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Local entrepreneurs can make use of funding opportunities opened up by venture capital funds, or angel investors (an investor that funds start-ups in exchange for ownership equity or convertible debt), and start off their enterprises and the Hyderabad chapter of TiE (formerly known as The Indus Entrepreneurs) will help them in the endeavour, according to Mr Murali N. Bukkapatnam, Chairman of the events committee of TiE, Hyderabad chapter.
He was speaking to reporters here on Friday after organising a one-day seminar to apprise the local entrepreneurs of the emerging opportunities. He said TiE had 54 chapters in 13 countries, with a membership of 13,000. “It is most closely affiliated with the South Asian business community and is the recognised networking forum for entrepreneurs and investors. Our activities have till now been confined to Hyderabad. We are now holding seminars in Visakhapatnam and other important towns of the State such as Vijayawada and Tirupati to promote entrepreneurship,” he explained. He said the focus was on networking, entrepreneurship and education.
About 200 local entrepreneurs participated in the seminar. The Visakhapatnam District Collector, Mr Luv Agarwal, also spoke at the seminar and promised full co-operation to the entrepreneurs who could start new units making use of the funding opportunities and the technical support given by TiE.
Emerging opportunities
Mr Sateesh Andra, Venture Partner, Draper Fisher Jurvetson (DFJ), India Advisory Services Pvt. Ltd , said nearly $50 billion had flowed into the country during the past five years, most of it in the form of private equity and a little in the form of venture capital. In the next five, $70 billion may flow into India. Therefore, the funding opportunities were aplenty, provided the entrepreneurs had good ideas. In particular, the fields of health care and education held out great promise.
Mr Srini Koppulu, the former Managing Director of Microsoft India, said a group of investors, christened Hyderabad Angels, had been floated in Hyderabad and it had so far funded one unit and three more were in the offing. Entrepreneurs in Visakhapatnam and other parts of the State could also make use of it. The maximum investment limit would be Rs 3 crore.
Representatives from several leading venture capital funds and other investors participated in the seminar.
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