We havent forgotten you during these challenging times - hope all is well at your end.
Thank you for your continued support.
During these times the team has done a lot to support anyone doing business in the Indian startup/SME ecosystem. Actually we all need a dose of laughter just now ...
Our SME Club program has been launched - this includes the Group Insurance/COVID-19 program we have been running with Antworks for a few years. During this time, some of our members saw how joining our insurance group helps the ecosystem acquire and retain its talent. We even supported the advisory from the Government of India, Home Ministry during the lockdown - all companies operating during this time should cover their employees.
The update also details other initiatives we have managed under the guidance of our Chairman - Mr Mahendra Swarup.
CoronaVirus Advisory
We are encouraged by the reduction in cases and hope the increase around the world doesnt create trouble. Our members are requested to continue following guidelines set by the government (eg. masks) and take care of yourself/family and your employees.
We hope you had seen our advisory. Like some adverts say - this isnt the time to 'let our guard down'. We want restrictions (eg. masks) to go away but aache din ayenge:-)
In the last update we had reminded members of a few things you might want to read -
our SME Club program (formerly known as Group Insurance program).
our 'quarantine reading list' for businesses in the ecosystem.
Our SME Club program is launched. We worked with our partner (Antworks Money) to curate a program based on their AntPay SME Advantage Club. The services of their neo bank will help SMEs manage their banking and insurance needs without having to deal with the expensive and lengthy application processes of traditional banks.
Please look at the details and let us know of your interest. The program not only includes an e-wallet + debit card for employees and organizations to manage their expenses, it also includes the group insurance plans we have been managing for a few years.
Many members do discuss their funding needs with us. Our funding partner has recently changed their name (from Venture Gurukool Capability Fund to Ankurit Capital Fund).
The team is reminded of our 'starting up' series of articles including the representative format of an investor deck.
Collaborative Projects have been a valuable tool to connect startups with sponsoring organizations. In India, many companies have organized challenges to help SMEs scale and give a boost to their own innovative offerings.
Many of those challenges were organized with Startup India - the flagship initiative by the Government of India to support the ecosystem. Our team have also setup a partnership with Collaboration Capital where they tell us of projects sponsored by companies based in France (many being MnCs).
Given the popularity of these projects we are thinking of starting some in collaboration with companies based in India. Would you be interested in that?
Many of our discussions are about the interest SMEs have in the Web3.0 space and how many investors were looking to support this ecosystem. Our funding partner (Ankurit Capital) also researched how many established players were becoming Web3.0 Infrastructure players.
To support our members and celebrate the innovation being contributed by this space we decided to launch our Web3.0 Chapter.
Our Chairman, Mr Mahendra Swarup, wins the Lifetime Achievement Award at SuperStartUps Asia Awards 2021. He has more than 10yrs of experience contributing to startup ecosystems and running our Association and Ankurit Capital - a SEBI registered Alternative Investment Fund that invests at the intersection of Web2.0 and Web3.0 technology based businesses - formerly known as Venture Gurukool Capability Fund.
The team continues to support the space by publishing our research and events for the ecosystem. We would like to thank our members for their support.
Some of the recent events have been prime examples of how we further our mission of connecting startups with partners who want to do business with them. Please see our website and follow our social pages for details.
Wadhwani Take-off Program - One of the leaders in supporting startup ecosystems around the world (Wadhwani Foundation) have tied up with us in asking for applications to their IGNITE program - that is a part of their entrepreneurial training in their National Entrepreneur Network initiative.
