Vatsana- Making People's Life Easier

Startup of the Week

    1.     What was the inspiration behind  Vatsana?

We all three co-founders has passion of creating stuffs using technology, we believe in building things which matters. So from our college 1^st year itself we jumped this flaming and adventurous world of startup and technology. We have created so many products but we failed in converting them in a proper business but finally by WittyFeed we found it as right market fit. So, behind wittyfeed the aim was to provide a platform to writers which will expose their content to million of users and get it visibility.

    2.     Did you have any prior experience at marketing/sales/startup/business?

Nope, at the point when we started, but we had to learn everything by our own to sustains and run things properly. And google is beloved teacher.

    3.     What challenges did you and your team face while setting up your business  ?

The main challenge was to find right people to work with and to build culture. To put their vision in alignment with ours so that we all can think in same direction.

    4.     What is your greatest achievement with Vatsana till date?

We are able to maintain 2 Million users every day visiting our platform for reading and writing on WittyFeed.

    5.     If given a chance what would you have done differently with Vatsana from the start?

We don't want to change any thing, everything we did we learn from it and because of those learning and experience we are here.

    6.     What plans do you have for Vatsana in the future?

     WittyFeed is going to expand further with its mission to be the modern age blogging platform or charticles. We are also planning to launch our merchandise very soon so that all our designs can be available in printables such as posters, t-shirts etc.

We are not working towards building community specifically for designers but for everybody who wishes to express their opinion or experience in form a photostory.

    7.     What advice would you give to upcoming Entrepreneurs?

Be focused, learn daily. And focus on people and building culture.

    8.       Would you like to quote something for our readers?

 If you really want to achieve something in life, be impatience about it.

Social Scientists- Your Startup Connections

Startup of the Week#4

1. What was the inspiration behind “The Social Scientists”?

I had many problems one after another and it delayed starting up. I realized the problems were not only mine but many face them, I learnt it in a hard way. All the start-ups were founded to solve a previous problem occurred. No one should face similar kind of problems, I started to advise them. I realized only advising won’t help them much and I alone can’t help many. To make others’ journey easy and smooth going, Social Scientists was born with the culmination and concoction of many Ideas, thoughts. I had an idea of what should be done and how it should be done. I added few more better and useful features to the main idea of helping them. I made it a collaborative network of start-ups.

The main features are :

1. Startups don't have a huge teams nor can hire professionals to work:   

Hence, this is a platform to startups to collaborate with each other and work together with exchange of their services. "I give you something, you give me something and we shall grow".       

2. We believe entrepreneurs learn more when they work side by side: Many founders say that working with peers is the best part. You can collaborate with other start ups to build a product or to create a new one.

3. #soscientists is a movement which supports new ventures, provides resources for entrepreneurs. We are a Slack group to have a real-time interaction. A community for collaborative growth and to enhance togetherness to bring change in this eco-system.

2. Did you have any prior experience at marketing/sales/startup/business?

Yes. I have founded a couple start-ups and a NGO before starting Social Scientists. I had also worked  with other startups and communities where I helped them.

3. What challenges did you and your team face while setting up your business   ?

The difficult thing was searching for a co-worker and yes, I found after few months but nonetheless he just left after working for a couple of weeks, there were two tech guys who left one after another. Later on Ahaan Pandit came to MY rescue to guide ME further and he is Our mentor now. But we did not find anyone for designing for few months. Amrith Shanbag is helping ME with technical aspects. Now, the things are getting better, risks are always there and the journey seems to be getting more excited. Getting entrepreneurs, startups and mentors to enter the community while we started was the big prob. 

4. What is your greatest achievement with “The Social Scientist” till date?

The Journey is a memorable but lots of surprises daily good, bad or in between! I love the opportunities that an empty canvas gives me, the thrill to write my own story The greatest achievement yet to be unlocked!  Now, the things are getting better, risks are always there and the journey seems to be getting more excited.

5. If given a chance what would you have done differently with “Social Scientists” from the start?

The Journey is a memorable but lots of surprises daily good, bad or in between! The only reason to be in startup is when you feel making this world a better place than it is today. Solve real customer’s real problems, which no one else is solving. So, there is nothing as such I would have done in a different way. If I can go back in time, I want to start it much early!

6. What plans do you have for “The Social Scientist” in the future?

To be the most trusted and biggest, supportive incubator + talent hub!

7. What advice would you give to upcoming Entrepreneurs?

The advice I would offer to an inspiring entrepreneur today would be:

1) Dare to dream – believe in your vision, don’t listen to the naysayers and build something where there was nothing;

2) Do your work – once inspired do your research, be sure you understand the market and the competitors, be sure you understand the capital costs to succeed and be sure you have the team necessary to prevail;

3) If you let up, you lose – the life of an entrepreneur is not for the faint of heart and your perseverance will be tested again and again. The work is long and hard and the sacrifices are significant. In fact, the life of an entrepreneur is one of setbacks, challenges and failures. It’s a life of missed anniversaries and birthdays, it’s a life of falling down and picking yourself back up but ultimately, for those that have the vision, the hard work and a little bit of luck, it’s the ultimate high of looking at a successful company and saying “I built that”.

Frapp- Student Discounts

Startup of the Week#3

1.     Let's start by telling the world what your startup is all about.

‘frapp’ is a youth marketing platform, that currently allows brands to list their great offers and market them to an extremely mobile audience. Students are every brand’s target audience, and it isn’t easy for any brand communication to reach them since their consumption pattern is so erratic and unpredictable.

We realized though, that students do respond to one thing, and that’s a ‘good deal’. They make decisions as a group and are always looking to beat the system by winning a bargain. Customer lifetime value is critical for brands, and loyalty must be developed early on.

2.     Who all form the backbone of your team and what are they responsible for?

I, handle Product Design and Digital Marketing.

Armaan Vananchal (Co-founder) – handles Business Development and Marketing.
Niranjan Nakhate (Co-founder) – handles Finance and Strategic Alliances.

Dipen Patel (CTO) – handles Tech. Responsible for building the product.

Sri Ganapthy (Business Development Manager) – is responsible for bringing new business and servicing.

Devesh Kapadia (Operations Lead) – handles college associations and on-campus communication.

Charmie Shah (Design) – handles social media design.

Karan Singhal and Dhruv Agarwal are Business Development Executives who handle sales and client servicing.

3.     Did any of you have any prior experience at marketing/sales/startup/business?

I personally had a little start-up experience since I was working at Fitternity.com, which is a health and fitness portal for products and services. And being the first employee there, allowed me to truly understand how a start up works. Armaan Vananchal has experience in events and marketing. He previously worked at PB Lifestyle (Playboy). Niranjan Nakhate worked in the financial sector. And since we all graduated with a BBA from NMIMS University, we knew how to ‘sell’ if nothing else.

4.     What challenges did you face while setting up your business?

This could be a long list, so I’ll just mention one that was probably the biggest issue when we started. Similar skill-sets. Since we graduated from the same place and had very similar backgrounds our tasks often overlapped, but over time we’ve taken charge of different aspects of the business. Each one of us final call on what we handle, and with a team in place we’ve solved that issue.

5.     What is your greatest achievement with FRAPP till date?

Personally, a reality-check. Till college you’re in a bubble. Very well protected physically and mentally by your parents and your set ideals and expectations. Start-up life isn’t for everybody, but it definitely puts everything into perspective. Everything is real, and survival becomes a real worry for the first time. Sure I’ve developed skills and built experience over time. But the real achievement is to grow up.

6.     What plans do you have for FRAPP the future?

A lot. Can’t give out much but it involves making the product more sensitive and diversifying our offering.

7.       Is there any advice you or your team would like to give to upcoming Entrepreneurs?

“Don’t fall in love with the idea”

Always ask yourself if you’re truly solving a problem and if the problem is big enough. Focus on the team and launch only when ready. Premature ejaculation and premature product launch have one thing in common – leaves everyone unsatisfied.

Fixofy- Fix with a Click

 Startup of the Week#2

              This week we have for you yet another startup who has taken a problem from their daily life and tried to solve it by dedicating their undivided attention and efforts, in doing so they help connect people with their day to day service providers like the handyman, the plumber, electrician and so on. Lets get to know a bit more about them....

   1.)  What is your startup about?

FIXOFY, as the name suggests, is about fixing. We are the aggregators of handyman repair service-men. Having any home repair done is a herculean task. Fixofy is trying to fix this very problem. A one stop shop for all types of repair services a home needs. Trying to provide the best User experience through our services, Fixofy is striving to make homes better with just a click.

   2.)  Did you have any prior experience at marketing/sales/startup/business.

Yes I had earlier worked  at  MNC Bank in Sales Department and had an experience of  2 years in Sales.

   3.)  What challenges did you face while setting up your business   ?

Every single step in forming a start-up is a challenge in itself. Right from incorporation to hiring your first employee to running a successful pilot, challenges drive the start-up.

   4.)  What is your greatest achievement with FIXOFY till date?

Within a span of 4 months, we are set to be operational in two major cities of India. Shows the hard work of entire team and is definitely our biggest achievement (yet).

   5.)  What plans do you have for FIXOFY the future?

To take it to all the major cities of India and to increase the bandwidth of our offerings.

   6.)  What advice would you give to upcoming Entrepreneurs?

Well the most important piece of advice would be to ensure that the first few employees of the company should be from diversified fields. This will not only help you grow the company quickly but also cover all the major gaps that would otherwise remain unattended during the initial days of operations. 

Bluechits - Crowdifying Dreams

A Small Journey. Long way to go!

What is your Startup about?

BlueChits is an upcoming CrowdFunding platform in India with the sole motive of bringing new ideas to life. We believe that Ideas are meant to be up there and not in the bin. It opens up a world of possibilities for the Creators and Enthusiasts. It focuses not only on turning ideas into successful campaigns, but also at protecting the crowd against financial risks and providing full security to the funding through stern verification system. We believe that ‘CrowdFunding’ is tailor made for India where people are receptive to new ideas and appreciate innovation. With its ‘Minimal Restriction’ model, BlueChits ensures that each one has an opportunity to Create and Fund. Along with Quantity, They aim at Quality.

Our main objective is to catch the attention of people towards new ideas and support them. We aim at educating Indians about the concept of CrowdFunding. Because, it is the clarity of the concept that will instill the confidence about CrowdFunding in India. BlueChits is here for serious business. We take ideas seriously. Our purpose is to bring about a change in the young Indian mind which is a breeding ground for some real good ideas.

How did you arrive at this idea?

 The whole idea came into existence because of lack of resources we have in our country. It was supposed to be simply a creative platform initially. But, we decided to re-design it and add value to what people do and can achieve in India. We are totally convinced that people need a platform to share their talent. But, we were stuck at a point from where there was no guidance. It was the 'Light Bulb' moment! We realized that there are many who are stuck on one idea. It is important to have a way out and move forward. That is when BlueChits, as a Crowdfunding platform, came into existence!

What was the biggest hurdle you faced to start a Start-up?

As a Start-up, it is difficult to know the future prospects of an idea. For some ideas, people can simply search and get the necessary details. For some, you have to work on the ground to gather relevant data. The sad part about start-ups in India is lack of guidance. Innovators are looking for a window to enter the lucrative world of start-ups. But, not everyone gets the right guidance. It is important that each one receives equal opportunities.

What are your expansion plans?

 As far as future is concerned, we are very optimistic about it based on the response of the people and our selection in several big entrepreneurship competitions present in the country. We are currently expanding our team. We have the unique distinction of having more than 35 college ambassadors in premier institutes giving us the much needed ground visibility, something which our competitors don't possess. In the next 12-16 months, we have the initial target of having about 100 successful Crowdfunding campaigns on BlueChits out of which 30-35 would be handpicked by us. In the long term, we plan to be a One Stop Shop for new idea, innovations and Crowdfunding campaigns in India. 

Startups - A New Era of Entrepreneurship

Over the past decade, the world has been a witness to many new ideas and innovations, new and cleaner technologies, humble and honest business ideas, ideas that move towards sustainability. Over the past half a decade we have seen huge workplaces move in to single room offices, all in all, it has been a decade of revolution, an era of entrepreneurs, an era of what we now call ‘Startups’, something which has brought new heights to the meaning of entrepreneurship.

Ever since the world saw what recession can do to a common man, and the fact that it is a repetitive cycle, a normal human like me and you, is scared of working day and night for someone just to know that one day he might be fired, or his employer might not be able to pay him for his services. When we can work for someone, why can’t we work for ourselves? Many young brains throughout our nation must have thought about it, the reason that our country is in the League of Nations with the maximum no of startups coming up per year.

For those who don’t know what a ‘startup’ is, it is a form of business where an individual or a group of people forming a partnership seek for a scalable and repeatable business model. A startup is a company in its first phase of operation. Ever heard of ‘Flipkart or Snapdeal’? Flipkart was a startup founded in 2007 that provides a living for more than 33,000 people today. All a startup requires is an idea, a business model, a team and the dedication required to make the journey to success, however the entire process is not easy as it sounds.

The Indian startup ecosystem is rapidly evolving driven by an extremely young, diverse and inclusive entrepreneurial landscape which is leading to the emergence of focused domain solutions for verticals like healthcare, education, agriculture etc. Startup got its name during the ‘dot.com’ bubble when we witnessed the emergence of many dot.com companies and it has ever since been believed that a startup refers to a technical company. However the meaning to the word has been changing and evolving over the years. A major driving force towards this kind of entrepreneurship is the four fold increase in the access to capitals through angel investors and seed funding allowing young Indian brains to work on building tailor made products for their customers.

We here at Megabizz would like to honor those startups and let the world know what an amazing job they have done and those who have what it takes to put India on the path to innovation and discovery. We bring to you our very first campaign Startup of the week. We'll be commemorating 1 startup every week who have done their part to bring the change required. Stay tuned on our various channels for more updates.