2 days before the event, Arpit , one of the old Startup Saturday Delhi ( #SSDEL) Volunteers called me up to help with the confirmations of some start ups who would be interested in pitching their concept at the #SSDEL. Though I could not understand in the beginning but I was sure excited. It was my first assignment as a volunteer so I wanted to give it my best. The list of start ups who had registered them for pitching had been sent to me so it did not seem to be a daunting task. I had a previous experience of calling candidates for discussing job profiles (my first start up was a recruitment firm), so after a couple of calls I was able to finalise 2 speakers for the event. I came to know that Gagan who is another old hand at this event would not be available this time due to some family issues. So I could sense that this time it would not be many people who would be around to manage the show.
I kept checking the website to know the number of participants. Last time I was able to get a fair idea as I had confirmed my presence online itself. This time there seemed to be some issues with the website so the attendee list was not visible. An SMS from Arpit informed me about the change of venue within the IIT-Delhi campus. It was a weird situation for me. My name and number was up on the site for any help. People were calling me to know the exact location of the venue while I was searching the same myself J . However once I reached the venue, I was able to guide them to the exact place.
Honestly the number of attendees at the lecture theatre was disheartening which I believe was evident on my face. In an effort to comfort my concern Arpit told me that possibly that it being a Saturday, people take a little time to reach and eventually they would come down. Also the sudden venue change could be confusing the participants. I was kind of relieved when I was introduced to one of the speakers Mr Abhimanyu who was from T Labs and he had reached the venue before time. Slowly people started coming in and I was asked by Arpit to show the members the way to lecture theatre- 6LT1.
Arpit kick started the event by his introduction about Headstart and its association with NASSCOM. We also gave a short introduction about ourselves describing about our start up, previous experience and the reason for being a part of such a unique network. Abhimanyu’s presentation gave us important pointers to what goes into making a “Killer Pitch”. His 10 key points which were discussed ,provided a good ready reference for remembering “How to Deliver a Killer Pitch”
Then it was followed by a Pitch Presentation by Amogh of Asnog Technologies who discussed about the free telephone calling technology to mobile and PSTN networks through his start up. A lot of queries and clarifications set in and many of us were interested in knowing about the revenue stream. Citing proprietary reasons that was however, not discussed.
I had to excuse myself to arrange for the snacks and refreshments for the participants. When I was back, Mr Pradeep Dutt, a leadership coach was delivering an interesting session on the behavioural aspects of a presentation. He unlocked secrets of the working of the brain and told us how to harness the subconscious to manage, for a more calm and productive self. His practical examples made the session very interesting and kept us on the edge of our benches.
Vardhman was well prepared with his pitch presentation. He had an interesting concept which he has launched by the name of Irentshare.com. Individuals and corporate can rent out the various items which they might not be using presently using. He discussed how he circumvented the verification problem in his web portal by creating communities. A very participative interaction took place and many members posed all kinds of queries which were ably handled by Vardhman.
The most interesting part of the session was yet to come. The “Snack Networking” saw people in groups discussing about the talks, their ventures, exchanging contact details etc. Small island groups formed in different parts of the lecture theatre and one could overhear animated discussions by new energetic entrepreneurs.
I walked on my way back with Mr Pradeep Dutt discussing the relevance of spirituality, sub conscious in today’s fast paced world. He was very kind to drop me to the nearest Metro station. While inside the train, I reflected the entire event, and was feeling lucky to have been associated with such a unique network whose essence was “Changing the World through Entrepreneurship.” I couldn’t have spent the Saturday afternoon any better.
Prithu Mukherjee Date : 16th Apr 2014