Bengaluru, 14th December, 2017: In a culmination of a 20-city journey that began in January, 24 startups pitched off against one another in front of a panel of investors to win the coveted Startups Club Demo Day Finale and the Rs. 10 Lakh prize from 8th to 10th Dec 2017 at Taj Vivanta, Bengaluru.
The winner was Pune-based interior mapping startup, Vacus Tech (http://vacustech.com), whose product Free Space Tech is based on RFID (Radio-Frequency Identification) technology. Other than a cash prize of Rs 10 Lakhs, Vacus gets a chance to participate in the accelerator’s events and receives International access, along with investments and mentoring from some of the top names in the industry.
The Demo Day also brought together eminent speakers such as Mr. Rahul Bhalchandra, Founder YLG Salons; Mr. Subhrat Pani, Founder of One Assist; Mr. Vivek Mansingh from Yournest India VC Fund; Mr. Shashank Kumar from Razorpay; Ms. Akkai Padmashali from Ondede; Mr. K C Raghu, Founder of Pristine Organics; Mr. Michael Marks from Innoventure Partners and Mr. Arnaud Castignet, Head of PR – E-Residency, Government of Estonia.
“Demo Day once again proves itself to be the pre-eminent platform for Startups in India. The depth and diversity of companies involved is truly impressive and we have seen this improve over the years. I think the Startups Club ecosystem will continue to develop to be one of the most sought after communities in the years to come” says Mr. Michael Marks, Advisor, Startups Club.
“This is the only movement of its kind targeting the grass root level entrepreneur across 20 cities in India. This will grow from strength to strength in the years to come. The next year will be bigger with the initiative reaching 29 states. We are excited to see the things to come” Mr. Mahesh Bhalla, Chief Mentor and Investor, Startups Club.
“The Demo Day is unique in the fact that it gives entrepreneurs an opportunity to pitch to investors directly in front of a live audience. We want to make this more accessible and more useful to the entrepreneurs in the years to come” Mr. Vivek Srinivasan, Co-Founder, Startups Club.
The Demo Day also featured 4 Master Classes on topics related to finance and marketing to help entrepreneurs strengthen their fundamentals and discover new ways of doing things.
The event also marked the release of ‘The Next Book’ which is released every year at the Demo Day Finale and chronicles the journey that was taken by Startups Club Demo Day. Arnaud Castignet conducted a special workshop on accessing the EU through Estonia.
The Demo Day included an ‘Innopreneur Zone’ where startups from universities working on their prototypes were able to showcase their projects and raise money through crowdfunding for their projects.
The three days provided entrepreneurs and investors an opportunity to network with one another. An opportunity to learn from the in-depth masterclasses and also an opportunity to learn from the experience of some of the speakers. Most importantly an opportunity to listen to 25 pitches and discover some the best upcoming startups from India.
The event also included 3 ‘Tek Tak’ which is a series of talks hosted by Mr. Vivek Srinivasan, Co-Founder, Startups Club to take a look at the trends that will change the future and businesses in general.
About Startups Club:
Startups Club is a community wherein startups could come together to discuss and engage with like- minded people. Startups Club wanted to foster a sense of a community, especially for early-stage startups who wanted mentors and guidance, or just a support system.In 4 years, the Club expanded to 20 Indian cities – Bangalore, Chennai, Coimbatore, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Cochin, Delhi, Pune, Vizag, Goa, Vijaywada, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Vellore, Kolkata, Mysore, Mangalore, Indore, Kochi and Madurai. The Club, which has over 13,000+ members in India, organizes regular meets in the 20 cities, wherein entrepreneurs, investors and ideators can meet to discuss topics and issues relevant to startups, and share their experiences.
