Start-up Saturday Kolkata: getting more interesting every month

What makes Start-up Saturday special? Is it just the passion and the dreams that every entrepreneur brings on the table? Is it the narratives of the successful entrepreneurs of their already executed start-up plans that never fail to amaze the crowd? Is it the counseling and insights that the youngsters receive at the meet from the experts? Is it the open discussion sessions that inevitably see genesis of a lot of new ideas and strategies?

I'm sure the answer will be different for different people attending the events for their own good reasons, but for me it is the interesting people I always keep meeting here that brings me back inevitably to Start-up Saturday Kolkata. After participating for several editions, I am convinced that I keep coming back simply because it never fails me to charge up with enthusiasm and genuine excitement about my own ideas, my work and my projects.

The June edition started with an “Open House” moderated by Sumit Dutta that saw a lot of discussions on marketing through social media networks. Very soon we ended up with an analysis of marketing on Facebook through apps and pay per click advertising. Some creative ideas for marketing on online social media for free (in the alternative, very cheap) was suggested. Other interesting points that came up for discussion included microlevel tax consultancies, networking for consultants and ways of scaling up consultancy businesses.

A presentation by RanceLab's Nilesh Shah on their software Fusion Retail. He explained the early start-up phase of his company and described the strategies that helped the business reach profitability. Fusion Retail is a classic example of a company established by bootstrapping friends who succesfully developed a commercially viable technology, marketed it themselves and are managing it even after several successful product cycles. This story was no less than awe-inspiring. Nilesh's presentation was followed by a very engaging networking session amongst the attendees.

While I was still at the venue, a friend I met at an earlier edition called up randomly, and I told him I am at Globsyn Business School attending Start-up Saturday. He told me that he has heard that every edition is getting more and more interesting – well, I can't think of a more apt way to describe the recent developments. I just hope a bigger community can benefit from the invaluable experience and opportunity that is Start-up Saturday.

^ The picture is from SS Kolkata March, taken by Ashwini Sharma. I shall upload more from the June edition when I lay my hands on them!