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Startup

Maharashtra To Create Incubation Centre for Startups Near Mumbai To Give Major Boost to New-Age Enterprises

Mumbai, February 20: Maharashtra is planning to set up a large incubation centre for startups near Mumbai- then financial capital of India, soon, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said on Friday. The setting up of an incubation centre for startups will give a boost to new-age enterprises. While speaking at the annual NTLF event of IT industry lobby Nasscom, Thackeray said that the state is also determined to make Mumbai as one of the fintech hubs in Asia. The Chief Minister added saying that in the last three years since launching the Nasscom 10,000 startups programme, which has a warehouse in nearby Navi Mumbai, over 50 new companies have benefitted and over 1,300 jobs have been created.

“Encouraged by this success, we are planning to set up a large incubation centre near Mumbai with Nasscom in the near future,” Thackeray said. After the success with the 2015 IT Policy, Thackeray said the state is now creating an IT/ITes (IT enabled services) promotion policy for 2021 which will have a focus on creating the right ecosystem for technology companies, incentives for innovation and research and development, and a close working relationship with the state. Maharashtra is already using tech inputs for governance and extending services to the public, including blockchain, internet of things and artificial intelligence-based solutions, he said.

The Chief Minister added saying that besides the traditional hubs of Mumbai and Pune, Thane, Raigad, Nashik and Nagpur are also getting traction and tech investments lately. He said in the last five years, the state has received Rs 65,000 crore in investments from IT companies which have helped create 8.5 lakh jobs in the state. Reiterating his predecessor Devendra Fadnavis” target, Thackeray said the state is on its way to becoming a USD 1 trillion GSDP state by 2025.

At present, its GSDP is close to USD 500 billion or 16 per cent of the national GDP, he said, adding that a third of the foreign direct investment received by the country comes to the state. Thackeray said the pandemic period was a testing time for all and the tech industry helped in ensuring that people stay connected through audio and visual modes and said COVID-19 helped hasten the pace of technology adoption. He also noted the sacrifices of emergency services rendering personnel including those from the police and medical fraternity to ensure the city keeps moving.

Categories
Startup

5 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Starting Your Own Business

Mumbai, October 16: Often people want to start their own business because they feel they have a great idea. We don’t want to discourage anyone but would like to remind that starting a business is not a cakewalk it requires a lot of crucial planning in the backend.

Here are five questions which you need to ask yourself before starting your own business.

Try to Have a Unique Idea

The first and the foremost to any business is to have a plan for your business. Your idea should be unique and something which the customers want. Don’t try and launch something where already 10 players are fighting with each other. If you have an idea, keep your customer in the centre of it and think aloud that how will they be benefitted.

Do Adequate Market Research 

It is very important to do market research before you think of launching your product in the market. Understand if there is a demand for your product and then analyse your competition. Try and find out how will your product be different from the others and why should customers choose you.

Compare the Risks Vs Rewards

It is very important to analyse the risks associated with starting a business in comparison to the rewards which you may get to see if the business becomes successful. For e.g you may have a lucrative career, earning a handsome salary and thinking of quitting your full-time job to start your business. There are no doubt huge challenges and risks associated in the initial few years, so are you ready for it?

There can be two sides to your wanting to start a business. One being your idea may not kickstart and second, it may become huge and a successful venture.

Strategise a Plan

It is very important to plan and plan well if you want to start your own venture. Remember everything is new and will be in limited resources. Right from the budget to the people whom you will be able to hire to run your team. You need to spend every penny wisely. Crisis doesn’t come knocking at the door, for e.g. no one knew at the start of this year that the COVID-19 pandemic will lead to several businesses getting shut and people losing their jobs. Therefore, it is very important to plan for a time when things will not run smoothly.

Do you have the money?

Finally, do you have the money to start a business? Are your finances in place? According to a Forbes report, most startup founders use their personal savings to fund their businesses. It is therefore very important to not remember not to drain your bank account to raise funds for your business. Entrepreneurs should set aside enough living expenses to last them for a year. Most startups are not profitable for months after opening