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Startup

Startup India Seed Fund Scheme To Support Startups and Domestic Entrepreneurs; Here’s How the Scheme Would Help Businesses

New Delhi, April 20: Startup India seed fund scheme would support domestic entrepreneurs and their business ideas that often cannot take off due to the absence of critical capital at an early stage, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Monday said. The Startup India seed fund scheme was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in January to support startups and help budding entrepreneurs pursue innovative ideas. The Minister said that good ideas often get bought out by international venture capitalists at throwaway prices.

While launching the scheme, Goyal said that the idea behind the scheme is to ensure adequate availability of funds, particularly to startups with good ideas in different fields. “I do hope that this scheme will support our domestic entrepreneurs and their business ideas that often cannot take off due to the absence of critical capital at an early stage,” Goyal added.

The scheme will be implemented from April 1, 2021. The Rs 945 crore corpus will be divided over the next four years for providing seed funding to eligible startups through eligible incubators across India.

Here’s how the Startup India seed fund scheme would benefit the startups:

  1. The scheme will secure seed funding, inspire innovation, support transformative ideas, and facilitate implementation of those ideas.
  2. Smaller towns are often deprived of adequate funding and this scheme will create a robust startup ecosystem in Tier 2 and Tier 3 regions of India.
  3. The government has constituted an Experts Advisory Committee(EAC) which will be responsible for the overall execution and monitoring of the scheme.
  4. Over 7,500 new startups are incorporated every year and it is essential to provide seed funding to startups with innovative ideas to conduct their ”Proof of Concept”.
  5. The scheme is being launched by DPIIT (Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade) to support this early-stage startup funding.
  6. It would provide financial assistance to startups for Proof of Concept, prototype development, product trials, market entry and commercialization. The scheme aims to support an estimated 3,600 entrepreneurs through 300 incubators.

Reports inform that the online portal created by DPIIT for the scheme will allow incubators to apply for funds under it. Also, grants of up to Rs 5 crore shall be provided to the eligible incubators selected by the EAC. The selected incubators would provide grants of up to Rs 20 lakh for validation of Proof of Concept, or prototype development, or product trials to startups. According to eports, an investments of up to Rs 50 lakh will be provided to the startups for market entry, commercialization, or scaling up through convertible debentures or debt-linked instruments.

 

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Startup

Startup India Scheme: What Qualifies a Startup Under This Scheme? Here’s How Can One Register a Profile Online on startupindia.gov.in

The Startup India initiative launched by the government on January 16, 2016, aims at fostering entrepreneurship and promoting innovation by creating an ecosystem that is conducive to the growth of startups. In India, as many as 44,534 startups have been recognised by the department for the promotion of industry and internal trade (DPIIT).

What qualifies as a ‘Startup’ under Startup India Scheme

An entity shall be considered as a Startup:

1. If it is incorporated as a private limited company or registered as a partnership firm or a limited liability partnership in India

2. Up to 10 years from the date of its incorporation or registration

3. If its turnover for any of the financial years since incorporation/registration has not exceeded Rs 100 Crores

4. If it is working towards innovation, development or improvement of products or processes or services, or if it is a scalable business model with a high potential of employment generation or wealth creation

It must be noted that an entity formed by splitting up or reconstruction of a business already in existence shall not be considered a ‘Startup’.

How Can I register a profile online on the Startup India website:

  1. Visit the Startup India website startupindia.gov.inand click on ‘Register’ at the right side of the website where the profile photo box appears on the screen.
  2. Fill in the details as required in the registration form.
  3. An OTP will be sent to your registered email address, post submitting which your profile will get created.

 

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Startup

Startup India Initiative Gains Momentum, Total 44,534 Startups Recognised by DPIIT So Far, 339 Startups Granted Income Tax Exemptions

New Delhi, March 12: Under the Startup India initiative launched by the government, as many as 44,534 startups in India have been recognised by the Department for the Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT). The numbers have been updated as of February 24 this year, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Som Parkash said in the Parliament on Wednesday. Startup India is a flagship initiative of the Government whoch aims to build a strong ecosystem that is conducive for the growth of startup businesses, to drive sustainable economic growth and generate large scale employment opportunities.

Startup India, a flagship initiative of the government launched on January 16, 2016, aims at fostering entrepreneurship and promoting innovation by creating an ecosystem that is conducive to the growth of startups. “Since, the launch of Startup India initiative, a total of 44,534 startups have been recognised by the DPIIT as on February 24, 2021,” he said.

Reports inform that as many as 339 startups have been granted income tax exemptions till January 2021. The recognised startups are eligible for several benefits under the Startup India initiative. They avail tax exemptions besides other support measures. Prakash said that startups are eligible for an 80 percent rebate in patent filing fees and 50 percent on trademark filing fees.

Giving details about the startups in India, the Minister informed that so far, 5,253 applications for patents have been filed by startups under the SIPP (startups intellectual property protection) Scheme, out of which 514 patents have been granted. Till November 2020, a total number of Trademark applications filed – 12,264.

Under the Startup India initiative, the Government aims to empower startups to grow through innovation and design. Several programs have been undertaken since its launch in January 2016 with an aim to contribute to his vision of transforming India into a country of job creators instead of job seekers. These programs have catalyzed the startup culture, with startups getting recognized through the Startup India initiative and many entrepreneurs availing the benefits of starting their own business in India.

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Startup

4 Simple Business Tips That Will Help You Stand Out From Your Rivals in the Competitive Market

For any business to flourish, it takes a great deal of understanding of the market, your product and its need in the market and your target audience. Communication certainly plays a very important part in growing any business, be it online of offline. Few things that will help you stand out from the rest is, know what your customer wants and try and satisfy their demands, timely communication with them and not compromising on follow-ups. You have to understand that for every success you have in growing your market share, other businesses will inevitably lose ground, and you will surely have rivals in the market.

The key factor is that you should establish your business in such a manner that you are not affected by any new entrant in the market. Here are four easy business tips to gain a competitive advantage over your rivals. You can use these tips to insulate yourself from the threat of new businesses in the market.

Provide Solution, Don’t Just Sell Products

Unless you are a known brand, people don’t really search for you as a ‘brand name’. People are just looking out for things that can help them solve a problem or find a particular type of product. If you want to make a difference, you should convince the customers by explaining them in simple terms of how or why your product can help them in solving their problem.

Take Friendly Customer-Facing Staff On Board

This is an important point that every entrepreneur should keep in mind. People tend to buy a product also because the sales person who’s attending to them is just up to the mark, with impeccable skills and behaviour.  Friendly, outgoing and cheerful customer-facing staff will always attract more sales and more people, thus helping you grow your business.

Watch: Low Investment | Business Idea | Dr Vivek Bindra

Own Your Niche

Understand your expertise and go ahead with it. Speciality will really bring you genuine customers. People usually attribute ‘specialists’ with higher quality products that the others who act like ‘Jack of All Trades’ but are a master of none. Your speciality should be kept exclusive and you should try perfecting a single product or service. It should certainly be something that you excel in and have a thorough knowledge about it.

Be Humble And Down To Earth

Always be open to leaning news things and don’t ever get too satisfied with your business. There is always scope for improvisation! Even if your business does wonders and flourishes in no time, don’t get carried away by the success. Always keep in mind that popularity is a double-edged sword! Remember the lessons you’ve leant and heard about the downfall of countless hitherto thriving brands. Market leaders tend to get lazy and complacent when they realise their business is going good.

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Finance Startup

5 Important Points To Prepare For Your Investor Meetings

Waiting to start an entrepreneurial journey, but freaking out with thoughts about how to conceptualize your business idea? Or have one great idea, but no funds to execute it? Then let us tell you that your journey has just started. Today, investors are looking forward to enduring some great business ideas and invest in those business ideas that can elevate to the next level of success.

The hard part is to pitch your idea to an investor and explain you are right concept without going in the wrong direction. Your months of research work and strategy can go wrong if you are not prepared well for the funding process. In this pandemic, many startups have gained investors in their business, and you must be thinking about what homework you need to have one good investor on board.

Here are a few tips that can help you to generate valuable partnerships or investor for your first meeting-

Make a Pitch Deck

A pitch deck is an important starting point, and your pitch deck categorically asserts the significant aspects of your business idea and product or service. Professionals always like documents and data to run through while talking about your idea. Well, the data explained, and the number shows the hard work you’ve done. It also gives the impression of preparation for the meeting.

Use graphs and pictures to present your strategies. Ensure that your slides are sharp and accurate. It also assists you in not missing valuable points to share.

Describe Your Story

Story narration plays a significant factor while making a pitch to an investor. It’s a human tendency to love stories that inspire them. A well-narrated story always brings an instant connection with a potential investor and helps you to indulge in your idea.

Make sure you display your passion and willing to risk your project. The more passion and commitment you have toward your dream, the more beneficial it will be to you.

The Team You Bring on Table

Most investors don’t generally put money just on the idea you share, but they also put money on the team that will run the concept. Therefore, when you meet, remember to introduce or discuss the team and its Essential Skills. Ensure that they can help you carry the idea to the heights you plan for them.

The main purpose here is to show that you are willing to make an effort to reach the goal you have done.

Industry Updates

For growing and staying in the industry, you should know about the competition also. To creak the opportunity, prepare the list before meeting with the investor. Then showcase how you are different from them. Also, work on a roadmap project to deal with the competition. 

Make a Financial Model

Make sure you have this discussion as your investor will be investing money in your idea until you share your plan on how you can utilize your money. Prepare the forecast of the financial model for the next 5 years. Try to give a clear picture you can provide to the investor.

Make sure, to be honest with your investors. Every investor aims to look for sincerity in the people they are backing up. We suggest you do your homework before meeting them as it will give you a good possibility of raising funds from investors.

 

Categories
Startup

5 Things to Remember Before Starting a Business

Big cheers to the people who have the ambition to start a business. Remember this before you take the first step towards your startup or even if you are at an early stage when working on the idea formation. You need to step back and think about the strategic vision of your business as starting a business can be stressful.

As you start working on its main plan, you think it’s a million things to get done all in one go. There is no lie, saying every new and small business owner have to take care of many things, and it’s tough. Therefore, a little planning can make it more manageable, and help you in taking action towards building your business.

As said by many, a few simple significant steps taken at the beginning of the business can help you streamline things easily. Therefore, we have listed some tips you need to remember to do before starting a business.

Do your Homework on Customer

Make sure you know your industry you are entering so you can dominate it. It doesn’t matter how different or unique you think your idea is, still you need to be aware of the competition. We always believe our business concept is brilliant, but it doesn’t mean anybody else hasn’t thought about that idea.

You start with the research, with your target demographic as is they are the driving force for your decision making. You can’t earn sales or profit without the right customer. It is crucial to make sure you are presenting what your customer need. Once you have researched the right way, then you will get insight into your customer buying decision and save you time for future experimenting.

Give importance to the legal aspect

Always follow the law, always remember this line. It’s one of the significant factors you need to keep the mind and should take while strategizing. In the first step, you should take in starting your business, choosing the right legal structure. At the beginning of the startup, you need a proper registration from the government, and you need to see all other legal aspects like taxes, paperwork, etc.

As an entrepreneur, you need to create the articles of incorporation, obtain an employer identification number, and apply for all required licenses.

Roadmap Your Finances

Every business needs money, which you need to plan from where you will get the capital. A lot of entrepreneurs start a business with limited capital, which is a large hurdle to many. There are plenty of options for arranging funds, but the most common is to seek from family or friends. And if you have exhausted this option, then apply for a business loan under government schemes.

Therefore, whenever you start your business, then make sure your road map completes financing for the present and future.

Know the risk.

That is the fact, there will always a risk with a new business startup. Understanding, calculating, and then planning as per it is a significant step for any new and old startup. Therefore, this means you need to assess your industry risk before entering and moving forward with your plan.

So, before taking the faith of leap in your idea, you need to sit down and talk about all the risks you about to come across.

Time it right

Time is money because timing is a significant factor in setting up a business. Of course, you want to start your business when the economy is healthy, but there is also a flow to decision making that’s important to be aware.

Therefore, the timing should be right where and what you need to think through and take what decision should be taken.

Starting a business can be exciting and challenging, but you need to do your homework and think about all the steps you need to take now and in the future.