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IAN Bootcamp at Bangalore 2011

A unique exposure.
A unique game.
A noisy venue.

The day started with car washer taking away the car keys but not returning them in time. I had to scout for him in Brigade Gardenia campus. One of his supporting staff had the key. When I got into the car, suddenly he appeared from nowhere. Wish househelp on android market could send reminders to forgetful casual contractors (aha! a new term).

The road was silken. The traffic was non-existent. The day was Sunday 3rd April 2011, fresh from India World cup Cricket Victory.

No one in embassy golf links knew where Microsoft Signature Building was.  Parked the car in basement. Loitered here and there. Finally stumbled upon the building.

I was late. The organizers were late in starting the first session. So got a chance to hear Sharad Sharma, a pleasant speaker who insisted that we were in cusp of another IT revolution in India. Here is our chance to grab it and live it.

Did you know that Indian Angel Network is a group of individuals from diverse background of society to help startup environment in India?

It was followed by panel discussion. The first speaker insisted that we highlight our challenge in the next 6 months. I did. I got generic response. One speaker said it was a personal issue. The point of the question was

"How do angels figure in the life of an entrepreneur who needs to earn his bread as well give justice to his ideas, to his dreams?"
The response summary was "Have real customers to validate your idea, use up your friends and family money and then get angel". How is that different from approaching a VC?

Two startups who benefited from angel funding got to present their point of view. It is important to have a single voice in the angel community to take up your cause, he will gather more angels for you. Angels can take you to places and contacts whom it might be harder to get to in normal life.

We got to pitch our ideas. Thanks to all friends and their friends and their friends who liked the idea of househelp. I could present the idea, had nice lunch on Sunday afternoon, meet some nice people and did not even pay for it. If you have ideas you do not have to pay for attending events.

Lunch was with college students. Two final students from PESIT were present on their own account. Thank you Microsoft citizen chapter. Did you know that even Freelancers can become part of bizspark programme too? You need not be a company but you have to be in products space. You can also pitch in for bizspark startup challenge.

The game. Post idea presentation we were given form. Get as many money from the audience for your idea. Everybody was given Rs. 20000 fake currency. Listeners had to act angels and distribute their fund to ideas that they believed in. We had to go around asking for funds and elaborating on our idea. Fun.

Post game was presentation from three startups stories from yourstory.in. Nice.
The last session was from embrace. Inspiring.

Thank you springboard ventures and Indian angel network for a wonderful Sunday.

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