"Don't be a lone wolf. Lean on the experience and smarts of your teammates, investors, and mentors to help solve the tough problems and take advantage of the opportunities."-- Seth Bannon, founder and CEO of Amicus
Pune Connect 2016 is coming soon and the city’s
entrepreneurs are eagerly awaiting to showcase themselves at the event. Pune
Connect, organized by the Software Exporters Association of Pune (SEAP) for the
past six years, is a one-of-its-kind platform for budding startups to mingle
with the who's who of the industry. For startups willing to take the advice of
Seth Bannon, there is a wealth of interaction on offer with investors, venture
capitalists, potential business partners, potential customers, mentors, and
other associates with new ideas. To top it all , there is the explosion of
interest in print and social media coverage which ensures more visibility. All
in all, it's a perfect cocktail for a young startup looking to succeed. To
substantiate that point, you need to look no further than some of the alumni of
Pune Connect 2015 and the rich experiences they had:
ImageProVision - Started in 2010, ImageProVision is
an Image Analytics company. They primarily focus on image processing and
detailed analysis. Since Pune Connect 2015, the company has succeeded in growing
three-fold with considerable profits. They cater to a wide range of customers
in the field of medical sciences, life sciences, chemical and manufacturing
industries, as well as agriculture industry. In the last year or so, ImagePro
has attracted marquee customers in the pharmaceutical sector too. Co-founder
and Director Sandeep Kulkarni said about their experience at PuneConnect, "We had a good experience participating in Pune Connect
2015. We got good exposure to a multi-dimensional group of people. We could
also connect with fellow startups and understand their challenges and
approaches to handle them. More importantly, we learned the investor's point of
view while participating in the selection process of Pune Connect 2015".
Trendzlink - Trendzlink is India's first personalised
newspaper. It summarises news, curates opinions and blogs, and creates timeline
for the stories that readers wish to follow. CEO Aditya Khanwelkar too echoed
positive thoughts about the marquee event. "Pune Connect 2015 platform has
definitely benefitted us. In the past one year, we have pivoted from a pure
play news aggregator into educational product domain".
RoboEasy - This company was started in April 2015 with
the idea of making education practical and fun. Using a platform called
EduTech, it aims to help students develop logical thinking, enhance decision
making, and overall make learning much more practical. RoboEasy's Founder and
CEO Aabhas Agarwal opines, "Pune Connect 2015 was a good experience. We
learnt how to proceed further, and also understood what exactly the users
require".
InJarwis Technologies Pvt Ltd - The company has a couple
of products, vivifii.com and vivifii.apk for behavioural health care discovery and
delivery on mobile or desktop platforms via audio, video, and text channels. According
to its Co-founder Paras Pagare, post the exposure at Pune Connect 2015, they
have been able to sign up two marquee clients and have been able to generate a
good sales pipeline. "The event helped me connect with investors and
entrepreneurs who helped us refine our product. We got a good indication of
investors' expectations and their interests in our kind of business," he
feels. Consequently, the company now plans to expand to other cities in the
coming months.
Pune Connect has created a name for itself as one of the
most sought after stages in Pune for startups and entrepreneurs keen to make a
mark for themselves in the industry. Not surprising then that the success
stories which have emerged from the previous years, of participating companies,
are heartening. They are a reminder of how more good is to come from this
forum. Have you registered yet so your story could be in a similar article next
year before Pune Connect 2017?
