Hello Everyone!

The Entire core team came together for an update and planning meet yesterday and I must say that we are all quite pumped to meet, greet and hear about what you have been upto in the last six months. People that we met as aspiring entrepreneurs have become entrepreneurs, and there are others who will be coming to showcase their products. It’s certainly a new milestone in terms of the progress that the entire ecosystem is making.

We have had some very encouraging news, with some VC firms in the US coming down to visit Proto and also some of the technology teams of some very well known companies flying in from the valley to look at companies for possible partnership and merger opportunities. I am humbled by the opportunity that is given to myself and to the team to make this contribution to the India startup ecosystem.

We have had close to 50 Nominations that have been submitted so far. Some very interesting companies have come in, but I am also aware of quite a few other companies which I am hoping would get their prototype ready before we reach the 20th. We would also like to ask the VC Firms to urge some of the young and growing companies in their fold to make a nomination, as those who do take the stage during Proto.in tend to build a lot of traction with clients and the media, apart from funding and exit possibilities. As a reminder, the nominations do close on the 20th. Do give me a call, if you need any help, in terms of clarity.

To get to the main news for which this email was intended for, we will be opening registrations for people who want to attend the upcoming edition of Proto on Monday (Today). Well, if you are a night owl, you might even be able to see the form go live before you head to bed, but I would very much recommend, registering first thing tomorrow morning. Just a small word of caution and a good news. The caution is that we do have limited seats. So we will be filling seats on a first come, first serve basis. If you are keen on attending, I do strongly urge to not wait till the deadline to fill the forms. We had to turn away a lot of people last time on this account. I sincerely wish we would be able to accomodate all the key players of the industry.

The good news is that we will be having an early bird offer to incentivise those who are going to plan ahead. The registration price will be Rs. 1500 till December 31st, after which the regular price will go into effect. You can pay via Credit Card (Paypal), Via Demand Draft or even do a direct Bank transfer. If your require any clarifications on this front, do let us know.

Call for Partners:
We are looking to Partner with the following for the upcoming event. A Print Partner, a reputable newspaper who will be our exclusive Print Media partner for the event; A Television partner, though we are having talks on this regard and will be finalizing soon. Online Partners, of sites which do have a strong online presence, and also Travel Partners, to help us co-ordinate with the 500 or so people who will be traveling from around the country for this event. If you are interested, do let us know.

There are also a few sponsorship spots that are still available. If you are looking to work with emerging companies, we would be quite eager to hear of your plans and how we can work together to enable that.

Well, Ladies and Gentlemen, that is it for this short update. I have been lately taking the pains to track down all the companies since the first edition of Proto.in and have some very amazing news to share about what has happened to those companies since they took the stage of Proto. Something that is very encouraging, and is very much worth sharing. Do expect a note on that in a day or two, as I compile them.

Saying Adios for now, and do keep an eye on the registration form, and I look forward to seeing you at the venue.

Regards,
Vijay Anand
Key Organizer – Proto.in