“TiE Mumbai encourages all women to live their entrepreneurial aspirations and dreams. The TiE community facilitates entrepreneurs through its network, builds strong startups through its structured programs, puts entrepreneurs / startups on a path to capital and constantly helps in evolving innovation & disruption! This women’s day we encourage all women aspirational entrepreneurs to start planning for their entrepreneurial journeys. There has never been a better a time to build a business and startup.” said Naveen Raju, Executive Director, TiE Mumbai.

With Women’s Day just round the corner, women entrepreneurs at TiE Mumbai share their thoughts on entrepreneurship-

“I have always been an Enabler vs Entrepreneur, and so I have always worked on building platforms. In 2000 I started my entrepreneurial journey to ambitiously create India’s 1st Platform for our nascent Designers & Craft-Artisans. My dream was to stir Awareness. Today they are million dollar brands whose journeys we continue to share. I realized how an idea, a belief if changed into a journey can spark global consciousness. Witnessing how India’s travel/ lifestyle community is decimated, I am using immersive storytelling and technology to spur livelihood generation for India’s Travel / Lifestyle Micro & Small Entrepreneur, whilst working to make Solo Women travel Safe + Sustainable + Seamless.” said Soniya Kirpalani, Media-Tech Entrepreneur and Charter Member-TiE Member

“In 2020, only 2.3% of global VC funding went to women-led startups. What’s fascinating though, is that when startups founded by women do receive funding, they’re more likely to be successful. According to a BCG study, women-led startups deliver more than twice as much revenue per dollar invested. Plus, women tend to hire more women creating a ripple effect in the economy. This is needed more than ever. Women have faced unprecedented challenges balancing personal and professional lives during the pandemic. I aspire to a world where every woman can achieve her full potential. Azent is a company powered by women – a huge percentage of our workforce is female, and we are committed to supporting young women in achieving their dreams. What would a world where every woman reaches her full potential look like? McKinsey Global Research estimates that closing the gender gap could add close to USD 3 trillion to the Indian economy, and $28 trillion to the global GDP. Women are one of the most powerful investments we can make in building a better future.” said Priyanka Nishar, Founder & Managing Director- Azent Overseas Education.

“The challenges that you would face as an entrepreneur are a part and parcel of the job. The journey will include several wins and misses that will help you find your path towards building your dream. Things have improved over the years with more women coming out in the front running business ventures and holding valuable positions in organizations. This is only the beginning, I’m sure, women will continue to go above and beyond the glass ceilings and redefine what it means to be a woman entrepreneur.” said Smriti Shetty Dalvi, Managing Director & CEO- Florista and Member- TiE Mumbai.

The post TiE Mumbai celebrates its women entrepreneurs appeared first on Startagist.

The events company specializes in organizing corporate events, weddings, entertainment events and devotional events. It is determined to break the common misconception prevalent that luxury wedding is only within then reach of the rich and famous.

The team continuously strives to give customized services that surpasses customers expectations. The designs and plans are curated to suit the specific demands of the customers.

The core team comprises of Akash Goyal, the Founder of D7, with Sim Tyagi and Rahul Bhatia as the Co-founder of the D7 Events.

On the occasion, Akash Goyal, the Founder of D7 said, “At D7 we take care of all end-to-end work to make the event a memorable affair for the customers that too at economical price and in as much less time as possible.”

With successful journey as an entrepreneur, Akash Goyal vows to bring phenomenal changes to the events industry with D7 events.

The post Star Entrepreneur Akash Goyal launches D7 events on his 39th birthday appeared first on Startagist.

Being a part of the startup ecosystem, I had the opportunity to meet a lot of startup enthusiasts and entrepreneurs, and hear out their experiences and stories. Some were happy, some stressed, and some nervous. It was a great learning experience for me as it helped me to figure out why people succeed, why they struggle or fail in their entrepreneurial journeys.

In one such closed group meeting, I came across a technologist who had started his own tech firm two years ago after spending more than 20 years with one of the industry’s biggest players. He mentioned that while working on a particular project in his previous organization, he figured out a gap in the offering that no one cared about. He then reached out to his clients and asked them if they will be happy to get this gap filled in. On receiving a positive response, he decided to call it quits one day and with a couple of other like-minded people (technologists again), started his own firm.

It took the team close to six months to come up with the product. And when he approached the same set of clients, they were happy to see the gap filled in, just that there was one issue – no one was ready to pay for it. On further interaction, clients shared that while they were happy with the solution offered, they didn’t feel the need to spend extra money on the same. They were happy to consider it if it was offered free of cost to them (as an add-on to the existing product).

At that time, the gentleman realised he missed out on one of the most important aspects of doing business – the product saleability. And that prompted me to think, “What should come first, the product, or a thorough Market Research?”

As an entrepreneur, we constantly think of challenges that we face — in our daily lives, or in our working environment, and try to figure out a solution that can be offered to the consumer. We choose a solution, depending on how we feel the big the gap is. For instance, some people feel there is a lot can be done in social media, and hence focus on that, and some feel they can help consumers in selecting certain products better, and hence their focus lies there.

As far as my interaction with different entrepreneurs is concerned, the idea usually stems out from the mind of an individual (typically the founder), and s/he leads it to next steps. I figured out in most of the cases, it was an individual’s thinking of a gap that resulted in a product.

So what’s wrong with that? Nothing, just that most of the times, these individuals refuse to validate their thinking with reality. They are so sure and confident of their idea that they don’t feel the need to cross check if it will be accepted well in the market. Personal egos and rigidity sometimes take over practical thinking and that’s where the most important step before launching a product is missed out – doing a thorough market research before turning one’s dream product into reality. This is what had happened with the gentleman whom I met in that forum.

And that’s where I strongly feel, the first step to kick start any idea is to get it validated and be assured that one is moving in the right direction. Here are a few steps that a budding entrepreneur must take in order to ensure he/she is moving in the right direction:

Acceptance of the solution/product in a closed group

You have identified what you are going to work on, and are confident that it’s the need of the hour. But before beginning to work on it, you must validate if the market also feels so, and if there is a genuine demand for it. Start checking with your friends, explain them why you are thinking on these lines and how will it benefit the end users. Talk to people who have faith in you, and who will give you a genuine feedback. Please ask them to answer candidly, and ensure they just don’t respond to please you. An initial check will help you in determining if you are on the right path or not.

Acceptance of the solution/product in the market

Once you have gained confidence of the product’s acceptance in your closed group, please don’t stop. Now is the time to do a reality check. Move out of your comfort zone now and do a thorough market research. You may use an MR agency or if the budget doesn’t permit, use your relationships to talk to reach out to maximum potential end users. This will be the acid test as their acceptance will determine whether it makes sense to explore the idea further or not.

Mere acceptance is not crucial, saleability is

Many times, I have heard people saying – wish this product had this feature, wish I had something that could do this, and I’m sure you would have heard that too. Generally, I ask them immediately – will you pay for this, and in 90 per cent of the cases the response is a straight “No”.
And that’s the difference between accepting a product and paying for it. A lot of people may revert saying that they love the product, but then you immediately need to ask if they are willing to pay for it or not.

We all love freebies, don’t we? But when it comes to paying for a product, we start calculating as end users. This might be the most tensed and nervous exercise for you, but don’t worry, if you pass this critical test, your half battle is won and the solution has a green signal from the consumers.

Please note that in some cases, the users may not pay for the product but you may earn revenue out of it through other mediums (e.g. sponsorships, etc). In such a case, you may touch base with the relevant audience that would be bringing the revenues and have their buy-in on the concept.

Backward calculation

The product is validated, the users have accepted it, and are willing to pay for it, too. Now is the time to prepare your business case. Plug in the costs that you may incur, and the revenue that you will generate. It will help you to ascertain whether your product is business-ready or not (in terms of profitability). It may not be perfect, but if the figures don’t match, you may need to re-think your strategy.

A mentor on board always helps

As an entrepreneur, you are always excited, and raring to do more than you can execute. It’s natural, and that’s when you need to have someone who can guide you, helps you in refining your thoughts, and ensure things are executed in the right manner. A mentor can be a huge asset and can keep a track of the overall picture while you delve yourself into operational nitty-gritty. Mentors can give you insights with their own experience and also help in connecting with investors, partners, valuable resources and a lot of other people who might be able to add value to your business.
So before you start working on your product, tick mark all the above points to ensure you have got it right. Trust me, these are very difficult steps but are critical to ensure you don’t face any difficulties once you are into it. While there would be lots of learnings in the journey, that may result in certain change in strategies too, the rock solid base created by you will keep you afloat in the long run.

The post Here are 5 tips for launching a saleable product appeared first on Startagist.

He could have become yet another ordinary child doing some odd jobs after dropping out of school at the age of 13, had his love for computers not come to his rescue.

Today, he is one of the most sought-after cyber security experts in India. And his clientele include various premier investigation agencies, who come to him to get his assistance on cases related to cyber crime.

“When I was a kid, my father used to get me toys and gadgets. Being a curious kid, I would cut them open to understand how they worked,” Ludhiana-born Trishneet Arora told Startagist. “I even ripped open the toys my elder brother used to get, out of curiosity.”

His curiosity grew stronger when he got a computer at the age of 11. This device was an opening for his entry into the vast world of cyber security.

“This computer was my life and my interest in this gadget grew by the day. I learnt all about computing, hardware, and internet. To acquire more knowledge, I used to read a lot of books and watched videos,” he explained.

But his parents were not supportive of his new-found passion and they wanted him to excel in studies rather than follow his dream and passion. But he was not the one who could easily be cajoled. He spent most of his times on this gadget.

As a result, he failed in the final exams in the 8th standard. He then dropped out of school and completed his class X through distant learning.

Over the next few years, Arora’s love for technology grew even stronger and he used to be engrossed for hours learning about gadgets. Within two years, he amassed a lot of information about computer systems, internet, basics of IT infrastructure and little bit of coding.

Gradually, he learned the basics of hacking. In 2012, he realised that there was a huge demand for ethical hackers in the country. But rather than being just another hacker, he wanted to give back to people in terms of what he knew about hacking and security frameworks.

He got calls and invitations from various schools and colleges to conduct training and workshops on cyber security. He also got an opportunity to address students at IIT Roorkie, which led to corporate trainings.

This was a breakthrough in Arora’s life. Sensing a huge opportunity in cyber security, he  started TAC Security Solutions, a cyber security startup, in 2013 in Chandigarh. “While cyber security is an vital factor for enterprises, it is often neglected in today’s scenario. We are trying to make a difference to governmental and private organisations security infrastructure and create awareness on security challenges,” he added.

TAC Security is now a leading cyber security startup in India. It has now grown beyond India and provides protection to corporations against network vulnerabilities and data theft. It also provides cyber security training to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), India’s premier investigative agency, in addition to the Punjab Police, Gujarat Police, Reliance Industries Limited, Amul, Ralson (India), and Avon Cycles. Outside of India, it now also has clients in Dubai and the UK.

TAC recently rolled out TAC-CERT to help those whose websites, emails, cloud data, and other digital assets, from getting hacked. The company also received funding from Vijat Kedia, MD of Kedia Securities.

“”We are now in talks with VCs to raise more than $10 million in Series A to expand our business and launch new products,” he concluded.

Now, at the age of 23, he has already accomplished a whole lot things that his peers could not even dream of. He has also three books on hacking: The Hacking Era, Hacking Talk, and Hacking With Smart Phones.

The post This 23-year-old advises India’s premier investigation agencies on cyber security. And he is a school dropout appeared first on Startagist.