When the Chennai chapter of Headstart Network folded a couple of years ago due to various factors, they knew they would be back. Things began taking shape again, when like-minded entrepreneurs Jim Tharakan and Prashant Bothra got together in September this year to relaunch the city chapter of the startup ecosystem.
“Despite there being a lot of startup activity here, there was a paucity of platforms for people to network or look for mentors and funding. Several entrepreneurs would travel from here to Bangalore every month to attend Startup Saturday for an insight into how to launch and sustain their businesses. That is when we decided to relaunch the Chennai Chapter,” says Prashant, now a co-leader of the ecosystem, along with Jim. The first Startup Saturday of this relaunch, held over the weekend, saw nearly 380 participants, and the organisers hope the numbers will only grow over the coming months.
The event included opportunities to network with like-minded entrepreneurs, find an angel investor and interact with mentors. One of the key speakers at the event, K. Vaitheeswaran of Fabmall, which is now the More chain of stores, said, “When launching a startup, it is important to remember not to pivot too soon or even fail fast. Often when entrepreneurs launch a product or service, they tend to change focus if things don’t work out initially. But it is important to persevere; it is important to give your ideas the respect they deserve. Like it is said, businesses can fail, but entrepreneurs never do.”
Other speakers like J Krishnan used interesting anecdotes of small-time businessmen and vendors to highlight the need for innovation, perseverance and value addition in any business. The most important factor he highlighted, though, was the need for an entrepreneur to do things on his own steam. “Statistics show that less than one per cent of all business ventures get funded. But that by no way means that the others fall flat. Do things on your own steam. Successful enterprises are built by successful entrepreneurs. One could begin by thinking small and local; it’s certainly a great way to begin,” he said.
The event also saw a couple of successful startups like Charge B (a SAS related product) and Zorba (a renaissance fitness studio) talk about their success stories, their challenges and innovations.
Headstart Network’s Startup Saturday is slated to be held on the second Saturday of every month and they can be contacted on chennai@headstart.in
