Its a bright Monday morning and Good morning.

I believe it has been more than three years since we as a group started thinking of startups, and wanting to help them, and at that point in time, showcasing some of the best startups India has produced – even amidst some of the adverse conditions for startup entrepeneurs – has been the way we have been doing our deed. Proto.in has build a fabulous reputation over the years, a 2000+ active and vibrant community, our presence felt in more than 13 cities across the country – and all of this built at a (monetary) cost that is extremely hard to agree. The passion and commitment of the team and YOUR suport is what has made it all happen.

We have a 120+ active volunteer group, and an extremely strong core team, and I do realize that none of them are really going to step up to the place unless, I give them the option and the chance to. Proto.in has to live on, and with the way the community adores it, I believe it will.

But here will be the true test of it. I will be stepping back into the background starting in the next few days, leaving the things in the hands of the core team, and you. Ravi Shankar, and Sudhir Syal will be the key champions who will be leading this forward. And they are set on stone that Proto.in Pune is going to rock. And I believe them.

I would request all of you personally to extend your support to them to make this happen.

As for me, I am starting to think, with the outburst of showcase events (TiE Summits, E-Summits, NASSCOM’s Emerge 50, NEN’s Hottest Startups, HeadStart etc), that we are all probably looking at one directon while there is a larger gap to fill. I am not anymore convinced that a showcase event alone is what will build the ecosystem, we have to go beyond that and support, nurture, and built a backbone first. The initiatives we’ve been playing with – Startup Lunch, The Chat etc, are giving us proof for that. I will be taking the time to perhaps visit a few places, and some of the other ecosystems, to understand, and get a slightly different perspective towards this mission that we started off with, a thousand days ago.

Thanks again for all your support, and I once again request that you contribute to making the startups win in India.

Regards,
Vijay Anand
Advisor, Proto.in

Date: July 25th, 2009
Venue: Devang Mehta Auditorium, Persistent Systems, Pune

We are doing quite a few things new this time.

1. Proto.in Pune will be a one day Extravaganza.
We are making Proto.in Pune as a one day event, but it goes on from 9am till 8pm in the evening. The day will be split into two moods. The first half of the day from 9am till 4:30pm will carry talks, sessions and interactive sessions especially aimed at educating, nurturing and supporting the startup landscape of India. There are prominent speakers such as the likes of Bharat Goenka of Tally, Pravin Gandhi of SeedFund, etc who will be talking during the event. Post 5pm, the event will take on a tone of the Oscars. 20 of the best startups – and we mean, absolutely, mindblowingly, best technology startups (includes biotech, healthcare, robotics etc), will take on the stage to deliver a world-class pitch to woo the audience with what they have been working on. Sounds exciting? Read on..

2. Three Day Bootcamp.
For the presenting companies of Proto.in Pune, there will be a three day bootcamp prepped. Day one will focus on diving into the business plan you have for the company, and combing through all the fine details. We are determined to ensure that your focus for the next one year of operations, clients and the market is set during this day. Day two, we teach you and groom you with everything that goes into the mastery of delivering a pitch. We will be bringing in some of the gurus of the advertising world, to make you create words that can sway the hardest of clients, and the toughest of journalists in buying into your story. Don’t forget to add the investors into that list. Day three, is all about the stage. We have had the priviledge of working with one of the country’s Best Event management company “BuzzWorks”. They, along with a team of stage directors will teach you how to handle yourself in front of the camera, what to do and what not to do when in a public forum – and these will help you make the most out of every speaking and forum opportunity you might get in the future – Starting with Proto.in

3. What about those who dont make the Shortlist.
We are a Startup Support platform remember? We get flooded with highly enthusiastic entrepreneurs every year, but apart from those who make it to the stage, what do we do for those who dont? Well, Every year, we ensure that we provide some feedback, especially to those who dont make it. This time and going forward, we want to ensure that we make it mandatory. All the folks who are helping us with the shortlisting are explicitly requested to spend more time with companies that arent quite there to ensure that they are helped in some way to help find the way. In our books, there are no bad companies – just companies that arent ready yet.

And thats just half the story. We already have some nominations from companies that are in the medical space, companies working on hardcore engineering solutions, companies in the defense sector, and they are all lead to just one conclusion – Its going to be one hell of a rocking event, in Pune. You simply cant afford to not be part of it.

There is a team of delegates, including high network individuals, investors, and startups coming in from abroad as well. And this will be the moment to make your mark.

The question now is quite simple. Are you going to let it pass? I surely hope not. Then Why wait. Go ahead, Nominate!

Note: Companies on being shortlisted for selection, have a Rs. 10,000 fee applicable. Nomination is free.

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Regards,
Vijay Anand
Curator, Proto.in

There is a slight change in the format this time, and the announcements on that will be out soon. For those looking to nominate,and considering dates, these are the ones you need to jot down on your calendar.

Nominations Open on April 25th, 2009
Presenting Companies notification: July 1st, 2009
Presenting Companies Bootcamp; July First week
Event date: July 25th, 2009
Sponsorships Finalization: July 7th 2009

Keep an eye on this space, and sign up for the mailing list for updated information on the same. As usual, do keep us informed with your suggestions, and thoughts on the same. Looking forward!

And for those who’d like to pitch in and help out, you are most welcome as
well.

Login via http://chat.proto.in, enter your name, say friend and enter

The url http://tv.proto.in is the official video channel for the group, and
you will also see the *Presentations of the companies that presented at the
Delhi edition of Proto.in*. If you are a startup, you can definitely gain a
bit by watching some of these videos for presentation tips. Also do feel
free to register and comment on the videos, so that you can provide your
feedback to the companies.

The two recent videos that have gone up, are; The talk by* Shashanka Ghosh,
Director of Quick Gun Murugan* on some of the very similar issues that
creative artists face as they are starting up (Hopefully you didnt think
that selling an idea, concept and product was only for entrepreneurs), and
there is also a great talk by *Gaurav Bhatnagar of Tekriti Software* sharing
his experience of how they started off and some valuable lessons we can take
home.

Most of all, feel free to share the links with your friends, and those that
you might think would benefit from this. Do send your feedbacks, and be an
active part of this vibrant community. The days ahead are great days for the
Startup Community, and we hope that we can all together make the most of it.

May the Startups Win.

Visit* http://tv.proto.in* for the videos

Even as Barcamps, Open Coffee Clubs, Startup Saturdays and several forms of informal support groups are emerging in this country, one of the biggest problem that we seem to be facing is the fact that we are still very urban-centric. All these meets happen in four or five of the major metros in the country – whereas we probably should be a bit more inclusive about it. There are issues such as the lack of experienced entrepreneurs to share from their life’s tale and help out emerging and aspiring entrepreneurs that seem to be stiffling some of the productivity in some of these informal meets.

Well, technology can solve that problem in some aspect, and we are going to give it our best shot.

We are opening up this Chat Application that we’ve had built, and testing in some occassions to see how we can spin this to solve this issue. Every Saturday between 9am and 5pm – and without fail, every week, we are planning to keep the Proto.in Chat [Link here] open and anyone can visit the site, and interact with entrepreneurs from across the country. We understand that Startup Saturdays happen on the same dates, so if possible we will get someone who is attending the sessions to live chat in the sessions so that the wisdom share can be spread to a larger audience if possible.

So, we’ve done and are doing our part to solve this problem. Now the request is that you be a part of this, to be there, spend sometime in the channel, interacting with, and helping out one entrepreneur to another, and in truly making entrepreneurship a lifestyle choice for those who wish for it – even beyond the metros.

Looking forward to seeing you there. And spread the word.

PS: If you dont want to eternally hang out, but keep an alert for whenever the channel gets active, visit the site, or the blog, and you can set an alert to remind you as certain number of people come online.

Regards,
Vijay Anand
Curator, Proto.in

Hyderabad Open Coffee Startup Meet
When: 7th Feb 2009, 3PM
Where: OFEN, Road No. 10, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad
More Info: http://upcoming.yahoo.com/event/1502191/

Startup Saturday
When: 14th Feb 2009, 10 AM – 1 PM
Where: NSRCEL, IIM Bangalore
More Info: http://startupsaturday.in/index.php?title=Bangalore

The NEN eWeek is happening on the second week of February - http://www.nenonline.org/eweek2009

Genesis a Social Entrepreneurship Competion at IITM is closing nominations on Feb 7th -contact@proto.in

Sankalp a Social Entrepreneurship Platform supported by the Rockefeller Foundation is closing Nominations on Feb 15 - http://sankalpforum.com/

Few other events details [Upcoming Tech/Startup Events ,Feb 2009 ]
available @ pluggd.in – http://www.pluggd.in/events/wordcamp-mozillacamp-yahoo-hack-day-events-in-feb-2009-3645/

On 7th Feb 2009, IIT Bombay will host ‘The Entrepreneurship Summit‘, one of the most prestigious entrepreneurship events in campuses. The event aims to bring together aspiring entrepreneurs, start-ups, successful entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and academicians on a common platform to interact and help build successful enterprises.

This year, the Summit aims at Empowering Entrepreneurs. Looking into major issues faced by them, inspiring them through the stories of the successful ventures before theirs and supporting them through different activities in the day.

Workshops at E-Summit 09 will emphasize on critical issues faced by entrepreneurs and start-ups at early stages of development

Some of the promenent speakers include Mr. Kanwal Rekhi, Mr. Alyque Padamsee, Mr. Rahul Bose, Ms. Farzana Haque, Mr. Terence Hart, Mr. Ashok Wadhwa, Mr. R. Balki, Ms. Anjali Bansal and many more.

E-Summit 09 will also host the finals of Eureka 08, Asia’s largest Business Plan competition.

The other highlights of the event are:

Start-up Showcasing: It is a unique initiative aiming at provide visibility to some of the most exclusive and innovative start-ups by showcasing them on the day of the summit. To showcase your start-up visit: www.esummit.ecell.in/startup.php

Mentoring and Networking Sessions: Designed to provide aspiring and budding entrepreneurs opportunities to network and receive one to one mentoring from corporate and academic world.

Global Conference of E-Cells: Promoting collaboration among Entrepreneurship promoting organizations.

Investor Pitch: Ventures seeking Seed funding or early stage funding get a chance to pitch in front of an elite panel of VC’s

Panel Discussions: Some of the best minds in the startup and VC industry come together to share their experiences, debate the strategies and advise on ideas to succeed as an entrepreneur.

Proto.in is happy to associate with eSummit as a supporting partner. The event is conducted by The Entrepreneurship Cell of IIT Bombay. You can get more information about the event at http://esummit.ecell.in

Website: www.lifemojo.com

Based on the belief that ‘Prevention is better than cure’, LifeMojo helps you to achieve your fitness goals by helping you keep track of all that you eat and maintain a fitness regimen. Keeping an eye on the calories that you consume and burn, LifeMojo helps you have a healthy lifestyle. A user typically registers on LifeMojo and starts tracking his/her daily food intake and workouts. LifeMojo aims to bring on board a lot of nutritionists with different cuisine specializations that a user can associate with and begin Nutrition consultation.
One can also check the calories that a person is about to consume on LifeMojo, or by simply sending the food item’s name to calories@lifemojo.com using GTalk. They also support a SMS Calorie lookup feature.

2. Yoplr:

Website: www.yoplr.com

Yoplr is essentially a travel planner with extended features. When a user picks a source and a destination, it suggests places to visit en-route and supports with details like time required to cover that place, detours if any, distance covered etc. They also provide the extra cost required for that and also the choice of added luxuries that you can fit into your travel plan. Yoplr also takes into account details like traveling with family, kids or alone while giving suggestions. Currently their services are for Karnataka and Goa only.

3. iFlapp

Website: www.i-flapp.com

Intelligent Flash Application is what the company stands for and they endeavor to provide a complete solution for portable devices. They help making applications like Photoshop, Office, Adobe reader and others portable on any USB drive or hard disk. Their application Apps D needs to be installed on the external storage device and can be ported to any location. It is compatible with any Windows system – 2000 and above.

4. Green and economic fuel kit for two wheelers

Website: none

An initiative by Lords Automotives, it is an LPG fuel kit for 2-wheelers which would be sold to bring in revenues. They are looking at being an answer to alternate fuel systems for two wheelers.

5. Noddler

Website: www.noddler.com

This product is by Uniphore software systems and claims to be the world’s first intelligent voice response system. It aims to provide the services of the internet over a phone through voice. Its “Sandbox” feature caters to online businesses; helping them customize the voice interface to suit their offering. It is a web interface for developing multi-lingual voice based applications for any web service. The Voice User Interface is highly customizable and personalized. The callers can set their preferences on the website and are greeted by an intuitive interface on the call post that. Unlike traditional Voice Response systems, Noddler remembers and learns from each call that a user makes and personalizes on the fly, thereby eliminating the necessity of having to go through long menus each time.

6. IndiaKhelo

Website: www.IndiaKhelo.com

IndiaKhelo is a system trying to empower the grass-root sports structure in India. It promotes outdoor games in schools and corporate environment. The website makes the process of keeping scores and storing them interesting for users, creating a credible portfolio for each player alongside. A representative usually monitors the scores of the other players and ensures the authenticity of it. IndiaKhelo also organizes Indian Regional Leagues and gives local talent an opportunity to showcase their caliber and be noticed.

7. Inkfruit

Website: www.inkfruit.com

Inkfruit calls itself India’s first democratic product brand. Members registered on Inkfruit get to upload designs for T-shirts, Posters and other products on their website. The community votes on all designs submitted and collectively decide on the products to be included into the Inkfruit range. These are then available for sale. Through this process, Inkfruit empowers students, freelancers and professional designers – their work is showcased and stands a chance to actually enter the market. It is amazing to see that an un-controlled group of designers across the world can come up with really awesome products.

8. OOHA Kiosks

Website: www.oo-ha.com

Founded in 2007, Ooha today is a Free Internet Access provider in Chennai. Ooha’s provides businesses advertising and promotion programs, while providing FREE internet access for users. Ooha will deploy 50 Internet enabled kiosks in Chennai in the next 3 months and plans to extend the same services to the rest of the country. Placed in prime locations like malls and entertainment centers, these kiosks host applications from select providers too. The kiosks serve as advertising platforms for businesses through which Ooha plans to make its revenues

9. Nualgi

Website: www.kadambari.net

A clean tech company, which looks at reviving water bodies which have been polluted. Nualgi is used to grow diatom algae in any water including sewage polluted water. The diatoms produce oxygen, in turn consuming nutrients like nitrates and phosphates. Nualgi is made by a complex process and the same has been patented. Nualgi has been tested thouroughly over the past 4 years and is being used in Aquafarms in South India.

10. Remindo

Website: www.remindo.com

Remindo is a FREE online platform that merges productivity and social activities in offices. It is a collaborative suite of Web-based tools which aid professionals to get things done, socialize and communicate informally across the office.

11. Taroby:

Website: www.taroby.com

Email management in SMEs is made simpler by Taroby with the concept of Team Inbox which would help organizations to work more efficiently. Taroby is a SaaS based messaging and collaboration suite that enables sharing of email accounts among team members. This implies that emails are accessible to all team members working on a particular assignment or project, with the possibility to assign messages directly to individual team members. Using Taroby as a Team Inbox brings in transparency within the team. The entire team knows who is responsible for a particular email. Internal communication within the team is handled by notes which can be added to each message.

12. Fachak

Website: www.fachak.com

Fachak is a content sharing service that connects with existing platforms like Youtube, Slideshare and Flickr, providing the user with one single unified interface which can be used to view, upload and share content. Be it video, presentation, doc or images, Fachak ensures that the user does not have to worry about the format of the content. They believe that the user consumes content and hence should not be encumbered by the format. They acknowledge that while building a multi-format platform was a necessity, providing a front-end for the existing services and not ignoring them was the optimum solution.