An awesome networking place! Kolkata is rocking! And the proof was the Open Meet organized by Startup Saturday. It was a huge success! A win-win situation for everyone who was a part of it. As expected, the open meet meant small groups where people discussed things in their own ways. The flow of ideas, thoughts, processes was wonderful to see. One could see the zeal in the eyes of the people, the smile on their faces, and the clarity in their thoughts. I dont think there was anyone who stayed quiet and just listened. It was just impossible to not speak your heart out. At the end, there was a big hug amongst the volunteers to see the success of the event going beyond expectations. It is rightly said, “Everything is possible for him who believes”. The Startup Saturday volunteers believed in the idea of an open meet and it was a great sense of satisfaction when you saw everyone bid each other good bye with smiles on their faces.
Abhinaba (City Lead, Startup Saturday Kolkata) envisioned the possibility of open meets for entrepreneurs and to see the vision live in action left him with immense joy. It was indeed a team effort, the SS Kolkata volunteers worked passionately, as friends, as a team and made the event an amazing success.
It all started with our volunteer Pankaj Judge showing up at the right time, as decided by the volunteers. The other lazy fellows Abhinaba Dey, Anand Raje and Mukesh Agarwal showed up a little late for Pankaj to get annoyed but he greeted them with a smile and they all respectfully apologized. Nothing went wrong after that 🙂 The venue, Barista, Esplanade, was a little small and we duly decided to change the venue to a bigger and more open place the next time we meet. It will most likely be in Barista at Park Street and will be conveyed to people at the right time.
People started coming in right from 6 pm, as was decided for the time and we were surprised to see the IST non-punctuality 🙂 In no time, there were around fifteen people seriously discussing their businesses, their visions, their ideas, their processes and what not. Not everyone came with a problem, but everyone left with solutions. Those who had problems, did not anticipate a solution in an open cafe meet but were surprised to find answers to all their questions. And not just that, I know for sure Pankaj Judge left with something that he had not even anticipated. Everyone benefitted talking to each other. It was more like pearls came in and all of a sudden found threads in between them and suddenly the whole of Barista was glowing with a necklace. We were sure that Barista gained more eyeballs compared to other Saturdays. Maybe we should have thought about asking them for a discount!
A Platform was built for people to collaborate. People who were in the same business did not see each other as competitors but rather were more interested in completing each other. A full blown wind of positive energy filled the place. One can already see this is going to go big, not just because it had the pool of ideas, not just because how people readily agreed to execute ideas, not just because enlightened each other with their visions , well.. all of that, but because dreams were getting built “together”. Dense clouds were getting formed by not so dense clouds, because they met to form a big cloud and it is so obvious, that it will explode big time, it is going to be rainy season every month they meet. Make sure you are a part of this cloud, even if you think of yourself as a small drop of moisture, because every drop counts.
Almost everyone left with a no-obligation deal where they talked about the possibilities of working together. Pankaj left with some contacts and ideas to work upon, Mohan and Mukesh decided to take a step forward with their products and ideas. Priyankar discussed the possibilities of working with Mukesh and Mohan. Umang Sonthalia got in touch with the SS Kolkata Volunteers to help get a venue. Satya Prakash talked about what his product did and explained how it was an awesome utility and one of its kind and so did Priyankar. And there were various other people who shared their ideas of businesses and products.
Everything was so beautifully done, that everything was as smooth as silk. Whilst everyone was discussing, Abhinaba called for attention and took snaps of some beautiful smiling faces and we all got a picture taken of everyone who was there as well.
We look to continue the effort with greater enthusiasm, with more people with vision in minds and a courageous heart to execute the vision with commitment. Come, lets complete each other by joining hands!
Happy Networking! Look forward to meet more visionaries, and more people who want to be visionaries. One thing is clear, some great ideas are brought to execution when great minds meet over a sip of coffee. Dont let it go. Kolkata is happening, and you would not want to stay behind.
Contributed by Abhinaba Dey
Hi, I too would love to be a part of this meet. I have an idea that I am working on and would love to share it with like minded people. Would appreciate it if you could let me know when ever the next is scheduled.
Thanks.
Hi Shivani,
You may write to Abhinaba Dey (abhinaba at headstart dot in). He’ll keep you posted on the upcoming meets.