denied knowledge of these e-mails and others were not reachable. The founders were, once again, missing in action.

After two and a half hours of calling, texting and e-mailing, the employees were grudgingly let inside by the guards.

The chaos was just the tip of the iceberg. The anger bubbled over after weeks of failed negotiations.

The Mumbai-based food technology company had laid off about 118 people two weeks ago, in an effort to clamp on the increasing burn rate.

But, terminations have not come easy to the company. TinyOwl has been battling a series of snafus from the public announcement of termination to the way the lay-offs were handled.

The company has been negotiating the terms of termination with employees from all offices, except Pune, sources said. But, last week, TinyOwl abruptly withdrew all efforts to come to an accord, said employees.

"Whenever we asked the company on the terms, they would not reply. They kept asking us to come to Mumbai and negotiate. But what terms?" asked an executive from the Gurgaon office, privy to the discussions.

The e-mail, which Business Standard reviewed, also left the "option of resignation" open to employees.

A few say the stonewalling was a clever ruse to get rid of them without paying their dues. Some said they had reached the end of their tether and were willing to resign and waive their settlements, just to finish the ordeal. "There are some among us who have started talking to lawyers and that could be the only way out," said another executive

Resignation, sources inside TinyOwl said, was being presented to employees for a purely aesthetic reason and the company has promised to fulfill all "contractual obligations".

The employees, the source said, wanted more than what the contract offered them.

"If we hand them termination letters, it will be difficult for them to get jobs later," a company source said. The source also said that the employees had put themselves on the backfoot by threatening the founders with dire consequences.

Two weeks ago, employees from the start-up's Chennai office had demanded compensation (double the notice period gross pay), a relieving letter (according to the requirement of the employee), and salaries and fuel expenses till the date they sign the papers as well as assistance in job search. Employees from Hyderabad and Delhi had made similar demands.

Some of these conditions, the source said, are not on the contract and the company was currently unwilling to budge on sanctioning them. TinyOwl sources that said they had started the process of finding jobs for the laid off employees. 

TinyOwl could not be contacted for its comment on the development. Employees, however, insist that their demands have to be met and the vague replies have frustrated them. "In Pune, due to the employees' political clout and their tamasha, TinyOwl was forced to settle their dues immediately. We were passive and civilised, which is why we are in this situation," said another executive.

PINK SLIPS

• Recent lay-offs by different start-ups
• TinyOwl laid off 268* to tighten cash burn
• Zomato sacked 300 non-performing employees
• Housing to fire 600# to check cash burn
• Dazo to lay off about 50 on closure
• LocalOye has asked 60 employees to leave on process automation
• At TinyOwl, 150 were laid off in Sept, 118 this month till now

Indian Cricketer Yuvraj Confirms Engagement

Yuvraj Singh Confirms Engagement, Says Hazel Keech 'Reflection of His Mother'

Yuvraj Singh and Hazel Keech got engaged in a private ceremony in Bali on Diwali night. The 2011 World Cup-winning star says he now wants to focus on Ranji Trophy for resurrecting his India career.

Reported By Abhishek Paul

Last updated on Sunday, 15 November, 2015 20:49 IST

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This picture was tweeted by @YUVSTRONG12

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Three days after news came of Yuvraj Singh getting engaged to British-born actress Hazel Keech in Bali, the star cricketer officially accepted that the news was true, for the first time, on Sunday.

Yuvraj, who is playing in a Ranji Trophy match against Baroda and picked one wicket for 32 on Sunday, tweeted a picture of the couple. He said that he has found a 'friend for life' in Hazel, adding that his mother Shabnam saw her reflection in her would-be daughter-in-law.

The 33-year-old Yuvraj, who last played for the national team in April 2014 in World Twenty20 final against Sri Lanka, added that for now he is focussed only on cricket and would not give any interviews on his engagement. The Punjab cricketer will turn 34 on December 12, but insists that he will pursue domestic cricket to be again in the reckoning for the national team.

The 2011 World Cup-winning player, who is a veteran of 293 ODIs, 40 Tests and 40 T20Is, is having a lean patch in the Ranji Trophy. Barring a 187 against Gujarat last month, Yuvraj has not been able to score a single half-century in Ranji Trophy this season. On the bowling front, he has picked only four wickets in five matches so far.

Yuvraj, who last played a Test in 2012 and an ODI in 2013, is currently out of favour when it comes to national team selection. The emergence of younger spinning all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel hasn't helped matters either.

Yograj Singh, Yuvraj's father, said he was sure that Hazel would bring good luck to his son's life. The wedding of the star couple is likely to be held in February, next year.

"I was introduced to her by Yuvraj and she is a very nice girl. I am confident that marrying her will change his fortunes and he will return to the national squad. He definitely has it in him to represent India," said Yograj, who has often blasted India ODI and T20I captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni for not selecting his son.

Yuvraj and Hazel have been dating each other for more than three months. Yuvraj and Hazel caught everyone's attention when they walked in together at Harbhajan Singh and Geeta Basra's wedding reception in Delhi on November 1.

Only time will tell if Hazel will bring in good luck for Yuvraj, but for now the 2011 World Cup player of the tournament wants to let his cricketing skills shut up his detractors.

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A Mouthwatering Start-Up in Kolkata Took Rs 10 Crore and a Good Idea

KOLKATA:  If you thought startups meant only Bengaluru, think again. The bug has bitten Kolkata and angel investors are suddenly sitting up and taking notice.

In just the last one month, a restaurant chain in the city has bagged angel funding, so has an education app.

NASSCOM, the IT body, had set a target of 10,000 startups by 2023 across the country. It now says the goal will be met much faster with the way big ideas are landing, many of which are from Kolkata.
 

The start-up bug has bitten Kolkata

Kolkata's biggest startup story in recent times is a momo chain going all popular. Two college friends had pooled in Rs. 30,000 seven years ago to set up their first shop. They now have 52 outlets in six cities with an investment of Rs. 10 crore from the Indian Angel Network.

"I want to make this brand an international brand, want to go all over the world. That's what our dream is. We want an Indian brand go abroad. And why not?" said Binod Homagai, co-founder, Wow! Momo.
 

His friend, partner and co-founder Sagar Daryani's has more immediate plans; sixty more outlets in the next two years and an IPO in seven. He feels the startup bug is in Kolkata to stay.

"Nowadays, being an entrepreneur has become the cool thing," he says.

A spurt of big ideas has investors hotfooting to Kolkata. NASSCOM, which set up its startup warehouse in January with state support, is pointing the way. Senior associate, NASSCOM, Ravi Ranjan, says, "We have seen more than 200 applications on our website in eight months and we have selected 13 world class global product companies from Kolkata".

President of Indian Angel Network, Padmaja Ruparel, who has invested in Wow! Momo is excited. "I am seeing entrepreneurial genes kicking in, I am seeing entrepreneurs who are driven, there is passion and, most important for me, that commitment which says, I want to make it happen. And that will make Kolkata happen as well," she said.

Funds are flowing in. Om Agarwal, a 23-year-old law student from NUJS, Kolkata, will launch an education app in a couple of weeks. He has just won investment from a startup investor Ravi Agarwal, the details about whom are not being shared, but who might just be a big name.

"EazyCoach, my startup, will give students one marketplace where they can get help with admissions and money to travel and study at colleges abroad," says Om Agarwal. "We are starting with services to students in India but will soon reach out to students in China and Brazil."

Startups with unique ideas are flourishing; like Anirudh Poddar and Aditya Ladsaria's Chai Break restaurant, which was started on a capital of Rs. 50,000 five years ago, and is up to six restaurants already.

"There are lots of coffee chains in the country but we want to focus on tea," said Anirudh Poddar.

The startup fever in Kolkata seems set to be on the rise and could make the city of joy the country's next startup destination.

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Why do we need a Website???

Why Do I Need a Website?

Reason #1 – Online brochure

Companies spend millions creating brochures and distributing them. By having a website you can skip that entirely. Your potential customers can find out about you and any of your products online. If you get most of your business through networking and personal connections, then they will want to check out your website.

Reason #2 – More customers

More than 2.4 billion people use the internet every day, and some 90% of those have purchased something, or contacted a company, online in the last 12 months. So by not having a website, you will be missing out on a big piece of the pie.

Reason #3 – Business value

Have you tried getting a business loan recently? It’s not easy, but if you try and the bank manager asks to see your website, you better have a pretty good one. It doesn’t just stop with the bank, the perceived value of your business will be lower in everyone’s eyes – especially your customers.

Reason #4 – Influence

By having a website potentially thousands of people are going to see it. You are able to influence people’s decisions and educate them.

Reason #5 – Time to show off

You know that great feeling you get when people recognize your work? Well, by having a website you can show off what you do and take pride in your work.

Reason #6 – Helps with business goals

That’s right! When it comes to writing the content for your website you are going to revisit things about your business that you haven’t in years. You will most likely reassess your business goals.

Reason #7 – Low barriers of entry

Ever wanted to start a business? Well, now you can do it with virtual space. In fact, by using some free website providers you don’t have to pay a penny.

Reason #8 – 24 hours per day

Your website runs 24/7 without any supervision or need to lock it up. You can always be there for your customers.

Reason #9 – Communication with customers

By having a blog or even just a feed on your website, you can update customers on your newest offers, products, promotions, events, photos, or any other content.

Reason #10 – Marketing

The internet has opened up a whole new world of marketing that didn’t exist before. Your website can attract new business by using a whole host of low cost marketing techniques.

Reason #11 – Customer support

You can greatly reduce the cost of customer support by have a ticketing system, or even just an FAQ on your website. I can think of about 5 companies off the top of my head that streamline your customer service straight from your website.

Reason #12 – Email@mywebsite.com

I know there are other ways to do this, but by having a website you can have your own email address@whateveryouwant.com. It is more professional and easier to remember. I know you love your steveman99286534@gmail.com , but it doesn’t really resonate with customers.

Reason #13 – Press releases

I know that sounds a bit far out, but it is true. You can run really cheap press releases online about your business, but to do it you will require a website. In fact, I have had clients who were absolute nobodies get one million views on YouTube because of online press releases.

Reason #14 – Stick it to the man

The best answer to “Why do I need a website?” would be that you can stick it to the man. It is the easiest way to quit your job and earn a living.

Reason #15 – Any topic or hobby will do

Do you love sports? How about ballet, alternative dance, photography, holidays, Kit-Kats, cars, skateboards, science or animals? Well, then you have a business idea just waiting to happen. The internet has room for an unlimited number of niche blogs that can attract traffic and revenue. Just pick something you love and start writing about it.

Reason# 16 – Connect with fellow web masters

On a little side note, if you own a website you get to call yourself a ‘web master’. Pretty cool! But reason #16 for ‘why I need a website’ is that you can easily make new business and personal connections with other website owners. This can lead to extra streams of income for you!

Reason #17 – Gives you a voice

Have you ever been in an argument with someone and said “Well, I have written an article about that on my website, and actually, that isn’t the case.” It feels great! For some reason people don’t want to argue with you if you’ve written about something on your website. It also gives you a place where you can voice your opinion without judgment. If someone leaves you a comment you don’t like you can just drag it over to the spam folder.

Reason #18 – Do business your own way

You don’t need permission from your boss or company lawyer. Ash Ambridge drops the ‘F-Bomb’ all the time because she can, and no else is asking her to stop. Now she has a world class business with thousands of customers.

Reason #19 – Beat the big guys

Have you ever wanted to get into business, but don’t know how to compete with all the big names out there? By creating an incredibly beautiful website with a solid strategy behind it you can smash the big guys to pieces. You have no chance of building bigger skyscrapers, but your website can break down the perceived wall between you and them.

Reason #20 – Instant credibility

Have you ever had difficulty making that sale? Or convincing someone that you are the real deal. By having a well structured website you can foster instant credibility with anyone. You can provide the ultimate proof that you are, in fact, the realest of all deals (couldn’t resist that phrase).

Reason #21 – Helps you to find a new job

I bet you didn’t see this one coming. I have been harping on about how a website can help your business, but it can help you personally too. Not only can a website host your resume or CV, but by owning and managing your website you have demonstrated tons of hard and soft skills. Having worked in HR once upon a time, I know it is valuable.
So… You need a Website 
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Meet Ratanlal Maloo - The Birdman Of Kheechan

Meet Ratanlal Maloo - The Birdman Of Kheechan

It all began over 40 years ago when his uncle requested him to return from Orissa, where he was working, just to help his lonely mother cross the magical age of 100. Little did Ratanlal know that it was a decision that would change his life, and the lives of thousands of demoiselle cranes.

Since Ratanlal had precious little to do in the half-asleep village of Kheechan, his uncle entrusted him with a job: feed the pigeons and sparrows and peacocks that frequent a place at the outskirts of the village.

Ratanlal and his newly married wife Sundarbai liked this idea as they were devout Jains who believed that it’s their bounden duty to give alms and to feed birds. Young Ratanlal used to carry a sackfull of grains to the feeding place and his wife used to transfer it into a large vessel and disburse it on the ground at the feeding place.

Initially, for a couple of months, only the usual suspects came to feed: squirrels, sparrows, pigeons, and the occasional peacock. But then in the month of September, he found a dozen of a huge, black and white bird that he had never seen before, feeding with the regulars. On asking the villagers, he was told that they were migratory birds that have been frequenting the farmlands of Kheechan in winter. They were called demoiselle cranes or kurja in Rajasthani.

It was love at first sight. Ratanlalji started observing them closely. To his joy, he realised that their numbers started growing till it reached around 80 in November. But in February, to his horror all of them disappeared overnight.

He had to wait for a year for them to come back. And this time around, there were over 150 of them. Word must have spread in Mongolia and Eurasia that there’s a feast awaiting them in Kheechan, served by this gentle soul called Ratanlal. This number kept on increasing every year, and in the 40 years of his care and conservation, the number became a staggering 15,000 last year.

►Continue reading his wonderful journey:http://bit.ly/ratanlal

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Sindhu Tai- The Mother of Orphans

Sindhutai Sapkal’s life started as being an unwanted child, followed by an abusive husband who abandoned her when she was nine months pregnant. The circumstances she has faced could force anyone to lose courage and succumb to the adverse situations. But Sindhutai emerged stronger with every difficulty she faced and became a ‘mother’ to over 1400 homeless children when she herself was in a hand-to-mouth situation! 
►Read about this unique persona:http://bit.ly/sindhutai