Startup Goa Blog | Tech News from Goa

A tech community blog covering digital startups, products and tech news from Goa by Startup Goa.

[startupgoa]

Join the Goan Delegation Heading to CeBit in March 2015

GITIC is leading a delegation of entrepreneurs from Goa to Hannover, Germany from the 19th to the 25th of March 2015 for CeBit. The delegation is looking for a maximum of ten candidates. Registrations will close mid-January.

The charges for the entire trip, including travel, stay and visa processing fees are approximately Rs. 100,000.

If you’re interested, please contact Mangirish at [phone].

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Z-Axis by The Charles Correa Foundation

The Z-Axis is a multi-platform event, curated by the Charles Correa Foundation (CCF), that plans on connecting fraternities of thinker-doers in the domains of architecture, urban design, planning, social projects and conservation to an audience of influencers, professionals and students of architecture, planning and design thus creating a consequential community of intellectuals who will invariably influence the future.

The three day event will be held at Kala Academy from the 20th to the 22nd of March 2015. For registrations, check out the Z - Axis website: http://zaxis.info/.

[startupgoa]

Nullcon International Security Conference, Goa 2015

Nullcon international security conference is impacting the InfoSec scenario in India since 2010. Nullcon is India’s largest & most loved security conference.

The 6th Edition of NullCon 2015 is coming up from 4th to 7th of February 2015. The elite conference will host highly specialized technical trainings by renowned security experts from around the world on the first two days. The cutting edge research talks will be presented from 6th and 7th along with many exciting events including hacking contests, workshops, and panel discussions on the latter two days.

With their motto, The neXt Security Thing, Nullcon has hacking contests, panel discussions and exhibitions on latest state of the art technologies, talks showcasing the future of information security, zero day vulnerabilities and unknown threats, and the next generation of offensive and defensive security technology.

That’s not all…. Many parties, recreational events and much awaited NullCon BlackShield Awards await to unfold at this edition of the NullCon.

A few highlights of the event are:

Security Expo

Exclusive CXO Panel / Roundtable session

Advance hands-on technical training

Job fair targeted for Security professionals

Cyber security challenge

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Goan Tech CEO's Meet in Verna

GITIC is organizing an informal meetup of Goan tech CEO's at it's Verna campus this Saturday. The aim of the event is to connect local tech companies and encourage partnerships and collaboration.

To participate, please fill out this form: 

http://goo.gl/forms/M22jP36zwO

This is a great opportunity for us to get to know each other and to further innovative on this little dot on the Indian map.

10:30am, 10th Jan.

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Happy New Year - And First Meetup of 2015 is Tech Friday

This is sort of a last minute post, but Jervis and the rest of the gang will be at Acacia Palms. 

6 to 8pm. Here.

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Powered by Techstars, the Barclays Accelerator is London is looking for innovative startups from India in the FinTech space. The program will last 13 weeks and will include mentorship from world class entrepreneurs and investors in London. Applications close on 9th January.

[startupgoa]

An Interview with MoboBeat’s Tyrone DSouza

Tyrone DSouza is the brain behind Mobobeat, a brand new Goa-based company involved in algorithmic ad serving. With his experience, industry connections and and scalable business model, Tyrone is on his way to something big. We met him at our last web folks meetup and interviewed him shortly after. Excerpts:

Tell us the story of Mobobeat’s inception.

Our parent company is the well-known mobile affiliate marketing company ‘Cool Mobile group’ based in Madrid, Spain, whose revenues today are close to $1mn a month. It was eight months ago, that I first got in touch with them – they were my clients for InMobi, whom I was then handling sales for, in the EMEA region. We hit it off immediately and the topic of their dearth of experience in handling mainstream media came up in our conversations. I realised this was an opportunity I could take up, and we started discussing terms beyond InMobi.

Soon, I decided to quit InMobi and begun running all Cool Mobile ads on multiple ad networks beyond InMobi. It was around this time that the idea of Mobobeat came about. I was in Bangalore back then, and had always wanted to return to Goa. My family runs Libra Computers here and business runs in my blood. So I took the leap and moved back home to launch Mobobeat. Our company determines which ads work well on which inventory.

Give us a little background of your professional experience.

I did my BSc in Microbiology at Xaviers College, Mapusa, after which I picked up an MBA at St Joseph’s, Bangalore. But it was only after passing out of there, that I got introduced to internet marketing and SEO through a friend. I took up an internship and worked part time, to get a hang of the system.

My first job was with a startup in Bangalore where I supervised a three-member team and handled SEO, SMM, PPC etc. I worked there for a year. Initially, I had an idea to launch a medical portal like Healthcare Magic – but that didn't work out – so I moved to InMobi and worked there for close to four years.

What was your experience working with InMobi like?

Eventful! I started out with ad operations, moved to Singapore and built a team there for the company. I did the same in China. China was a truly, for the lack of a better word, ‘unique’ experience! I couldn’t get a long term visa there – so I had to renew my visa every month. Food was a challenge as well. In the end, I moved back to India, to inMobi’s Bangalore division.

Describe the work Mobobeat does.

Our entire business is based out of Goa, even as the product is based out of Spain. The business model is based on app developers wanting to monetize their inventory, earning money via the app on one end and advertisers who want to place ads on the other. So it is very similar to mobile ad networks – the only difference is that Mobobeat is performance-based. It does not work on a CPC system, but a pay-per-install one.

How is building a business in Goa different?

Building a business in Goa is rewarding but also challenging. In my years of traveling across the globe for work, I found that there is no other place offering the quality of life that Goa has. This is why I chose Goa to set up my business. The biggest challenge I faced was finding quality talent. I could not find anyone in Goa with the desired skill-set, and so I was forced to hunt for talent elsewhere. Also, being a start-up, many good candidates were apprehensive about relocating to Goa.

Having said that, I believe we young entrepreneurs of Goa can change its touristy image and make Goa a Hub for business, so that young Goans would no longer have to move out in search of jobs.

Are there any Goan companies or individuals that Mobobeat partners with?

Our key focus  markets currently is Western Europe and UK. India is an emerging market with the fastest growing mobile user-base in the world. We will definitely be focusing on India too in the coming months. In Goa, we are negotiating with a couple of game development studios and agencies looking to promote their products to an international audience. 

What’s in the pipeline for Mobobeat?

At present our focus at Mobobeat has been working with mobile Game App Developers.  We plan to expand other verticals like brand, e-commerce and travel. We also plan to set-up offices in China and US which are our fastest growing markets. As our team is expanding, we are on the constant lookout for quality talent. Our aim is to hit $ 1 Million $ revenue / month by 2015.

[startupgoa]

Getting IT Started In Goa - A Guest Post By The Director Of GITIC

Goa has always been synonymous with sun, sand, and celebration. Of all the equations in existence, Goa as an IT hub would never factor. True, we are about two decades too late to lay out the red carpet for the big wigs like Wipro, Infosys , IBMs and others of their ilk, but the winds of change are gently blowing through the state.

The Goan landscape makes it an ideal location to start up a business. Ease and accessibility quickly become the biggest aces up any sleeves. Within a 1.5-hour drive from North to South, one can easily get to anywhere quicker than a shorter distance in most metros.

If your venture belongs to the Micro, Small, Medium Enterprises (MSME) community just like most startups in Goa, you will feel right at home here. Various Govt. schemes, supportive institutions like DITC, EDC, MSME to name a few will help you get on your feet in no time. For any industry to survive, finance needs to be free flowing. And the entrepreneurial scene here is poised to receive a shot in the arm with various policies that are making it easier to get funds.

But you’re wondering still, how does this apply to IT companies? Let’s take a look at some of the key carrots. Being one of the best known international destinations, Goa has its share of not only tourists but also businesspeople. Fondly referred to as a ‘soft launching pad’ for foreign small businesses to make a foray into India, Goa ranks high on the destinations here not only because of its logistical access but also its hospitable people and international culture.

Why would companies come here though? Is there a high-end quality workforce akin to the metros of Bangalore, Mumbai, Pune or Hyderabad? Bluntly put, no. Where Goa scores high is on the quality of design and creatives. Purely mechanical coding, servicing and software development doesn’t have its by-the-minute churn out workforce. Instead, Goan programmers score high on design and UI’s rivalling international counterparts. Yes, Goa churns out international level development from its own humble backyard. One of the top ten games on the IOS was developed in Goa.

Companies like Karma films, Zedo’s, DCCPER and Next Big Thing, to name a few, deliver to clients across North America, South America, Canada and Europe. Frederick Noronha, a noted journalist muses that Goa has been an unsung destination for the IT scene.

Most IT firms are unregistered, which is why less than 100 approximately are in existence on record. Unofficial estimates peg this number to be over 250. And it does not include the hardware sales contingents at all. Web designers, coders and developers work either independently or in conjunction with counterparts either out of Goa or abroad.  Since working out of the intangible ethos, the constraint of space is not binding. Remote and satellite teams can create through the electronic channel without having to operate out of one fixed location.

Some of the players who exist currently are Persistent Systems, Present soft, Powersource, Genora and Synapse. But what of those unsung heroes who have paved the way with their initial forays so to speak? Ryan de Souza of Zedo’s, the 4th largest IT firm in digital advertising worldwide with a client based among the top names across industries set up shop in Goa. The same with Ashank Desai of Mastek, an enterprise applications specialist who graduated from GEC. These guys have put Goa and the Goan IT scene on the world map. And there are many more like these. As an offshoot to IT, Goa’s 1st robotics company Inventrom was recently awarded with the most promising business idea in Bangalore. Kallows which invented a low cost ECG machine too has a Goan on its BOD and is a winner of an FICCI innovation award.

Looking at the multiple contributions to the IT sphere such as workforce, infrastructure, markets, enterprise, financial resources and education, Goa has the right mix going for it. This is why it is looked at as an emerging destination for more than just a vacation. A place where you can create, develop and design, being right in the epicentre of a creative conducive environment, positions Goa as an ideal locale.

Is the world outside looking at Goa as a potential prospect? Mozilla’s Firefox bus stopped by in Goa recently to visit some of the engineering colleges and GITIC. They have plans to host a number of hackathons in Goa. Not to be outdone, IOS and Android are geared to do high level training programmes in the near future too. Batches in attendance in the hundreds are quickly requesting these programs in the thousands. Students today know the value of being able to learn quick selling skills of designing mobile apps and stay ahead of the curve before graduation. The more we think about it, the more we need to host large scale IT fairs to promote Goa as more than just a tourist destination.

Speaking of IT community groups, one of the most popular is the Google developers group, a vibrant tech community with the basic motto of providing students, tech entrepreneurs and tech enthusiasts, exposure to the latest and hottest open-source technologies globally. The group is a part of the global community which consists of 545 such groups spread out across 104 countries. Jonathan Pereira is drives this Group in Goa, which has frequent online and offline discussions to deliberate over the latest Google technologies and products. (The latest being Inbox by Gmail, for which everyone is requesting invites). The group also has massive monthly events which are attended by professionals from IT companies and startups as well as students and lecturers from engineering and computer science colleges across Goa.

Some of the major events held in Goa include the DevFest 2014, which was held on November 1, 2014 at the Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) hall in Panjim, to celebrate all the developers in the community who are working on Google technologies. Similarly, the Google I/O Extended on June 25 at Acacia Palms in Colva was a satellite connection to the live Google I/O 2014 conference being held in San Francisco, US. With the time difference in play, the event in Goa began at 9 p.m. and went on throughout the night and had over 100 attendees, ladies and gents who were eagerly discussing the newly launched products throughout the night. Another event worth mentioning is the Women Techmakers which was held in March 2014 and focused exclusively on women in the tech field. With over 300 participants, various unexplored avenues that technology could provide for them were unveiled. IT groups also enjoy soaking in Goa when it comes to networking events. Recently one of the most noted names in the IT sphere held it semi annual meetup in Acacia resorts in Colva. They were keen to meet Goan technopreneurs, provide guidance and even finance for IT start-ups.

When it come to infrastructure, Goa has arguable the some of the best setups in the country. It was the first state in India to get internet to all villages, boasted of superior infrastructure and catered to locals and tourists alike. This was in 1999. Since then however, Goa, is still trying to keep up with the advent of the WiFi generation. Granted that our topography can cause telecommunications to play truant. With the leaderships’ vision to have students IT ready in a world where technological consumption far surpasses its supply, the issue is being dealt with on a war footing. Besides for those areas that are still affected despite best efforts, various other options from telecom providers are available. Remote operating stations that provide solutions from businesses to single day events are now just a phone call away, at affordable rates. The push for IT to be a contributing industry is beginning to bear fruit. And let’s not forget the buzz – we’re still reeling from when NASSCOM announced its plans in Goa to mentor 10000 startups programme.

The quality of education from the 1300 approx graduates that exit each year is comparable to the metros. Why do so many of our students migrate to other states for work and get employed? Brand Goa delivers a whole lot more punch than most of us give it credit for. Despite the lopsided perception, Goa has a high standard of quality, the right ethos and inspiration to propel its workforce to newer heights. Battling the odds of a syllabus that’s yet to be updated and made more industry relevant, Goa’s IT graduates are channelling their requisites through training programmes by other providers. Technical training is just as easily available as a click of a button.

GITIC, BITS Pilani, CIBA – Verna and Assagao and GEC all have active incubation centres that provide a nurturing ground for IT companies to take off. The initial year of starting a business is most crucial for an IT company to take off and these provide an environment where the critical components of Startup costs, rent, infrastructure, business networks and mentoring capabilities are provided at zero to low costs. In addition to these services, access to capital from Angel Investors, Venture Capitalists and Government Schemes are also provided so the incubated entrepreneurs can focus on his core deliverables.

Goa’s tech community has an active event calendar. GITIC hosts Tech Friday on the last Friday of every month between 6 and 8 PM. What’s unique about this is each get together is held every alternate month in either Panjim or Margao. The idea is to take the event to the participants’ backyard, and create a tech ecosystem out of networking. CIBA holds Startup Saturday which is held every 2nd Saturday each month at CIBA’s conference room in Verna. Aimed at promoting entrepreneurship, the format is a combination of education and showcasing businesses. Another interesting meeting which is also held alternate months is hosted by Startup Goa which is actively trying to keep the IT scene fresh. Everyone’s invited to these events – businessmen, technopreneurs, students, and tech enthusiasts who want to be part of the Tech ecosystem.

There has never been a better time to be part of the IT landscape. Goa is poised on the brink of a wave that can thrust its MSME’s as the way forward. Clusters of software teams are mushrooming around the state with nationwide collaborations coming into play. Space is not a constraint when working in the virtual world. So let’s start IT up! It’s only getting easier to do.

(Jervis Pereira, is the Director of GITIC and the Asst. Director at GCCI running the I Create Goa Programme.)

[startupgoa]

Tech Friday by GITIC - Nov Edition

Another installment of Tech Friday by GITIC is on the 28th of November 2014 from 6 to 8 in the evening at, Attulem Bittulem Behind the Community Center Near Four Pillars Hotel Panjim

The Guest speaker for the evening Dr. Puranjaya Singh

Entry Free So RSVP at GITIC's FB page https://www.facebook.com/Goa.IT.Innovation.Centre

[startupgoa]

An Interview with Diet Code’s Janosch Sander

If you’re an iPad user hooked to the revolutionary niiu app, Janosch Sander is the man you should thank. Janosch hails from Berlin, and is the co-founder of Diet Code, a recently-established Goa-based coding studio involved in the development of the niiu app, a subscription-based iOS application which delivers personalized news content. We caught up with Janosch to chat about his journey..

1) Tell us a little about yourself.​

I am from Berlin, Germany. I completed my education at TU Berlin and Berlin School of Economics. In 2009, I started an App Development company together with Marek L. Spak, with whom I later co-founded niiu - in 2011. At niiu, I am filling the role of CTO.

While working with Marek on Web Applications for SMEs in Germany, we made contacts to engage with freelance developers and designers in India which we later utilised to start Diet Code in Goa in 2013. Since then, I have been splitting equally my time between Berlin and Goa, in a 3-month on/off rhythm.

2) What is the story of Diet Code's inception? Also tell us a little about niiu​.

niiu was originally started as a personalised printed newspaper by Hendrik Tiedemann and Wanja S. Oberhof in 2009.

Customers were able to combine parts of newspapers and mix in content from their favourite online blogs to form a printed newspaper which would be delivered to their doorstep every morning. While the idea received quite some publicity and was praised for its revolutionary concept, Hendrik and Wanja soon had to deal with obstacles in production and distribution of the newspapers which forced them to abandon the printed newspaper and pivot for a purely digital approach in 2011.

As Hendrik and Wanja had outsourced all IT related work to another company for the printed version of niiu, one of their biggest learning from it was that it is necessary to take qualified IT professionals in founding a team. This is when Marek and I met them, as they were looking to put together a team for a new digital product. Soon after, we founded niiu Publishing GmbH with them as a new company, taking along only the brand name “niiu” from their previous venture with the printed newspaper.

We started out in a small office space in Berlin with just the four of us and 2 employees. As we didn’t have the funds to build a bigger team in Berlin at the time, Marek and I activated our freelance contacts in India. We brought in Sam Sugandh, who is now managing our office in Goa, as our Art-Director, and a team of developers from Chennai. We split the work up so that in Berlin we were working on the client application while the team in Chennai was working on the back-end system.

After one year of working in this way, we came to realise that working with freelancers remotely in the long term is very difficult. So we decided to start our own office in India as a development studio for niiu, which we later named Diet Code.

3) ​Why did you choose to build a product startup in Goa?​

We visited several major cities in India and met with our freelance contacts to evaluate with which of them we could potentially partner for our new venture. We quickly narrowed it down to Goa and Chennai, as our best contacts were residing there. Goa was the compelling winner, as it offered a great mix of what we wanted from our venture: great work-life-balance, a place that attracts talented people and relatively low costs for office space and housing.

4) What has your experience been running a company here?

It has been a very good experience altogether. Our best decision was to get Sam on board as Managing Director. Marek and I are in Goa only part time, therefore it was very important for us to find a reliable Director for the company that would keep things running when we are not around.

Having an Indian co-founder also helped a lot especially during the initial phase when Marek and I were still adjusting to cultural differences.

We have tried to run this company here in a similar fashion as we run our office in Berlin, especially in building a great culture, company ethic and strong team spirit.

5) How have you tackled the challenges of hiring and retaining talent in Goa?​

Hiring has definitely been one of the key challenges for us. Our biggest concern about picking Goa as a location for our office was the lack of developers. Since Goa is a small state, there are fewer engineering graduates available on the job market than elsewhere in India.

When we first started this company, we tried to hire an entire team at once. This was a very difficult task as our app was not launched yet and nobody had ever heard about us. It also didn’t help that our website was purely in German. English language information about who we are and what we do was limited to what we wrote in our job adverts on web portals and newspapers.

When we had our first set of candidates for interviews, all we had to offer was a nice sea view office space with one large table and a set of chairs. The view might have been a key factor in convincing these first candidates to join us over other companies. We started out with a team of 4 very talented developers, all Goan, out of which two are still working with us today.

After setting up a dedicated English-language website, proper social media accounts and profiles on major job platforms, talent acquisition of non-Goan developers started to pick up. Out of the 9 employees we have in our office today, 4 are from other states and have relocated here to work with us.

As for hiring Goans, word of mouth about our workplace conditions, team spirit and our willingness to continuously improve and adjust has helped a lot.

All in all, I believe that while Goa definitely has a smaller pool of talent to source from, it probably has a higher retention rate than metros like Bangalore. People are less likely to switch jobs here because work-life balance is much better and there are less companies competing for the talent.

6) What is the thought behind the concept of 'personalised news content'?

The original idea behind niiu is that most people do not read an entire newspaper from start to finish but rather pick certain parts or interesting stories within them. Many people also prefer to read news about entertainment from tabloid newspapers, while they would rather read news on Politics from more quality papers.

With our digital version, the goal is to offer a convenient way of consuming ‘relevant news’ by reduce the amount of uninteresting articles a user would have to browse through while looking for interesting news on the web. We are doing that by letting the user combine sections from various sources and by letting the user subscribe to keywords, i.e. to get all the news about your favourite football team from all our sources. Since we have licensing contracts with the publishers, we can present full-text articles within a consistent design without making the user jump to the publishers’ website as other news apps are doing.

Currently, we are developing a machine learning algorithm which we call ‘relevant content engine’. This will allow us to suggest articles to users, based on complex analyses of their behaviour and fetching data about trending topics from several 3rd party APIs.

7) Who were your target customers when you came up with this idea?

Our primary target group of customers are people from 30 to 60 years of age who consume news from more than one source on smartphones and tablets.

8) How has the response to your app been in the market so far? What kinds of reviews have you received?

The response is pretty good so far. We received positive reviews from German media. We had to change a few things in the beginning, because our users wanted to have more personalisation possibilities than we were offering. Another change we had to make was switching from a purely subscription based business model to a freemium model.

It is also very important to our customers that we continue to onboard new publishers on a regular basis and expand to more platforms.

9) What do you plan on rolling out in the near future?

We are currently working on a recommendation engine to make our app smarter in suggesting articles to users by analysing their behaviour and crunching data from social media and other 3rd party APIs. Besides that, we are also working on expanding to additional platforms. Currently, we have our app only available for iPads. A responsive Web App and a native iPhone App are already in beta state and will be rolled out soon.

Internationalisation is also being planned and we are constantly working on adding additional sources from different countries. Also, we are currently undergoing the process of changing the company name from Diet Code to niiu Asia!

[startupgoa]

Interview with Sattvic Foods' Jeetu Melwani

The health food industry is on the rise in India right now. With food production and consumption patterns undergoing major shifts all throughout the world, healthy and organic and the new keywords in the packaged food industry.

Although many packaged food producers such as Nestle and Brittania have started branding and manufacturing their products to fit the health food category, there still isn’t a primary key player in the market. This means that there is still room for a first mover advantage. Goa’s own Sattvic Innovations has just taken a leap into the scene and the future looks bright. Competing with brands such as Nutrichoice and Ritebite, Sattvic is all set to make a mark in the industry.  

We sat down with the brain behind Sattvic Innovations, Jeetu Melwani and asked him a few questions recently. Jeetu is a globetrotter in his own right, who finally decided to settle down in his ancestral home in Goa and create Sattvic, combining his two passions - healthy diet and business. Let’s take a look at the conversation.

1. How did Sattvic Innovations begin?

After I ended my consulting career in the USA, I left for S. America in 2012, where I was in an Incubator programme called Startup Chile. During my time in Chile I started two tech startups and also ventured into Healthy snacks because I missed Granolas and other healthy snacks I used to get in the USA. The Healthy snacks business took off at a rapid pace and shortly I was convinced that this was the way to go. I did this under the brand name Nutrivo and our first few products included Granolas, Baked Nut mixes and energy bars. I left Chile eight months after completion of the incubator program and decided to move back home to Goa. After I came back I decided to expand on the success of the health foods and bring a similar concept to India, In May 2014 Sattvic Foods was born.

2. How did you decide to enter the (offline) health food industry after having a successful career in the IT consultancy sector?

Technology is a great line, but there is tremendous competition worldwide and also the inability to secure your IP through patents. Also Goa I believe still doesn't have the right infrastructure to support tech startups (particularly poor domestic Internet). The ecosystem is not very strong (I know some existing companies will beg to differ, but I hold my ground) and does not compare to Mumbai or Bangalore and it is rare that you will hear of a heavily funded tech startup.

So once I had decided to move back to Goa, I wanted to start a business that would scale through the country and internationally. I felt healthy snacks would be the best choice for Goa to showcase our products and for us to leverage the traffic through Goa.

3. Do you have any co-founders? If so, how did you find them?

No, I am solo in this ventures but am open for people with a similar mission to join me.

4. What products do you currently have in the market and what do you plan on rolling out in the near future?

I currently offer my favourite product Granola (made from Oats, nuts and dry fruits) in three unique and interesting flavours. I also have several snacks from seeds such as sunflower, watermelon, lotus and pumpkin seeds. Additionally I repackage premium domestic supply of rolled oats, raw honey, cold pressed oils, seeds, nuts, dry fruits, etc. In the future you can expect protein based products, diabetic friendly chocolates and plenty more snacks.

5. What made you settle on Goa as a base for your startup?

Goa is home and has been for our family since 1909, when I decided to stop traveling and settle down with my own business I simply couldn't think of any place else.

6. Which future markets do you envision Sattvic tapping?

Metro cities such as Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore to begin with and then grow throughout the country.

7. What are your eCommerce plans for Sattvic?

Potentially tying up with Healthkart, Flipkart, Amazon and a few others to offer our products to begin with. Eventually once we have enough products to offer online ordering and fulfilment through our own site.

[startupgoa]

CIBA’s Entrepreneurship Development Programme to Help You Get Down to Business, Literally

If you're one of the spunky ilk of Goan youngsters looking to turn your ideas into enterprises, this programme by CIBA is for you. The last date for registration is November 20th, 2014.

The Centre for Incubation and Business Acceleration, Verna, in association with the Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India is organising a 6-week programme, from November 24, 2014 to January 9, 2015. The programme will be hosted at CIBA’s Verna office.

Objectives

The programme is designed to guide aspiring entrepreneurs to understand the framework of setting up businesses successfully. Additionally, CIBA will connect participants with experts from fields like marketing, sales, accounting, business opportunity guidance, market surveys, etc.

This coursework is aimed at entrepreneurs in ideation stage to start their own business.

Key Topics

1) Business opportunity guidance

2) Market survey

3) Project report

4) Govt financial schemes

5) Marketing & sales

6) Business model canvas

7) Entrepreneur experience talks

For Details and to Register, Call

0832-279-0060 / 992-375-5041

[startupgoa]

Motion Graphics Meetup by Visual Juju

Visual Juju announces their first meetup ever, aimed at After Effects and 3D artists in Goa! 

Friday October 31st, 6.30pm

At Visual Juju Design, Plot No. E-4, Monte Carlo, La Citadel Colony, Dona Paula, Panaji.

They will share a ton of fun stuff on After effects and Cinema 4D.

[startupgoa]

Tech Friday by GITIC - Oct Edition

The next Tech Friday by GITIC is

on the 31st of October 2014 18:00 to 20:00 at Acacia Palms Resorts Colva Beach

Message from Jervis Pereira (Director - GITIC):

If you're interested in being a part of the IT wave, need IT services, are a financier, a startup or just an enthusiast; this is the place for you!

Special Guest, Tata Docomo, coming in from Pune, will find solutions to your infrastructure needs.

RSVP at GITIC's FB page: 

  https://www.facebook.com/Goa.IT.Innovation.Centre

[startupgoa]

Why Goa is Emerging as the Ideal Location to Launch a Startup and Build a Company in India

Goa has long been synonymous with beaches, parties and music festivals, but slowly and surely, Goa is becoming the preferred base for startups in India. But what is it about Goa that is making it an ideal location for startups in India?

Goa has Great Infrastructure

Goa boasts of stable electricity, proper sewage and water systems, decent roads in the major cities and affordable public transportation. Goa is also the only state in India that has motorcycle taxis; a fast, cheap and nearly omnipresent form of transportation.

Goa has (relatively) Affordable Real Estate

Imagine trying to get an office space in Mumbai, Begaluru, Pune or Delhi - not much needs to be said here as costs are beyond prohibitive.

In Goa, it's quite easy to rent a beautifully located bungalow with a garden thrown in as well - plenty of space for 10 to 15 initial employees and a few dogs at the very least. 

Even commercial office space in major cities, such as Panjim, Vasco and Margao, are reasonably priced and most landlords are open to negotiation specially around security deposits. 

Several coworking spaces and shared offices are also beginning to pop up in Goa, including the newly opened Design Valley, by renowned architect Dean D'Cruz. There are also shared desks available at the gorgeous new office of the Swedish design team, Next Big Thing.

Initiatives such as CIBA (Assagao and Verna) and GITIC (Verna) are also steps in the right direction, that provide plug and play office space at very affordable rates.

Goa has Excellent Connectivity to Rest of India

Gone are the days of 18 hours bus rides from hell between the metros and Goa. Today, flight tickets are inexpensive and frequent and Goa is well-connected to major cities in India by train and air. Bus services are also much better and a journey ride takes about 11 hours between Mumbai and Goa. Of course, with telecommuting, this is even less of a hassle!

Goa has Efficient and Reliable Internet Connectivity

Quite obviously, internet connectivity is one of the main concerns for most entrepreneurs setting starting up. In this regard, Goa has made remarkable progress.

Of course, secluded beaches across the state still have no Internet connectivity, but the major cities like Panjim, Margao and Vasco, as well as the industrial estates in Verna and Ponda have fairly decent internet connectivity, with several sizeable tech companies working fine.

We recently did a post on the major Internet providers, such as BSNL, Reliance, Idea, Hathway and Tata, have a presence in Goa and can offer you broadband connection. 

Goa has a Growing Base of Technical Talent

Hiring talent and retaining staff is one of the biggest challenges a startup faces. Yes, Goa does not enjoy the same density of IT engineers and  UI designers, as you would find in the metros. But to balance it out, Goa does not have a very competitive hiring environment either. Thus, if you run a good company with a plausible growth story, you already stand a fair chance of finding, attracting and retaining smart people in Goa (specially with our free job board!). 

Additionally, with educational institutions like BITS (Pilani), NIT (Ponda), GEC (Farmagudi) and PCCE (Verna); Goa is beginning to produce high quality IT engineers that can power promising startups. Keep in mind that Goa doesn't have many IT MNCs and thus, competition and IT salaries in Goa are not as sharp as they are in the metros. We have built a 19-person strong UI and product manager team, in less than a year, at dccper, almost entirely locally.

Goa has a Very High Quality of Living

It is common for startup employees and entrepreneurs to work 14 to 16 hours a day. Decent traffic, shorter commutes and more greenery are just the start that make life easier. Goa also has a thriving nightlife scene, lot's of great restaurants (that are priced well below similar establishments in the metros) and of course, the beach, for a quick weekend getaway!

Goa is now also beginning to see several user groups and meetups for various topics such as web, design, architecture, Android, etc.

Goa has good and cheap beer!

This is probably one of the most critical aspects for most people. A steady, well priced and chilled supply of beer. Goa has among the lowest tax rates on alcohol in the country!

The bottom line - launch your startup In Goa now!

Several startups such as Powerstores, Vacation Labs, NextBigThing etc have already made the move to Goa (you can a view a map of the growing list of startups in Goa here). We do not provide any services related to setting up in Goa, but we can connect you with all the right people.

[startupgoa]

Our next internet / tech / design meetup is on the 17th of Oct in Panjim.

The guys at NextBigThing.in will be hosting the event at their new office, next to Hotel Mandovi, in Panjim. Drinks and snacks on the house.

Come along and bring your friends!

RSVP here: http://www.meetup.com/Goa-Web-Folks/events/212777872/

[startupgoa]

Entrepreneurship Development Programme in Food Processing

CIBA is organising an Entrepreneurship Development Programme in Food Processing, lasting six weeks, from the 22nd of September. 

The event is aimed at folks interested in starting their own food processing enterprise.

Gain a lot at a small instalment:

The opportunity to learn different ways of food processing

Learning about preservation of food

Interactions with experts in the field

And a lot more

All you need:

SSC examinations passing certificate

Proof that you are above 18

& Rs. 500 for registration

So hurry, registrations close on the 19th of September, 2014.

For more information contact:

2791420 / 992 375 5037