India’s most comprehensive programme for start-ups T he Indian startup ecosystem has seen over 20,000 new companies being incorporated in July 2020 alone and the trend has continued in the months of August and September as well. The cumulative number of startups incorporated in India since 2010 is more than 800,000. The numbers suggest that the startup segment is clearly poised for exponential growth. Yet for a market segment this big, technology advancements in Banking hadn’t benefitted this segment yet. Sensing an opportunity here, ICICI Bank, one of India’s leading Banks, introduced ‘iStartup2.0’ — a 360-degree holistic and most comprehensive programme for startups with a combination of banking and beyond banking services across their life stages in a single place. This programme for startups takes care of their banking as well as beyond-banking needs such as regulatory assistance, analytics, staffing, accounting, customer acquisition and digital outreach to customers, network...

On a regular day when you are busting your butt off at work, or over the weekend when you are drowning yourself in your favourite poison after a long and difficult week at work — and then it suddenly hits you. You have an idea which can solve a problem and grow into a sustainable business, or get you a profitable exit. Your AHA moment!! Source HOW DO YOU BOOTSTRAP A NEW BUSINESS WITHOUT TAKING A MASSIVE FINANCIAL HIT? You’ve been bitten by the entrepreneurial bug and your days as a salaried employee could be limited. The next obvious thing for you is to figure out how to start building your business, without quitting your job. Based on my personal experience of bootstrapping a startup 12 months ago, here’s what you should follow: Start with figuring out how much money you are going to need for all your necessary personal expenses (essentials, rent / EMI, travel, etc) for 12 months (or 18 months or 6 months, depending on how long you want to try out and risk before tak...

-           Alastair Pavrey Many entrepreneurs find themselves in a dilemma when it comes to raising funds and deciding between equity and debt. There are lot of common concerns regarding equity with respect to losing control and giving up equity stake which leads them towards debt funding, ignoring the risks inherent with that strategy. Although sometimes viable and effective, taking on debt at the wrong time can be a death wish to most startups and put them on a path to failure. Most importantly, many MSMEs are not very enthusiastic and aware of the various other financing options available. Private equity funding from a credible investor has many positives for MSMEs such as increasing the Net worth and strengthening the books, guidance to better endure the volatile business environment, flexibility in structuring return of investment, access to high-level intellectual capital, etc. Further, raising private equity is easier as com...