TheHotStart.com was launched in December 2013 with a fresh perspective to support crowdfunding in India. A few chance encounters led a bunch of us to realise that our country has a long way to go when it comes to helping our incredibly talented people. TheHotStart has been built from the ground up to help creators and innovators get one step closer to realizing their ideas. Crowdfunding is all about inclusiveness and democratizing the space to create and innovate. While helping raise the funds is one thing, TheHotStart also acts as a preliminary validation point for a concept. Another benefit is the word-of-mouth marketing that it attracts. Since inception, we have received a plethora of interesting project ideas. While we have been selective in terms of which projects to support, we have had the privilege of working with some kick-ass individuals and teams. Some of those awesome projects are:
The DIY DAY or the Do It Yourself Day was a day-long festival, working towards promoting and celebrating the independent art movement in Delhi. It was a collaboration between Ghar ka Records and Epic Shit Entertainment, and the platform of TheHotStart helped it raise its target of Rs.63000 in well under 3 weeks.
Another success is Kalyaanam – a 10 minute short film giving you a glimpse into the life of a would-be-bride. Created by Aamir Tameem, an actor, Kalyaanam is a monologue that explores the predicaments and reservations of a woman who is on the verge of beginning a new life. This satirical comment on the institution of marriage had a beautiful and thought-provoking pitch video which gave an apt glimpse into the message to be conveyed by its creator. And the final product has already got rave reviews, getting selected for the London Indian Film Festival.
Taan Bekro, a documentary created by Saumya Sharma, is based on the struggles of Rajasthan’s ‘Sapera’ tribe. With its crisp portrayal of the fluidity and adaptability of the Sapera tribe, it is directed towards enabling the Government to understand and pay heed to these people. The efforts are quite praiseworthy since the crowdfunding success shows that people are willing to contribute for a social project as well.
The Rhythm of Love – the first jukebox musical in India was one such successful project which showed artistic talent is now going to get the backing it deserves. The pitch video was encouraging, with the creator informing how they came about the idea in the first place making it easier to look beyond the abstract and actually get an understanding of the whole concept.
But the most ambitious project so far has been to build India’s first crowdfunded arts residency – MERAKI, by Atelier, the theater group. Set in the pristine hills of Chail, Himachal Pradesh, MERAKI aims to become a world class space that unleashes creative potential, germinates incredible new ideas and produces some spectacular artistic output. While there is a growing affinity for the arts sector, such projects are needed to motivate independent artists to pursue their ideas with freedom.
Rodinhoods is a thriving community of entrepreneurs. Through our first post, we received a couple of incredible project ideas by Rodinhooders. We cannot wait to get your next insanely great idea to life.
asha chaudhry
hey rajat,
you need to update this post! tell us about the latest crowdfunding projects coming your way!!