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|In: Review|Last Updated: | 1 Comment

For most of us, searching for a right college & getting feedback about the “interested college(s)” was a herculean task. But now with more people getting online & users relying more on the “online reviews”, Collegedunia is trying to solve the pain-point of students & parents getting them “updated college information” online. As per their About Page, Collegedunia*, a wholly owned product of Collegedunia Web Pvt. Ltd. based in New Delhi has been created to fulfill a vision of empowering students with knowledge so that they make a wiser decision while choosing their career and alma-mater. In very simple words, it aims to be a Google for college search be it Managament Colleges, Engineering Colleges, Medical Colleges, Science Colleges etc.

What Collegedunia offers

As mentioned above, the website aims to make “college search” easy. It has repository of more than 20,000 colleges and 6000 courses categorized in different streams like Management, Engineering, Medical, Arts and much more. It provides multi-page filter that sorts the data according to the situation, funds & cutoff. In case of confusion, the user can interact with career-counselors which is very interesting feature & gives a “Human touch” to the old college search process 🙂

Collegedunia

Salient Features of Collegedunia

User-Friendly UI

We tried couple of searches like IIT Mumbai, IIM Ahmedabad, VJTI etc. & the search gave us accurate results. Along with the details of the college, it also listed whether the college provides accommodation etc. Navigation between different results & pages was easy & smooth.

Placements & Job Information

For majority of the students & parents, most important question asked while taking admission in any college is “What about the placement & how many companies came for placement last year” ?. This question is very well catered on Collegedunia via “placement information of every college”. It also lists the top recruiters in that college & the range of package offered. This data brings in the “Trust Factor” & enhances the information available on the website.

CollegeDunia_PlacementsDetailed insights into college facilities

Along with the courses offered, it also details out the facilities offered by every college & insights into it’s infrastructure i.e. Gym, Building, Labs etc. College life is a fusion of studies & fun !!!

Scope of improvement

College rating

Every college has a rating associated with it, but there is no mention on the parameters on how it is calculated i.e. whether it is user-driven data or it is mix of parameters like user-feedback, placement offered, affiliation etc. At least a short description/tool-tip, on how the “College Rating” is calculated would make the “data” even more “worthy” !!!

Affiliations & tie-ups

Considering that many colleges might not be offering accommodation [& bachelors also find it difficult to find flats], it would be interesting for Collegedunia to fill-in that gap though tie-ups with websites like Flat.to that cater to those needs. This would also bring-in additional source of revenue for both the stake-holders 🙂

College Alumni

More & more students are taking up entrepreneurship as a “career option” and with the extensive support offered by the Modi government, the trend would only rise !!! Hence, along with the placements offered by the college; details on “Notable College Alumni” e.g. Sachin Bansal, Binny Bansal of Flipkart [IIT, Delhi] etc. would be “big catch” for students who want to start-up. This ensures that such students would get into the right college that has “culture suitable for entrepreneurship” !!!

* – Sponsored

|In: Accelerator|Last Updated:

Pitney Bowes has named eight start-up companies in India who will join Pitney Bowes Accelerator program in India. The program is a part of the NASSCOM’s 10,000 Start-ups initiative.

The eight start-ups selected for the program are:

  1. RetailNav : Solution for retail shopping with unique in-store location-based analytics.
  2. Audianz : Location-based advertising platform.
  3. Heuristics : GPS-based vehicle tracking system [VTS] and mobile-based personnel tracking solutions.
  4. Yo-app : App that integrates social circles with a discovery platform.
  5. Ideata Analytics : Integrated data intelligence platform to help users perform information discovery.
  6. Teritree  : Customer experience management platform.
  7. BrownTape : Single-click multi-platform solution for e-commerce management.
  8. Tagalys :  Solution that provides intelligent heuristic search.

More about the program

The program focuses on start-ups that leverage software for mobile, data analytics, location-based services, and e-commerce management.

Selected start-ups will have access to Pitney Bowes’ software, Application Programming Interfaces (API’s) & data for the duration of the program. Training, technical and business guidance and mentoring will be provided to the start-ups from Pitney Bowes engineering and innovation leaders & from software industry experts.

In addition to these strategic connections, start-ups in the Pitney Bowes Accelerator program will also be networking with prospective investors.

You can find more about Pitney Bowes & their accelerator program here & here.

|In: Accelerator|Last Updated:

Deshpande Foundation and Microsoft Ventures,India announced a partnership to launch Sandbox Startups, an incubator focused on nurturing startups in tier-II & tier-III cities of India. The three-year collaboration was formalized with the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding [MOU] on August 23, in the presence of Dr Gururaj ‘Desh’ Deshpande [Founder, Deshpande Foundation], Mr Jairam Ramesh [Former Minister, Government of India], Mr Rajinish Menon [Director, Microsoft Ventures in India], Mr Naveen Jha [CEO, Deshpande Foundation] & other industry leaders.

As per their Press Release, the main reason for co-launching this initiative as per Naveen Jha [CEO, Deshpande Foundation] is below:

Unlike tier-I cities, most small cities lack adequate support system to nurture startups. Consequently, startups and startup potentials in these regions do not have access to requisite training, mentoring and a sandbag to try out their entrepreneurial stints. Sandbox Startups is aimed at providing a launch pad for aspiring entrepreneurs in tier-II & tier-III cities so that they can validate their business ideas, sharpen business acumen, develop products & launch solutions to the market.

 

Innovations by startups groomed under the program will add vibrancy to the ecosystem from those at the bottom of the pyramid.

 

The objective of this partnership is to work in an inclusive manner to ensure that all relevant stakeholders, such as early stage entrepreneurs, academia, students, venture capital community, mentors, advisors, HNI’s & corporates, are active participants in the innovation ecosystem.

Support for entrepreneurs in Tier-II & Tier-II cities

Rajinish Menon [Director, Microsoft Ventures in India] mentions that such an initiative was the need of the hour.

As the culture of innovation spreads, it’s fascinating to see the kind of problems that startups from smaller towns are trying to solve. Microsoft Venture’s partnership with Deshpande Foundation aims to engage with entrepreneurs from smaller towns at every stage of their journey from ideation to maturity.

 

At Microsoft, we are extremely excited to help incubators roll out products and raise capital to fund their growth, eventually benefiting India’s budding entrepreneurial ecosystem. And this specific endeavor is aimed at entrepreneurs from smaller towns which have a less mature ecosystem to nurture them.

 

Startups can call Microsoft’s Jumpstart hotline on 1800 200 2114 to know more about the program and how to be a part of this program.

About the Partnership

Deshpande Foundation in India actively nurtures innovation and entrepreneurship through various programs in its three sandbox regions – North Karnataka, Nizamabad in Telangana & Uttar Pradesh.

Partnering with Microsoft Ventures is a key step to support and nurture incubators, moving them to the next level by providing them an opportunity to get exposed to high end technology, get trained & mentored by professionals.

Both Microsoft Ventures and Deshpande Foundation will play a significant role to mentor the startups under this incubator.

Please visit Microsoft Ventures, India & Deshpande Foundation for any further information or leave a comment and we would get it clarified from the Microsoft Ventures team.

Image Credit : Deshpande Foundation & Microsoft

|In: Accelerator|Last Updated:

The Citrix Startup Accelerator Innovators Program is launching in Bangalore. The focus of the Innovators Program is on accelerating business solutions & openly sharing approaches that have been integral to Citrix innovation.

The three-month residency at key locations around the world, cultivates breakthrough mobile, cloud & collaboration technologies by leveraging the expertise of Citrix and key corporate council members.

The Innovators Program successfully concluded in Silicon Valley last month & is now scaling globally.

citrix-logo

About the program

Twelve teams will be selected to receive support, in-depth training and a workspace at the Citrix Bangalore office. The modern space includes high tech meeting rooms and workstations and is a fitting place to design the revolutionary mobile work-style technologies of the future.

The Program blends leading-edge collaboration, design thinking and lean startup approaches. Innovation teams will learn to develop & bring to market business technology offerings that focus on user needs and helping people work better. Nascent entrepreneurial teams will learn alongside new corporate product teams, and will also receive seed funding.

Participants will receive mentoring & guidance from seasoned business executives, industry leaders and venture capital investors. Citrix will partner with the NASSCOM 10K team on the program.

How to apply

The Citrix Startup Accelerator Innovators Program is looking for great teams ready to test their business model. Applications for the program are now open.

Selected teams will be revealed at the NASSCOM Product Conclave on October 30, 2014.

For more information

Please visit Citrix Innovator’s Program to learn more about the program & how to apply.

|In: Accelerator|Last Updated:

Applications are now open for financial tech start-ups to apply to an accelerator program backed by a group of 10 leading financial institutions & Accenture.

About the program

Companies selected in the Asia-Pacific-wide competitive search for the region’s top financial technology innovators will participate in the FinTech Innovation Lab Asia-Pacific, a 12-week program that helps early- and growth-stage financial technology innovators accelerate product development and gain exposure to top-level financial industry executives.

Who can participate

Entrepreneurs developing potentially game-changing technologies for financial services – particularly in the areas of Big Data & analytics, mobile & wireless, payments, risk management, security, compliance and social media and collaboration technologies – are invited to apply.

Applications will be accepted until July 31, 2014.

More about “Fintech Innovation Lab Asia-Pacific”

The FinTech Innovation Lab Asia-Pacific is modeled on a similar program that was co-founded by Accenture and the Partnership Fund for New York City in 2010. The New York Lab’s 18 alumni companies have raised more than $76 million in venture financing and created approximately 150 jobs after participating in the program; one participant was acquired for $175 million.

In 2012, the FinTech Innovation Lab London was launched by Accenture and a dozen major banks in London, with support from the city’s mayor and other government bodies. The majority of the participants in the inaugural program have gone on to sign deals with banks and collectively they have raised $10 million in new financing since participating.

According to a recent report by Accenture, Global investment in fintech ventures could more than double to $8 billion by 2018. Global investment in fintech ventures has more than tripled from $928 million in 2008 to $2.97 billion in 2013. During the same period, investment in Asia-Pacific fintech ventures has increased nearly fourfold to $104 million in 2013.

For further information, please refer to their website

|In: Business|Last Updated: | 1 Comment

Every now and then, several SME’s have been thinking on the exit strategy from their business. The most common exit plan for SME’s is the out-and-out sale of the business.

There could be various reasons for which the owner decides to sell the business. Irrespective of the reasons [why’s] or motivations, the business owner should be confident that the real object is met – the business is sold.

Today we have a guest article by Priya Bhagat; Co-founder of Indiabizforsale. Indiabizforsale is an online platform for Business buying, selling, Business valuation and leasing. Before starting Indiabizforsale, Priya had a successful career in UK and India working for companies like Suez group, Nestor healthcare, Billdesk.com in various capacities in finance. Also, she has gained masters in international finance from Middlesex university & masters in commerce from Mumbai university.

In this article, Priya highlights “Business Selling/Exit Strategies for SME’s in India”.

IndiaBizForSale

The likelihood of business being sold successfully rises when the business for sale is marketed carefully; business valuation is genuine; internal factors are promising & external elements are beneficial.

Market carefully – Sale of a business is a life-changing scenario; the business owner should very diligent in promoting the business opportunity for sale in the market. The business owner’s main concern while marketing the business for sale is to maintain confidentiality [so that competitors & employees are not aware] at the highest level.

Hence, using the right medium to sell is very crucial to maintain privacy and at the same time generate prospects. Offline advertising like newspapers can be expensive & has a short life span. Many online classifieds provide a good channel to advertise the business for sell, however, one needs to chose a premium platform & avoid websites that have junk listings. The business owner should also be careful of any hidden fees or commission that such listing websites charge.

Genuine Business Valuation – If the valuation of your business is done on a realistic basis, the chances of closing the deal successfully increases. The value of the company should be estimated before marketing the business opportunity for sale. There are various methods used for business valuation, it is ideally important to seek help from professional expert to get the valuation of the business done properly.

Promising Internal factors – Internal factors like financial performance of the company, management team and employees, technology, suppliers and customers have to be dealt delicately as these internal factors increase the success of the Business for Sale. It is better to inform the employees after you have reached to advance stage of the business sell. about the decision to sell and address their concerns.

Beneficial External elements – External elements like market conditions, trends in the industry, legislations, competition, etc. can be beneficial if impacted positively to the business.

Generally, the SME’s approach the business brokers, the most common platform. On successful completion of a deal, these brokers expect a return in terms of a commission on the transaction price, which normally ranges from 1%-10%. Such hefty succession fees are sometimes not affordable to SME’s and the chances of businesses being sold quickly slows down. At the same time if the SME is not experienced [generally most SME’s are not] in selling the business, it is most appropriate to get professional help. In brief, if your business is not selling a business, please seek help while selling yours.

Plan and start Early – The average time it takes for a business to be sold is from three months to twelve months. Once your business opportunity is out for sale, be patient for the genuine buyer to be attracted.

You can reach Priya Bhagat on LinkedIn here. If you have any questions for Priya, please leave them in the comments section.

|In: Entrepreneurship|Last Updated:

After the successful debut of Social Media Week [SMW] in India held in Mumbai in September 2013, Bangalore is all set to host this mega global festival. SMW Bangalore will be held between the 17th and 21st of February simultaneously with seven other cities namely Barcelona, Copenhagen, Hamburg, Lagos, Milan New York and Tokyo.

About Social Media Week

SMW is a worldwide festival exploring the social, cultural and economic impact of social media. In just under five years, Social Media Week has become a platform and a community that has grown to more than 100K members in 26 cities around the world.

SMW,Bangalore is a 5 day event scheduled from February,17 to February,21. To register, please log on to http://www.socialmediaweek.org/bangalore/

About R SQUARE Consulting

R SQUARE Consulting, an integrated marketing services agency will be hosting SMW Bangalore. “After the phenomenal success of Social Media Week in Mumbai, we believe that SMW Bangalore will set a new benchmark. Bangalore’s reputation as a cultural melting pot and as the IT capital of the country makes for an optimal combination” Rohit Varma, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, R SQUARE Consulting said.

The festival is expected to attract over 5000 professionals, including people from advertising & marketing, brand management, entrepreneurs, start-ups, management students and other communities of relevance and interest. Running community is one such example. “We launched MegaPink in partnership with SMW Mumbai with runners from 40 cities taking part.

Speaker List

Some of the prominent speakers who are expected to be part of the event are listed below:

  1. Neville Taraporewalla, GM India, Microsoft Advertising & Online
  2. Rishi Dogra, GM Marketing, PepsiCo India
  3. Kiruba Shankar, Blogger
  4. Varun Agarwal, Author and Founder, Alma Mater
  5. Nikhil Dey, President, Public Relations, Genesis Burson-Marsteller

Social Media Week Partners

  1. GroupM, leading media agency
  2. Genesis Burson-Marsteller, leading integrated communication consultancy
  3. Chlorophyll, India’s first end-to-end brand consultancy
  4. Time Out Magazine
  5. Yellow Seed
  6. MxMIndia
  7. Social Samosa
  8. AIESEC
  9. Indigo 91.9 FM

|In: Entrepreneurship|Last Updated: | 2 Comments

Intuit India, a leading provider of business & financial management solutions for small & mid-sized businesses in the country and National Institute of Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development [NIESBUD] have come up with a specialized course on financial management for Indian small business owners.

The course is briefly divided into three modules & starts from the very beginning i.e. How to start a business. The contents of the modules are as below:

How to Start a Business

  • Focus on Basics [Contents – Market Research, Target Market Analysis, Competitor Analysis, Capital/Funding Needs, Infrastructure required?, What’s the return on investment?]
  • Understand what you need ? [Capital, Man power, Infrastructure]
  • Understand how to start [Choosing the Right Type of Entity, How to register a company ,Raising and Managing Capital]

How to Manage your Business?

  • Understand Key Financial Indicators
  • How You Can Monitor Financial Indicators ?
  • How to Manage Cash ?
  • How to Manage your Budget ?
  • Some Important Tax Laws to Keep in Mind
  • Don’t Forget to Pay the Government on Time !!!
  • Some Financial Risks to be aware of
  • Put in Place Checks &  Balances

How to Grow Your Business ?

  • How to Value Your Business ?
  • How to Budget for Growth ?
  • Sources of Growth Capital
  • Get Debt Right.
  • Manage Your Personal Finances, too!
  • Where and How to Find Assistance ?

Financial Management - Journey to Small Business Success [Intuit], Click to enlarge

If you need any further information, please let your comments & we would append the same in the article.