What do you get at Startup Saturdays ?

Seeing is believing, so I thought I will post some snapshots of Startup Saturdays, all complete with speakers, attendees listening with rapt attention, followed by discussions with interesting people and the lots of friends you make at SS meet ups. There are people and products you see at Startup Saturdays who you never knew existed in India; for example, did you know that Pustak, an online book retailing startup stocks 12 million titles and does free shipping to all places in India ? Here is a short excerpt from a talk with Anand, CEO of Pustak when I caught up with him recently interspersed with snapshots of Startup Saturdays.

HSN: Can you tell us how you started and when you started?
Anand: November 2007 when I saw the market opportunity.

HSN: What is your venture all about?
Anand: Pustak is an online book retailer with 12 million titles and free shipping into India.

HSN: Who is your end user?
Anand: Any and all book readers

HSN: What has been your growth curve?
Anand: Since we opened our doors to the public in July 2007, we’ve had a steady stream of orders.

HSN: Why this line of business?
Anand: The need to bring a larger selection of books into India.

HSN: Why do you think you are different?
Anand: We have a bigger database than anyone in India. Period. We don’t charge the huge shipping costs from the US to India. Using the search function on our site is simple and powerful.

HSN: Who are your key competitors and how do you position yourself among them?
Anand: All direct book stores. We’re a easy-to-use, one-stop-shop for any book that you want. Besides, our database offers about 10 million more books than anyone else in India.

HSN: How did you initially raise funds? Can you speak in detail about your journey?
Anand: We’re self-funded.

HSN: Do you want to get acquired or build an organization?
Anand: Right now, we’re focused on building a lasting company. A sellout can happen if the acquisition offer is from a company whose vision and goals are similar to ours.

HSN: What is your one tip to upcoming Entrepreneurs?
Anand: Understand the market before jumping into this new age startup fever.