Even before I begin writing about this super crowded affair – The StartUp Expo, I have to tell you that I went only partially prepared. My account here will be a little not so detailed but a little more dramatic than you would expect.
Firstly, if you have decided to go to an event like this one, on a day that is 40 degree Celcius hot and marks the morning of a weekend, you sure have justifiable reason to do so. You are most likely an or are around being Entrepreneur, obviously you are attending The StartUp Expo. This was my first time attending such a grand gathering and now you know ‘WHO AM I’.
With the kind of traffic jam at the entrance and the parking areas, it was easy to calculate how wildly vehicles had started pouring in even before 8 am. The place – Epicentre might have been a little difficult to find for the first timers as it is known by various names. I am stating this since a lot of people enquired about it standing right outside. As the place is a common venue please note that it is near Taj Vivanta and Fortis, and exactly opposite a huge ‘Wine and Beer Shop’.
The venue was divided into 5 major sections for the expo and if there were any more than that, I missed them. The first part was the startup exhibition where 150 StartUps sat on a desk exhibiting their product or their services. Their name and their business sector was clearly displayed and visible afar. 150 is a huge number, even if there were only 2 entrepreneurs from each startup on an average, there were over 750 people walking in those alleys between the desk rows. Many StartUps were attracting attention especially those in grocery/fruits & vegetables delivery segment. Another aspect of this wholesome display was StartUp branded merchandise. Custom merchandising is definitely booming, even today, as your company logo first needs to go on your t-shirt and then your letterhead. JSTYK (Just so that you know) minimal designs are trending. Beyond this, I personally did not find anything extraordinary.
The second section was the Food StartUps. I thought the display was WOW.
So much of free food. Yes, the StartUps were giving free food. It was a great sampling method and the bheed was very hungry. I am sure it got them lots of positive feedback. Who doesn’t love free food. It was like Food heaven. But, the entrepreneurs also had other plans, priorities as one would put it, which could be one possible reason for lesser consumption of free food- the 5th section, which I will get to in a while. Now I did not try whole lot of foods, but you name it and they were there, from all sort of food Start ups possible- chaat, honey, fat free cakes, canned stuff, tawa, and snacks. All of them had a thela and something to offer. Some were absolutely not in it the food way, and some were totally delicious. I could hear people talk, that is how I know.
The third section, which was originally supposed to be along with the first but had to be shifted due to over-crowdedness, was the tables. Rodinhooder Anuj Arora, from MyFitFuel sat on TRH table, a great guy and even smarter entrepreneur. There were many others on the tables like co-working places, investment support systems, StartUp consultants, and communities. I understand the concept of setting up such tables was to acquire possible clients and networking.
The fourth and brief section- Auditorium. Now, I am well aware and I guarantee that the Apparel House Auditorium must be huge but it seemed tiny when I entered it, because I could not get a glimpse of the stage. It was like an OH MY GAWD moment for foodies. All events, talks, discussions, and debates were happening inside the auditorium and I sadly will have to disappoint you by saying I have no knowledge of how or what it was. What I know is that It was full, like super full. People were lined up till the entrance/exit stairs. I guess that is what happens at the free registration events.
The place where I spent my maximum time was upstairs- The Investors Lounge. I think this lady Ms. Upasana Sharma should be given a bonus for managing such desperate entrepreneurs. She and her team did a wonderful job managing the investors and investment seekers. The whole idea was to conduct maximum number of one to ones between entrepreneurs and investors, comprising of mostly VC representatives. All those who had pre-registered through TiE and gotten a confirmation of their meeting with the desired investor had it conveniently but those who did not pre-register, lets just say it was their (our) lucky day. There were few people who after entering the lounge refused to come out until they met another investor. Can you even do that? “Nahi, aaj to main investment lekar hi jaunga”. Anyway, each pitching entrepreneur had approximately 10 minutes with the investor of their choice and what happens at the investor table probably stays at the investor table. You know, it is only evident that the definition of ‘struggle’ is variable. ‘Struggle’ is struggle and is also pushing your way to see the investor’s face, start a conversation and hear a yes! Doesn’t it? That is what was happening at the Investor Lounge at the StartUp Expo. You stand there among 50 others and wait for your turn, or raise your hand when an investor’s desk is free, if you’re lucky you will get picked. As I mentioned earlier she managed it all well. I too had a chance to meet 2 of them. Now you know where the title of this post comes from.
Lessons one can take away from my experience:
- If you want to attend the sessions, reach early and wait right outside the auditorium so that when the doors open, you can call dibbs on one of the seats.
- Be prepared to be unprepared.
- Plan to meet someone there, at least one fellow entrepreneur.
- Be nice, it helps.
- Be patient, it helps throughout your life.
- Carry your pitch deck/presentation/video/app so that you can share it with any person of interest.
- Stay hungry, stay foolish. 😉
And finally, the selfie from the day with Rodinhooders Anuj and Abhik.
Hope the above contributes in some little ways. This is @sanchit111, Co-founding CEO of Plugg Technologies and PepperScript signing off. Investments are welcome.