The Startup Buddy Conclave 2019 –The Start Of A New Journey

25 February 2018, Gurugram: The Startup Buddy Conclave 2019 (SBC19) was the second edition of the flagship event of Startup Buddy which was conducted in The Oberoi Gurugram on 23 February 2019. It was organized with an objective to build the new avenues of opportunities for the Startups, Investors, Startup enablers and Professionals involved in the startup ecosystem. Different industry experts came together for leadership interactions and to discuss high potential opportunities to pursue new ideas and their oriented business ventures, investments, and partnerships.

Startup Buddy brought in the veterans of the industry at one platform, who will enable the young entrepreneurs to gain in terms of experience and connects over the coming month. Similarly, the seasoned leaders standing at the top end marked their presence to look at the potential of future business collaboration on every possible end. Thus, various luminaries from the spectrum of Startups who have impacted, and altered the dynamics, of the world of business and commerce, were brought under one roof.

The day-long event was attended by over 400 distinguished personalities and more than 40 eminent speakers from the Startup Ecosystem. The Conclave aimed to provide key-note sessions and cutting-edge panel discussions highlighting the latest trends in the world of Startups, and an invaluable opportunity for unprecedented networking among all stakeholders. The topics which were discussed were-

1. India in the eyes of Global Investors
2. Land of 100 Unicorns
3. Key Investment Themes of 2019 in most VC’s List
4. How corporate can meaningfully engage with Startups
5. What new breed of Startups coming up in India
6. Create Value!! Not Just Valuation!!!
7. Lessons Learnt: Powering Prosperity one customer at a time
8. Innovation in MSME Sector – Growth Engine of Indian Economy
9. Ease of Doing Business in India

The speakers in the event included eminent names such as Dr. Abha Rishi, Abhay Tandon, Abraham Cinta, Alka Goel, Amit Boni, Anil Chhikara, Anil Puri, Anirudh Rastogi, Ashish Taneja, BibinBabu, Brij Bhasin, Chandni Khan, Dinesh Agarwal, Divya Gupta, Gaurav Kachru, Girish Shivani, H. Purushotam, Hetal Sonpal, Jeroninio “Jerry” Almeida, Mukesh Malik, NareshKumawat, Prajkt Raut, Prasanjeet Dutta Baruah, Rahul Maroli, Rajesh Sawhney, Rishab Malik, Rohit Gandhi, Sanket Atal, Sarbvir Singh, Saurabh Katiyar, Saurav Jindal, Shaili Chopra, Shilpa Ajwani, Shivani Singh, StutiChangle, Tej Kapoor, Vivek Law amongst others.

Mr. Rahul Dev -Honorary Advisor, Speaker’s Research Initiative, Lok Sabha, graced the conclave by attending it as the chief guest. He talked about the small cities and towns, which are brimming with potential and young power, much more as compared to the metros today in India. He also coined the term ‘Navudyam’ for startups, to give it a distinct identity as compared to the startup revolution around the world, focusing on the resolving of the grass root issues of the country.

Mr. H. Purushotam – CMD, National Research and Development Corporation,and Mr. Naresh Kumawat – CMD, Maturam Art Centre, participated in The Startup Buddy Conclave 2019 as the Guests of Honour. Mr. Purushotam congratulated the attendees on being a part of something monumental. He informed the entrepreneurs present in the attendees how NRDC is providing solution to the startups by willing to share the technology with them. Mr. Kumawat shared his experience of starting what people label as their ‘passion’, and everything out of it. He talked about simpler times, when things were difficult and nobody knew the word startup, encouraging the attendees to grab the opportunity today’s scenario presents.

The key discussions which took place among the panelists, brought in the insight on the direction in which the ecosystem is driving the Indian economy towards.

Panel discussion on “Key Investment Themes of 2019 in most VC’s List”

L to R – Anil Puri (Chairman & MD, APS Group of Companies), Suresh Mansharamani (Co-founder, Tajurba Business Network), Mukesh Malik – Partner, Ah Ventures, Girish Shivani (Founder, Yournest Ventures), Alka Goel (Founding Partner, Alkemi Venture Partners), Sarbvir Singh (Partner, Waterbridge Ventures), Ashish Taneja (Partner, growX ventures), Amit Singal (Co-founder & CEO, Startup Buddy)

The first panel discussed the new breed of startups, which boasted about Indian women, 9% of the total population in the world, are a disruptor in the entrepreneurial ecosystem.

The highlight of the discussion on the topic – ‘Impact of Government Policies on Indian Startup Ecosystem’ was that the Government needs to be an enabler, not a disabler, when trying to create and implement policies for ecosystem development. The discussion revolved around how some policies are reflecting more like a reaction, rather than a planned and properly executed action.

The highlight of the discussion on the topic – “Innovation is Enabler not Disruptor for the Ecosystem” was an urge towards the budding entrepreneurs to be an innovator, an enabler or a disruptor in the market. ‘India in the Eye of Global Investors’ was a discussion which pointed out the different perspectives of the global investors and what they look for while making an investment. The discussion also focused on how Indian market in being analyzed by these global investors and what do they think of the current ecosystem status. The topic also touched upon how investors,especially from China and Japan, do not like humble people, they like aggressive guys.

L to R: Aditi Sharma (Executive,PeeSafe), Vibhuti Aggarwal (Director, ASR Business Advisors), Sanket Atal (Managing Director, Intuit India), Rajesh Sawhney (Founder, GSF Accelerator & InnerChef)

The other discussions include the ‘Technological innovation in MSME Sector – Growth Engine of Indian Economy’, which highlighted how internet has democratized opportunities. ‘How can corporate meaningfully engage with Startups’ explained how the investment which is being made in the ecosystem, is made in people, not in an idea or a business.

Apart from these panel discussions, many emissaries got on the dais to share their story, experience and learnings. Ms. Chandni Khan –Founder, Voice of Slum, narrated her journey about how her background, which lacked her fundamental right to education, did not stop her. It triggered her to assure that she could help as many children as she can to assert their right. Jeroninio “Jerry” Almeida – Founder, ICONGO advised the attendees to create value, not just valuation. He also asked them to stop depending on ‘Jugaad’, as they will definitely destroy them in longer run.Mr. Amal PS – Co-Founder & CEO, Kieto, shared the fact that 120+ billion number of business emails are exchanged on a daily basis.

Center: Ms. Harsha Garg, Vice President, Confederation of Indian Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises

Some other takeaways that the attendees took away with them included- 3 T’s that enable start-up magic are Technology, Talent & Target Market, where Technology is the constant change.

Mr. Rahul Dev congratulated Startup Buddy for gathering the young generation of leadership. He said “This ecosystem makes my belief stronger that in the next 20 years, the Indian Economy will go through a transformation phase. The world has high hopes from the Indian entrepreneurs, who have slowly but surely changed the talent migration, and are focusing on ventures solving grass root issues of the country.”

About Startup Buddy: Startup Buddy is a one-stop shop offering end-to-end solutions of financial and startup advisory services, supporting, investing and helping startups raise funds through its network. To know more about Startup Buddy, you can visit them at www.startupbuddy.co.in