02/02/2016
Food-startups, a major attraction
The focus of food-specific startups, as a welcome change, was around the quality and the pricing. Time 2 Tiffin, a mobile app catering to users who’d target a time-space between 7 am to 11 am, pitched itself around the no-minimum-amount barrier tag and the logistics aspects. Wichplease.com, as the name says, a sandwich-delivery service, has its own outlets and can serve users through their website and mobile app too.
The most impressive was Dinesmart, coming across an easy-access application for users to order sitting inside a cinema hall, hotel rooms and cafes/restaurants without depending on the waiter. Another pitch was made by O-Mitra, ensuring food-delivery services to a rail passenger.
Beyond e-commerce
Manufacturing and hardware companies were also among the ones to attract the eye-balls, with examples including the likes of IoT Suitcase (providing the platform as a service), Qloq Technologies (that produces semiconductor designs and verifies intellectual property) and Coat-X (a coating to ensure gloss and durability).
A trial run
A lot of companies, who did their homework well and were only a few months into their running, took the opportunity to know their stand in the market with more clarity. The confidence of Getme, founded by Shravya Reddy, an engineer showed when she confessed, “We were here to enjoy the platform, the networking, the feedback besides finding takers for our ideas.”
Winners: Jilmore (an app that books celebrities for events), Dinesmart, Coat X, Getme, IoT Suitcase, Wichplease.com
Impressive: Treekart.com (founded in Kadiyam, Rajamundry that sells over 5000 plant varieties across the city for your gardening needs), O Mitra (ensures food delivery to rail passengers besides auto-sharing, social networking, gaming and seat exchange facilities before and after the journey)
Investor-advice
-Trust initially comes from the people, later the idea
-Don’t trust a success formula, ensure novelty-Make only one product, your focus
-Focus on users who’d come back to you regularly
Incubator at St.Martins Engineering College
-Can incubate 8 startups
-Available for college students and outsiders