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|In: startups|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

T-hub, India’s fastest growing start-up engine celebrated its first anniversary announcing strategic initiatives which puts  Hyderabad on the start- up world map. The anniversary celebration was inaugurated by Telangana IT Minister Shri. KT. Rama Rao amid senior Industry leaders and government officials.

The event was marked open by the lighting of the ceremonial lamp by Shri K.T. Rama Rao, Board of directors, Srinivas Kollipara, Founder& COO, T-Hub and Jay Krishnan, CEO, T-Hub.

Commenting on the celebrations Shri KT. Rama Rao, Minister for IT, NRI Affairs, Municipal Administration & Urban Development, Industries & Mining, Govt. of Telangana, India, said

When we started T-Hub a year back there were many questions about how we will create a mark in the startup world. But looking at what we have achieved, makes me proud. Today the world wants to talk to Hyderabad, and know how we can bring in more investments. Through T-Bridge we will access and bring the best to you to grow and make the city one of the top startup cities in the world.

Speaking on the occasion, Jay Krishnan, CEO, T-Hub said

Innovation is the core of what we do. Through the year we have strived each day to build a strong structure that fuels a culture of innovation through capacity building and mentorship. This has enabled us to catalyse deal flow and take Hyderabad on the world map in the start-up ecosystem. Some of the products and services we launched through the year, T-Bridge, Sandbox, Playbooks have truly set us apart. We have brought structure to the madness which investors and corporates are recognising. We are an evolving organization and will constantly keep learning and changing as we go along only to ensure we bring the best to Hyderabad and fulfil our vision to make this city one of the top 10 startup cities in the world.

Speaking on the occasion Srinivas Kollipara, Founder & COO of T-Hub said

On this occasion of one year, we would like to thank the support and confidence we have received from our board members.  We are the only ecosystem in the country which is run by professionals. We would like to thank the government for giving us this opportunity and free hand to create a startup world in Hyderabad that is uniquely structured and build to allow for progress and innovation with strong support with policy initiatives and access to the world at large. Today the world wants to talk to us only because we have a structured ecosystem backed by technology with innovation at its core. With this support and interest the sky is the limit.

Jay Krishnan CEO,T-Hub
Jay Krishnan CEO,T-Hub

The inauguration witnessed MoU signings with several Strategic Partners, Corporate Partners and announcement of Partnership Programs.

Strategic partnerships

PwC Innovation Hub Partnership

PwC, one of the leading consulting firms in the world has partnered with T-Hub to create an Innovation Hub within the Catalyst building. This strategic partnership is aligned with PwC’s Innovation Program to support and mentor startups. The Innovation Hub will give startups access to PwC clients across 157 countries and open floodgates for new opportunities.

Carnegie’s Policy Hub within T- Hub

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, India, a public policy think-tank has partnered with T-Hub to create a ‘Policy Incubator’ within Catalyst. The objective of this one-of-a-kind Policy Incubator is to help startups guide through the regulatory and policy implications of innovation. Operationalize a tracking system to record exciting innovation within T-Hub and create awareness around the same in collaboration with T-Hub.

Corporate Partnerships

DBS Asia Hub-2 partners with T-Hub to create an ‘Innovation Hub’ for Fintech startups

DBS Asia Hub-2 & T-Hub entered into a strategic partnership to re-imagine banking and drive innovation in fintech space. This partnership would leverage a network of fintech start-ups to make banking simpler, seamless and joyful for customers. Further to its quest to lead digital transformation, DAH2 aims at driving innovation and agility in banking through this partnership.

Programs announcements

Agri-Tech Accelerator announcement with ICRISAT, RVP & T-Hub

T-Hub’s AgriTech Accelerator Program is a startup focused initiative created in partnership with ICRISAT (International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid-Tropics) and powered by RViP (Riverbridge Ventures Innovation Platform). It is a unique three-month accelerator program, which enables AgriTech start-ups to move game-changing products to market and scale their existing businesses, providing Market, Business Scale, Global Exposure, Funding Support, Expert Advice, Corporate Partnerships, Government Connects, and more game changing opportunities.

CL Educate-Innovation Partnership for student innovation

T-Hub and CL Educate entered into an MoU to make innovation accessible to millions of youngsters in schools, colleges & jobs. Awareness, research, Technology-platform, curriculum, access to mentors and funds, are some of the benefits that will reach young entrepreneurship aspirants through this collaborative partnership. T-Hub and CL Educate also hope to bring in innovation driven corporations to support and benefit from this program.

Wainconnect, the innovation platform from CL Educate and the T-Hub PlayBook will play a crucial role in the implementation of this partnership.

About T-Hub

T-Hub is a unique public/private partnership between the government of Telangana, three of India’s premier academic institutes (IIIT-H, ISB and NALSAR) and key private sector leaders. It stands at the intersection of the startup, academic, corporate, research and government sectors. T-Hub aims to forge many such partnerships with governments and corporates across the world to setup T-Bridge centers, to strengthen trade relations and attract investment into the state of Telangana.

T-Hub is one of the largest startup ecosystems in India today with over 2000 startups in its database. The members of T-Hub are clustered into various stages of growth across sectors of specialization, a model of community development which is unique to Hyderabad. For more information, please visit T-Hub

|In: Funding|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

ToneTag, a sound-based proximity payment company has raised a round of strategic funding, which brings on board, a group of technology evangelists and digital payment crusaders. Arun Seth is a trustee of the NASSCOM foundation, independent Board member at Narayan Hrudalaya, independent director, Jubilant Food Works, advisory board member at The Energy & Resources Institute (TERI) and governing board member of HelpAge India. Seth has also served as Chairman,  Alcatel-Lucent India ltd and Chairman at BT (India) Private Limited.

T.V. Mohandas Pai is the Chairman of Manipal Global Education. He used to be a Member of the board of directors of Infosys and Head-Administration, Education and Research, Financial, Human Resources, and Infosys Leadership Institute. Anand Chandrasekaran  was the Chief Product Officer of Snapdeal, one of India’s pre-eminent Internet companies as well as Chief Product Officer of Bharti Airtel, the third largest mobile operator in the world. Deepak Ghaisas is the chairman of Gencoval Strategic Services Pvt Ltd. Previously he was the CEO – India Operations and CFO of I-flex Solutions Ltd, India

Kumar Abhishek, Founder & CEO, ToneTag said

ToneTag is creating a payment ecosystem for the country that is completely digital, free from the clutches of cash. It enables an inclusive financial environment for the masses. ToneTag with its unique experience, a range of use cases and a strong partner network is striving to push India into a brighter digital era. Mohandas Pai,  Arun, Deepak, Anand and T K  have transformed several businesses with their proficiency and experience. Their association with ToneTag, brings valuable know-how and will be an asset to the core team. Their individual and collaborative expertise will be instrumental in defining innovative solutions for our technology and give  consumers access to many unique digital experiences, through various channels, that were previously not feasible.

Pranav Pai, on behalf of Mohandas Pai via 3one4 Capital, had this to say:

The ToneTag team have combined their deep insights of the financial and banking systems in India with core technology innovations to solve a long-standing challenge through a disruptive yet simple set of modalities. With the radical economic reforms that are being rolled out, technology like ToneTag’s will be a natural enabler of India’s shift into a new information infrastructure. By accounting for multiple channels of contactless proximity payments, including environments where data connections are unavailable, ToneTag is truly optimizing for simplicity and designing for a seamless and delightful experience with every transaction.

The team is also hyper-aware of the balance to be preserved between issuers and merchants, and has converged upon an inter-operable and platform-agnostic solution. We are tremendously excited by the possibilities of the ToneTag tech stack, and we are looking forward to working with them to scale this vital value proposition.

Arun Seth had this to say about ToneTag

Yesterday’s announcement on large currency notes is another indicator of the government’s drive towards a cashless economy.  ToneTag  is right at the centre of this change, as it helps customers make contactless payments, that are easier,  faster and more secure than paying by cash or cards.

ToneTag technology plays to the natural power of the phone to generate and receive audio signals.  As a result, ToneTag payments can be made on smart phones as well as feature phones, the latter being critical for financial inclusion. Also, ToneTag does not need NFC compatible hardware or QR codes to be scanned. ToneTag is fully compatible with existing financial infrastructure like credit card machines and ATM’s so it has universal use and will help drive India to a cashless and cardless economy.

ToneTag has partnered with major players in the areas of mobile wallets and banking to enable contactless digital transactions on mobile phones, card swiping machines, ATMs and all other acceptance enabling devices. ToneTag is completely hardware and platform independent and works via the transmission of sound waves, alone. It requires no special hardware to be deployed.

About ToneTag

ToneTag is a sound based proximity communication provider that enables contactless proximity payments, proximity communication, location based services and customer engagement services among a multitude of other solutions. Backed by Reliance VC among a host of investors, they have enabled contactless, offline, proximity communication on any device through sound and their team continues to innovate and transform the way devices will communicate with each other in the near future. For more information, please visit ToneTag

|In: startups|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

Tired of living in a rented house? Maybe your family has grown too big for your current 2 BHK or maybe you got a lump sum as a joining bonus you would like to invest. Whatever the reason, real estate has always been the coveted investment. But owing to the large sums that need to be committed, quite often one’s lifetime’s savings, the risks are also high. A thorough knowledge of the market and the individual project is a must for mitigating risks. For most, this in-depth knowledge and information is not readily available and this factor often becomes the difference between a good investment and a huge loss. To address this by bringing trust and transparency to the process of home buying in India and especially in buying real estate online, RoofandFloor was created.

Kasturi and Sons limited, publishers of The Hindu, forayed into online property listings business in September 2014 via a new subsidiary KSL Digital Ventures and launched RoofandFloor with about 6,000 new projects from leading builders in Chennai. The initial Capital was 25 crores and in July 2016, raised an additional capital of 20 crores from its promoters. It officially launched its operations in September 2015 and in less than one year, expanded its presence to Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Coimbatore.

Within a span of two years, over 1500 developers with 8,000 new projects across Southern India have come on board. They will also commence operations in Mumbai and Pune shortly. In popularity, the portal has already become one of the top 3000 websites in the country.

Established with an end-to-end business model, the venture aspires to change a first-time buyer’s experience of buying real estate online. Although just two years old, RoofandFloor has gone head-to-head with well-established online property portals like MagicBricks and 99acres.

When asked about the objective behind launching such a venture into a market that already has strong and established competitors, Bikash Chowdhury, the Chief Marketing Officer said

RoofandFloor aims to change the experience of first-time home buyers. It has been designed after extensive consultations through focus group discussions in Chennai and Bengaluru to understand market expectations. Reliable, precise and relevant information and value-added services are the portal’s hallmarks.

RoofAndFloor is a one-stop shop for property-related aspects. With each passing day, the demand for housing among urban middle class is getting bigger and the portal has been designed to cater to the community’s specific needs. It has an extensive list of apartments, including the most popular segments, 1BHK and 2BHk. Not to be outdone, the list of Villas available in the portal is enviable too.

When a potential property buyer uses the portal, they attain access to end-to-end services in property buying. This includes detailed information on the paperwork and statutory clearances. From apartments for sale to buying villas online, the magic happens in a matter of minutes. Along with reliable and precise information, value-added services are another hallmark of RoofandFloor. With a very easy and intuitive search feature that is backed by a robust algorithm, the website takes into account multiple parameters to display the most relevant results matching a property buyer’s needs.

The RoofandFloor advisors get in touch with potential buyers and understand their criteria. Once they locate the ideal properties suiting the client’s demands, they convey accurate and up to date personalized information. For Premium advertisers, there are innovative features such as Click to Call and strong integration with print/digital media properties which already have a large reader/user base.

RoofandFloor has a unique differentiating factor for those who wish to purchase a property they would like, be it villas or apartments. All other real estate portals available provide the base price of properties. But the final price of properties includes base price, various builder fees and regulatory charges. No other Real estate website currently lists hidden charges like parking space, floor rise charges, etc.

For example, the buyer wants to buy a 2 BHK flat in his preferred locality. He goes to some real estate portal, puts in the keywords and locality and the listing comes up. One particular project catches his eye. The price is shown as 50 Lakhs. He is happy since that is just about what his budget is. So he clicks on the link, reads about it and goes to finalize the project. Once at the builder’s he suddenly gets a reality check. Including all amenities and car parking and miscellaneous charges, the price shot up to 65 Lakhs!! 30% over the price he was shown. Even though an example, this is actually quite a common scenario in the Indian real estate market and portals.

This is where RoofandFloor comes to the rescue. The portal’s three-pronged strategy hinges on content, community, and commerce. They have incorporated a standout tool, TruePrice. TruePrice is a feature unique to the portal which gives a clear picture of the amount a buyer will have to spend in order to get a home of their choice. No more hidden charges, no more last moment floor rise charges. The same amount the buyer sees on the portal is what they pay to the builder. On the legal front, a panel of independent consultants is on hand to provide counsel, though this service (Truelegal) is not available online on tap currently.

The host of services provided by RoofandFloor does not end there. With additional services starting from information on interior designers to unique service providers for functions such as house warming, the portal stays true to its end-to-end commitment to the buyer.

The upcoming services include creating an interactive platform between those who have bought property (by location) and those looking to. This crowd-sourced content will be moderated by RoofandFloor, with no seeding by developers or the marketplace.

RoofandFloor is also bolstering their leadership by bringing in Industry veterans like T. Shrikanth (from IndiaProperty and Sulekha) to join Gowri Shankar Nagarajan, the CEO and Bikash Chowdhury, Chief Marketing Officer. The other Bigwigs at the helm are Sudha Prabhu (People Operations), Nishant Kashyap (Operations Head) and Niren Pai (Head of products). From about 70 people currently, the headcount is expected to go up to 240 in the current fiscal, coinciding with expansion in the West. The people in advisory roles and operations will grow, as will the product and engineering, and marketing teams.

All in all, The Company is making all the right noises and it seems steadily poised to take over the mantle of leadership in its category. As evident from the recent moves and features it is bringing about, it intends to bank on trust and transparency to become the best online Real Estate website out there, and rightfully so.

Do give RoofandFloor a spin and share your experience in the comments section!

|In: Funding|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

JustRide, an emerging player in the self-drive car rental industry has raised fresh capital of USD 3 million from YC Partners and major global investors. The fresh funds will be used to bolster JustRide’s car sharing platform JustConnect and Yabber, an IoT device for cars which is based on the company’s Smart Vehicle Technology. The company has been to a car sharing economy from an aggregator-based model. JustConnect is a car sharing platform that helps to monetize the cars of the individuals, when not in use.

JustRide, has raised money from major global investors; San Francisco based Susa Ventures, Kima Ventures, Axan Ventures, SCM Holdings from London and IT-Farm from Japan. The company is raising the additional funds from the YC Partners; Justin Kan (Co-founder Jutin.tv & Twitch.tv), Qasar Younis (COO, Y Combinator) and Paul Buccheit (Creator of Gmail) to develop Yabber, a plug and play device that augments the connected car technology and data analytics to analyze the driving skills of the customers. The company, which is mentored by Google’s The Launchpad Accelerator program, was one of the three Indian companies chosen by Y-Combinator this year, which is highest since its commencement in 2005. The company is at the concluding stage to raise a fresh round of equity from major American firms to invest in its in-house Smart Vehicle Technology (SVT).

At this juncture, Ashwarya Singh, CEO & Co -Founder JustRide, explained

Car ownership in India stands at a meagre 20 for every 1,000 individuals; in contrast to the US, which boasts of almost one car for every individual aged above 18. A vast majority in India do not have access to personal transport, presenting an extensive market for car rentals. The challenge is to build a sustainable car-sharing model to cater to the average urban commuters, while keeping in mind the interests of the car owners; who have a depreciating asset that is their car and does not get any return on it.

By leasing their idle car, an average Indian, who earns $500 each month, can increase their income to twofold. Our car- sharing platform has been received with great interest. We have added 220 cars since piloting the concept in March. We are keen on exploring our Smart Vehicle Technology which powers Yabber. The connected car technology complements our business very well and we shall raise a fresh round of capital to build data centers shortly.

Hemant Sah, CTO & Co-Founder, JustRide said

We have launched JustConnect with the vision of creating a car sharing economy. It’s a well-known fact that an average car is seldom driven for more than a couple of hours each day. Many companies have tried to build their business by helping owners rent their vehicles. But, entrusting a stranger with the keys of our car is a dilemma for many. Trust is the key in the sharing economy. This inspired us to expand the scope of our in-house Smart Vehicle Technology (SVT), which was initially used to study the driving behavior of customers and offer incentives. We came up with Yabber, a plug & play on-board diagnostic device which lets cars communicate with external devices. The connected car concept solves the trust concern as it dishes out key inputs on driving behavior of customers. Yabber is also available as a stand-alone product for car owners.

According to Ken Research, the Indian car sharing market is poised to grow at 15% every year till 2018. However, in India most car rental services operate with the traditional model, which restricts their scalability, as they have to purchase every car in their fleet. JustConnect, the new platform introduced by the company helps the car owners to earn by renting their idle vehicle. It integrates the connected car technology with micro leasing of vehicles to build a collaboratively shared fleet of cars accessible to all.

About Just Ride

JustRide is into renting/hiring self driven cars in India. It caters to vendors and peer to peer individuals as well. The concept of self driven car rentals is yet to spread its wings in India. As pioneers in the Indian self drive car rental industry, we believe in the mantra- “Why buy a car, when you can rent one?”

JustRide’s focus lies in redefining the way cars are made, purchased and rented. The company has constructed a Smart Vehicle Technology (SVT) which is crucial for the implementation of a hyper local service model. SVT taps into a vehicle’s electronic system and provides a real-time access to the location and performance parameters of the vehicle, ranging from tire pressure to the current load on the engine to the G-force experienced on each of the individual suspensions. For more information, please visit JustRide

|In: startups|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

Sugar Maths, a Hyderabad based startup was adjudged as the Best Technology Startup at the TiE-ISB Connect 2016 held in Hyderabad.  Sugar Maths with its innovative approach of using gamification to make Maths appealing, is an Advanced Mental Maths Program for students of classes 1 to 10.

It covers complete maths topics across CBSE, ICSE, State Boards and international curricula like IB/IGCSE. ‘Sugar Maths’ is a platform designed on proprietary Variable Keystone Active Space Technique (vKast). The Sugar Maths Mental Maths Program is based on the latest research in Neuroscience of learning and Psychology of motivation.

Neeraj Jewalkar, Founder of Sugar Maths with the TiE-ISB Connect award for Best Tech Startup
Neeraj Jewalkar, Founder of Sugar Maths with the TiE-ISB Connect award for Best Tech Startup

Commenting on receiving the award Neeraj Jewalkar, Founder of Sugar Maths said

We are delighted to receive this coveted award for best use of technology for Sugar Maths. We have developed a proprietary methodology called Variable Keystone Active Space Technique (vKast) to improve learning. vKast is the synthesis of the latest developments in how various regions of the brain function to help learning and memorisation.

This technique not only leverages the concepts of Crystallised and Fluid Intelligence but also incorporates deep insights based on the psychology of motivation. Sugar Maths aims to make students take more interest in Maths, develop mastery and have an overall positive approach to this very important subject not only in academic life but also for personal growth.

Multi-sensory learning techniques have been incorporated for strong and lasting memory engrams. This ensures that the learning is retained for years without loss. Mnemonic techniques for instant memorization have been used as part of Maths Tricks. This aids quick internalization and recall of important mathematical concepts that provide a strong foundation for advanced Maths skills. All these exceptional features have been woven together in an extremely fun, engaging and addictive game format that has students addicted to this enriching App. Students are expected to stick to this 10 minute daily routine for the very best results.

Sugar Maths app can be downloaded from the Play Store from here

 

|In: Accelerator|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

T-Hub, India’s fastest growing startup engine catalysing Innovation, Scale and Deal flow, announces the launch of AgriTech Accelerator Program in partnership with ICRISAT (International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid-Tropics), powered by RViP (Riverbridge Ventures Innovations Platform). The program will begin on 15th February, 2017 and is accepting applications from 2nd November, 2016.

During the three-month acceleration period, RViP in association with ICRISAT & T-Hub will engage with start-ups through its unique scaling model and work as a full-time partner for enabling and scaling the efforts of the participating startups.

Jay Krishnan, CEO, T-Hub said

The potential to innovate and scale innovation from startups is what we are trying to achieve through the AgriTech Accelerator. With AgriTech being a specialized vertical at T- Hub, we are sourcing the top startups globally to come up with solutions which will solve the myriad challenges faced by the sector. Through this sector and stage-focused approach, we are banking on providing interventions to the top startups that get selected for the accelerator to allow them to scale and go-to-market with the right methodologies.

This initiative is designed to enable the participating startups to scale their projects through real-time management, full-time engagement and knowledge sharing. The selection process involves up to 3 levels of application screening including manual screening to curate the most relevant applications to finally identifying the top 10 participants of the program.

ICRISAT Director General Dr. David Bergvinson commented

In order to double Indian farmers’ income by 2022, we need to accelerate the development and delivery of demand driven innovation that gives economic agency to farmers. The AgriTech Accelerator program will bring together agriculture, IT and finance entrepreneurs to develop tailored services, technologies and market integration to support sustainable (social, economic, environmental) rural development at scale.

This program will help develop a working model for the AgriTech start-ups/innovative ideas through practical business models and perfected products with market acceptability.

Vishnu Gorantala, Founder, Riverbridge Ventures Innovations Platform said

Scaling platforms need to redefine the conventional accelerator programs through well designed and differentiated engagement to ensure ‘Enable to Scale’. We at RViP intend to address this gap.

Interested startups can register at http://signup.t-hub.co/agritech

About T-Hub

T-Hub is a unique public/private partnership between the government of Telangana, three of India’s premier academic institutes (IIIT-H, ISB and NALSAR) and key private sector leaders. T-Hub aims to forge many such partnerships with governments and corporates across the world to setup T-Bridge centers, strengthening trade relations and attracting investment into the state of Telangana. For more information, please visit T-Hub

About RViP – Riverbridge Ventures Innovations Platform

RViP engages with startups and innovations through partnership mode that helps enable and scale innovations into successful businesses worldwide. This engagement is beyond capital and advisory models and functions like a partnership by sharing equal or more responsibilities than the promoter/entrepreneur himself. RVIP aggregates functionaries to address the job functions while the promoter/ founder focuses on his/her core competencies. For more information, please visit Riverbridge Ventures Innovations Platform

About ICRISAT

The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid-Tropics (ICRISAT) is a non-profit, non-political organization that conducts agricultural research for development in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa with a wide array of partners throughout the world. ICRISAT innovations help the dryland poor move from poverty to prosperity by harnessing markets while managing risks-a strategy called Inclusive Market-Oriented development (lMOD). ICRISAT, headquartered in Hyderabad, is a member of the CGIAR Consortium. For more information, please visit ICRISAT

|In: DrLive|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

DrLive is a healthcare platform to implement telemedicine programs on mobile devices. The highly secure platform which was released recently is very easy to use and has proven its?value in a variety of healthcare specialities and settings for patient follow ups, second opinions and primary healthcare.

DrLive also plays an important role in the supplemental management of chronic conditions. There is widespread acknowledgement of its usefulness to impact routine care for common, uncomplicated, non-emergency medical problems such as sinus problems, respiratory infection, allergies, urinary tract infection, cold and flu symptoms and many other non-emergency illnesses.

The platform enables secure audio-video medical consults with a mission to emerge as a new frontier in telemedicine-one that offers safe, convenient and cost-effective options for users to connect with top doctors from leading hospitals from the comfort of their homes via mobile applications. Patients residing in Tier-II and Tier-III cities are now able to cut down their travel and expenses by 70% with the use of telemedicine. Through the app users can register dependents, book appointments, make cashless payments and manage their health records.

DrLive is the brainchild of Chethan Channakeshava & Pratap Palthady. With its operation headquartered in Bengaluru, DrLive is determined to take telemedicine to the next level in India and has also partnered with leading hospitals, gyms and health spa. With the advance of low-cost smartphones, faster data networks and mobile apps, telemedicine can help lakhs of Indians get superior healthcare services through proper and timely consultations with their doctors.

With this app, users sitting in Rajasthan can get the consultation from a doctor based in Bengaluru or a patient from Kochi can speak to a specialist from Delhi. DrLive has already helped hundreds of patients to get consultations from doctors across various specialists including dietitians and nutritionists!

DrLive has also introduced a dedicated App for Doctors called DrLive-Rounds. Not only does it revolutionize and enable doctors to consult with their patients over video, but it also facilitates them to get their entire practice “on the cloud”. The platform is built keeping the ease of use factor to help doctors take advantage of the highly intuitive user experience to grow their practice.

DrLive App can be downloaded from the Google Playstore or visit DrLive for more information.

|In: Marketing|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

In India, startups have common challenges of addressing the non-tech skills such as branding, marketing, go-to-market, public relations, etc. Thus many startups end up being just a good idea or a concept or a product and they are not able to do a commercial launch or they are certainly not able to scale up. While Pune is replete with the Spirit of Entrepreneurship that have young minds-as young as 20 year olds-who are aspiring to become Unicorns, they still don’t know where to look when it comes to hand-holding, branding and its execution.

Individual constituents of a typical startup eco-system have tried dealing with the above challenge in silos. For instance, the investor community comprising Angels, Venture Capitalists and Private Equity players have been doing their bit to hand hold startups and help them succeed. Likewise, there are advisers and mentors who provide hand-holding to startups. And then there are advertising agencies that make creatives and advertisements on case-to-case basis. But there is no one in India who is willing to take ownership of creation of the eco-system under one roof.

Brand Launch Center (BLC) under the aegis of Seagull Advertising have announced the launch of first-of-its-kind Startup Launch Accelerator to help consumer focused startups to go-to-market like any MNC, through a well-structured process called Wings for Profit. BLC’s expertise is designed to mitigate the risks that are commonly faced by Startups at the launch stage. The launch Accelerator offers a high intensity, hands-on, six months program to reduce product risk, technology risk, market risk and financial risk.

Sameer Desai launching Brand Launch Centre
Sameer Desai launching Brand Launch Centre

Speaking about the need to brand-building for start-ups, Sameer Desai, Marketing veteran and Chief Strategy Officer of Brand Launch Centre, said

While working extensively with early-stage companies in the past few years, we have realized that most start-ups fail despite innovative ideas and products. They fail not because of the product/service, but because of their inability to create a strong brand image among target consumers and the absence of go-to-market strategy and execution. Brand-building and go-to-market is a major challenge for the bootstrapped Startups, whose marketing budgets and knowledge of execution are often constrained. BLC provides a 360-degree strategy to start-ups to overcome their brand-building challenges, that too in 180 days.

BLC’s Launch Accelerator program is broadly classified into 3 key segments, namely-Brand Challenge, Brand Wings and Brand Flight Map.

The Startup Accelerator program that will provide solutions ranging from mentoring, branding, working capital, advertising, digital marketing, on-ground-activations, public relations and funding, sales, marketing automation, HR, corporate finance, legal and co-working. The Startup Acceleration program is aimed at consumer-focused Startups that believe in going for a commercial launch of their product or service and achieving greater sales and marketing muscle power in a specific time frame of 180 days.

Recently launched Tork, India’s first Electric Motorbike, has been one of the early Startups that came on board BLC.

Premanand Risbud, CFO, Tork Motorcycles says

BLC has well understood our requirements and has delivered us a fantastic brand positioning. Tork is high on technology and sports a TFT screen-a first for any Indian bike. It offers a number of innovative benefits such as low noise, zero pollution, exceptional acceleration and remote trouble shooting facility through a cloud based solution.

Green Salute is another Startup that leveraged BLC’s offerings. The idea of branding waterless car wash services as Green Salute and taking it to the customer was undertaken by BLC. Ninad Dhok & Akshay Dhok, CoFounders-Green Salute said

It’s absolutely fantastic the way that our brand has been presented. It cannot get better, and the market has received this extremely well.

Neeraj Kansal, Founder-Tokri said

BLC had a very clear vision for executing the branding plan. Their idea of sabse bada rupaiya was a great success. Today, even after a year people still talk about this great idea. Tokri.com is an e-commerce business in the hyper local grocery segment. The portal offers doorstep delivery of a wide variety of food items including the freshest flowers, fruits and vegetables.

Mandar Jayawant, Founder, Mongol Fund and Global Equity Veteran, said

In an extremely competitive market, it is not easy to survive for all Startups. While a few succeed, a number of young individuals fail to convert their great ideas into viable and sustainable businesses due to lack of one or several components of the Startup ecosystem. While identifying promising Startups for funding, among other things, we put a significant weight-age on their go-to-market strategy – whether it is realistic and achievable. We are happy that BLC’s services will be available to the entrepreneurs in the city of Pune and we are looking forward to the next Unicorn from Pune.

About Brand Launch Centre

Brand Launch Centre (BLC) is a start-up launch accelerator to help consumer focused start-ups to go-to-market like an MNC, through a well-structured process called Wings for Profit. Founded by Sameer Desai, BLC’s expertise is designed to mitigate the risks, commonly faced by start-ups at the launch stage. It offers a high intensity, hands-on, six month program, to reduce product risk, technology risk, market risk and financial risk. For more information, please visit Branch Launch Centre