Friday, May 11, 2012

BeLaunch: Connecting South Korean Startups With the Global Startup Ecosystem

South Korea is a leading player in the global tech industry with Korean brands leaving their mark in various sectors. While we hear a lot about South Korean firms innovating and pushing the envelope, there is hardly any platform to showcase the thriving software and tech startup scene in South Korea. BeLaunch hopes to do just that by giving a platform for Korean startups and at the same time enable people and organizations outside Korea to tap into the exciting world of Korean entrepreneurship. BeLaunch is a flagship initiative of BeSuccess which is South Korea’s leading media platform focused on startups and technology. BeLaunch will be hosted at aT Center Yangjae, Seoul on June 13, 14 2012.

BeLaunch: Connecting South Korean Startups With the Global Startup Ecosystem

BeLaunch: Connecting South Korean Startups With the Global Startup Ecosystem

“With 1000+ attendees, 142 startups from Korea participating in the startup battle, international investors and media, we can claim to be the biggest such event in South Korea. Our sponsors and partners include Samsung, Amazon Web Services, Qualcomm Q Prize, Google and more. We want to showcase some of the best Korean startups during BeLaunch and facilitate connections between Korean startups and the global startup community” says James Jung, Founder and CEO of BeSuccess.

BeLaunch Startup Battle:

If you are a tech startup looking for global opportunities of growth then you cannot ignore Asia’s 4th biggest economy and tech-savvy South Korea. With a population of 50 million, highly developed telecommunication and technology infrastructure, South Korea offers numerous opportunities to startups and companies across sectors.

BeLaunch: Connecting South Korean Startups With the Global Startup Ecosystem

BeLaunch: Connecting South Korean Startups With the Global Startup Ecosystem

BeLaunch is a platform that is designed to act as a launch pad for startups from Korea and other countries. If you are tech startup looking for global recognition, entry into the South Korean market and attention from investors and corporates then do check out BeLaunch startup battle.

If you are a startup based out of anywhere in the world and would like to present your startup at BeLaunch then register for the ‘BeLaunch Startup Battle’. Click here to apply to present at the ‘BeLaunch Startup Battle’. 20 shortlisted startups will present their innovative products during BeLaunch on June 13th and 14th 2012.

Why be part of the Startup Battle?

  • Opportunity to present your startup to the who’s who of the Korean tech and investment scene
  • A great launch pad to enter the booming Korean tech market
  • Investment Opportunity from leading investors and tech conglomerates
  • Prizes from YouNoodle, Plug and Play and Demo
  • Exposure to mainstream and startup media from around the world

Click here to apply for the startup battle or write to info@besuccess.com find out more.

BeLaunch: Connecting South Korean Startups With the Global Startup Ecosystem

BeLaunch: Connecting South Korean Startups With the Global Startup Ecosystem


Link to full article

BeLaunch: Connecting South Korean Startups With the Global Startup Ecosystem

South Korea is a leading player in the global tech industry with Korean brands leaving their mark in various sectors. While we hear a lot about South Korean firms innovating and pushing the envelope, there is hardly any platform to showcase the thriving software and tech startup scene in South Korea. BeLaunch hopes to do just that by giving a platform for Korean startups and at the same time enable people and organizations outside Korea to tap into the exciting world of Korean entrepreneurship. BeLaunch is a flagship initiative of BeSuccess which is South Korea’s leading media platform focused on startups and technology. BeLaunch will be hosted at aT Center Yangjae, Seoul on June 13, 14 2012.

BeLaunch: Connecting South Korean Startups With the Global Startup Ecosystem

BeLaunch: Connecting South Korean Startups With the Global Startup Ecosystem

“With 1000+ attendees, 142 startups from Korea participating in the startup battle, international investors and media, we can claim to be the biggest such event in South Korea. Our sponsors and partners include Samsung, Amazon Web Services, Qualcomm Q Prize, Google and more. We want to showcase some of the best Korean startups during BeLaunch and facilitate connections between Korean startups and the global startup community” says James Jung, Founder and CEO of BeSuccess.

BeLaunch Startup Battle:

If you are a tech startup looking for global opportunities of growth then you cannot ignore Asia’s 4th biggest economy and tech-savvy South Korea. With a population of 50 million, highly developed telecommunication and technology infrastructure, South Korea offers numerous opportunities to startups and companies across sectors.

BeLaunch: Connecting South Korean Startups With the Global Startup Ecosystem

BeLaunch: Connecting South Korean Startups With the Global Startup Ecosystem

BeLaunch is a platform that is designed to act as a launch pad for startups from Korea and other countries. If you are tech startup looking for global recognition, entry into the South Korean market and attention from investors and corporates then do check out BeLaunch startup battle.

If you are a startup based out of anywhere in the world and would like to present your startup at BeLaunch then register for the ‘BeLaunch Startup Battle’. Click here to apply to present at the ‘BeLaunch Startup Battle’. 20 shortlisted startups will present their innovative products during BeLaunch on June 13th and 14th 2012.

Why be part of the Startup Battle?

  • Opportunity to present your startup to the who’s who of the Korean tech and investment scene
  • A great launch pad to enter the booming Korean tech market
  • Investment Opportunity from leading investors and tech conglomerates
  • Prizes from YouNoodle, Plug and Play and Demo
  • Exposure to mainstream and startup media from around the world

Click here to apply for the startup battle or write to info@besuccess.com find out more.

BeLaunch: Connecting South Korean Startups With the Global Startup Ecosystem

BeLaunch: Connecting South Korean Startups With the Global Startup Ecosystem


Link to full article

idEA established for the transformation of Indonesia’s e-commerce landscape

Reps from companies founded Indonesia E-Commerce Association (idEA) (Credit: idEA)

Ambitious plans for id-EA lay ahead. Some of which include transforming Indonesia into Southeast Asia’s biggest digital economy.

On the 3rd of May, 10 Indonesian e-commerce firms released news that the Indonesian E-Commerce Association (idEA) would be establied as a forum especially for communication between the e-commerce industries in Indoneisa.

Also know as Asosiasi E-Commerce Indonesia in Bahasa Indonesia, this collaboration has come after several months of deliberations in order to address the growing number of local online shoppers and shopping sites.

Integrated communications and media amongst stakeholders together with an increasingly positive atmosphere in this industry have been key factors driving the actualization of id-EA.

Pioneer companies part of this assocation include Berniaga, Bhinneka, BliBli, DealGoing, Gramedia, Kaskus, Multiply, Plasa, Tokobagus and Tokopedia. They have constantly been in negotiations with the government and other respective associations such as Apkomindo, Aspiluki and APJII on how to further improve.

Executives from participating companies also sit on its advisory board. They are William Tanuwijaya as Chairman, Ken Dean LawadinataKusumo Martanto,Edward KimEdi TaslimHendrik TioDwi T. CahyonoRemco LupkerJullian Gafar and Aris Siswoko as Vice Chairman. Meanwhile Daniel Tumiwa and Arnold Sebastian Egg are Chairman and Vice Chairman of the executive board.

idEA’s future plans are to make Indonesia the most developed digital-based economy in Southeast Asia. Many educational programs targetting both consumers and other human resources have since been set up.

Bylaws and public memberships are also in discussions.

As repored by MasterCard Worldwide, around 57 percent of Indonesians are already aware of e-commerce transaction. Thus, it is paramount that “the perception that online shopping is unsafe amongst most Indonesians has to change,” says Chairman William Tanuwijaya.

idEA would therefore be designing the best business models to ensure that e-shoppers enjoy a secured e-commerce experience.

“Indonesia has the third largest number of Facebook uers in the world and it also the most active country on Twitter. This doesn’t bring any value to our economy, but if we can manage it properly, it has potential to make Indonesia the biggest digital economy in Southeast Asia,” Tanuwijaya adds.


Link to full article

idEA established for the transformation of Indonesia’s e-commerce landscape

Reps from companies founded Indonesia E-Commerce Association (idEA) (Credit: idEA)

Ambitious plans for id-EA lay ahead. Some of which include transforming Indonesia into Southeast Asia’s biggest digital economy.

On the 3rd of May, 10 Indonesian e-commerce firms released news that the Indonesian E-Commerce Association (idEA) would be establied as a forum especially for communication between the e-commerce industries in Indoneisa.

Also know as Asosiasi E-Commerce Indonesia in Bahasa Indonesia, this collaboration has come after several months of deliberations in order to address the growing number of local online shoppers and shopping sites.

Integrated communications and media amongst stakeholders together with an increasingly positive atmosphere in this industry have been key factors driving the actualization of id-EA.

Pioneer companies part of this assocation include Berniaga, Bhinneka, BliBli, DealGoing, Gramedia, Kaskus, Multiply, Plasa, Tokobagus and Tokopedia. They have constantly been in negotiations with the government and other respective associations such as Apkomindo, Aspiluki and APJII on how to further improve.

Executives from participating companies also sit on its advisory board. They are William Tanuwijaya as Chairman, Ken Dean LawadinataKusumo Martanto,Edward KimEdi TaslimHendrik TioDwi T. CahyonoRemco LupkerJullian Gafar and Aris Siswoko as Vice Chairman. Meanwhile Daniel Tumiwa and Arnold Sebastian Egg are Chairman and Vice Chairman of the executive board.

idEA’s future plans are to make Indonesia the most developed digital-based economy in Southeast Asia. Many educational programs targetting both consumers and other human resources have since been set up.

Bylaws and public memberships are also in discussions.

As repored by MasterCard Worldwide, around 57 percent of Indonesians are already aware of e-commerce transaction. Thus, it is paramount that “the perception that online shopping is unsafe amongst most Indonesians has to change,” says Chairman William Tanuwijaya.

idEA would therefore be designing the best business models to ensure that e-shoppers enjoy a secured e-commerce experience.

“Indonesia has the third largest number of Facebook uers in the world and it also the most active country on Twitter. This doesn’t bring any value to our economy, but if we can manage it properly, it has potential to make Indonesia the biggest digital economy in Southeast Asia,” Tanuwijaya adds.


Link to full article

Luxury Site Secoo Raising US$ 30M

Chinese luxury B2C site Secoo raised a new round of US$ 30 million from investors including VentechCapital(a France-based investment firm), IDGVC Partners, Bertelsmann Asia Investments and CreholChina.

 Founded in 2008, Secoo is an online consignment store for luxury items. One can either buy directly from its website, or go directly to its brick-and-mortar stores operated in Beijing, Jinan and Tanshang. New stores will be opened in Shanghai, Shenzhen and Chendu in this year. According to its founder and CEO, LI Rixue, Secco is also working on a 2800-square-meter maintenance service center in Beijing.

 Back in 2010, Secoo had won ten million dollars in Series A round of funding from IDGVC Partners. With 20,000 active high-end users out of its user base of 500,000, it’s not a big surprise that it’s revenue in last year reached RMB more than 100 million.

The piece was written by Charlie Sheng, a nerd born in the 90s with interests in tech, innovation and art.

Related posts:

  1. Innovative Digital Marketing Campaign- Win a Trip to Sydney
  2. Sina’s LBS, WeiLingDi, targets 1 million users by June 2011
  3. Tencent to Release Super B2C platform in Q4


Link to full article

Michael Smith and his point of view of startups in the region

Michael Smith (Chief Product Officer of Spuul) Speaker at Echelon 2012

Michael Smith (Chief Product Officer of Spuul) Speaker at Echelon 2012

Michael Smith, or fondly known as Smitty, is a unique character and colourful personality in the startup industry. Currently a Chief Product Officer of Spuul, Michael is responsible for driving the product and technology that will bring premium online video content to Spuul customers across the globe.

He will be joining fellow awesome speakers such as Danny WiriantoJay FajardoSieng Van Tran and Simone Brunozzi to discuss on the Rise of Emerging Markets at Echelon 2012 this 11 and 12 June.

Prior to Spuul, Michael worked with the Yahoo Developer Network in Asia Pacific that entailed working with startups across Southeast Asia to build or partner with Yahoo!. He has also led the acquisition of Koprol which formed the foundation for Yahoo’s Indonesian engineering site.

e27 spoke to him to further undertand his point of view of startups in the region such as Indonesia and Thailand.

Having lived in Southeast Asia for a while, could you share with us some of your favorite tech startup hotspots and why?

My favorite spot – big surprise – is Singapore. I like that most of the activity is startups trying to tackle global markets or large regional ones.

Indonesia would probably be my runner-up cause even if all you were focusing on is Indonesia – the market will eventually be quite big.

What are your thoughts on startups in the region and how they can be better in going global?

I think the startup market continues to improve by leaps and bounds every year. Just look at the batch that came out of JFDI – a great bunch of ideas and people – sure, none of them are guaranteed success but they all have an amazing foundation and I bet 80 percent get some sort of early stage funding.

Going global is really a choice – you either have an idea that is global or one that is country specific or one that is regional. All of them could be successful but the break out hits will be ones that crack the global market – just look at companies like Viki who are doing a great job at this. There are others and there will be more but it does not seem to be the majority.

Michael Smith (Chief Product Officer of Spuul) Speaker at Echelon 2012

Michael Smith (Chief Product Officer of Spuul) Speaker at Echelon 2012

Share with us your thoughts on the Indonesian and Thai startups scene and what value they are looking for to help grow the communities there.

This is a tough one. I am not bullish on the Thai startup scene. Sure there are a few successes but with the lack of freedom of speech and lack of any real entrepreneurial incentives – just try getting a work permit there – as example, the country does not make opening a startup in Thailand all that appealing. As a local you might do well there but non-Thais would do much better in say Singapore or Indonesia.

I love Thailand and hope it does better but they have a lot of work to do. The Indonesian scene is taking off like mad. Still not a lot of hits, revenue successes or exits but I think the market is building and there is lots of intensity with funds, incubators and foreigners looking to make a mark in the country. Freedom of speech is there and the environment is booming but the lack of infrastructure, traffic issues and outdated airport will hold it back some. However there is money to be made there but I think it takes the longer approach – meaning it wont be a quick hit.

Having left Yahoo! recently for Spuul, what is your biggest takeaway and focus stepping into the startups frontline?

My biggest focus is to learn how to build a global company built to last from Singapore. I think now I have seen the balance of the big companies, the startups and the acquisitions to see what worked and what didn’t.

Then I am making sure I remember the good and the bad and using it to make my daily decisions. It’s fun, although stressful, to be back at a startup and even more exciting doing it from Singapore.  So my biggest focus is – focus.

Michael Smith (Chief Product Officer of Spuul) Speaker at Echelon 2012

Michael Smith (Chief Product Officer of Spuul) Speaker at Echelon 2012

Michael Smith (Chief Product Officer of Spuul) is one of the awesome speakers at Echelon 2012. This tech conference is a two-day, double-track event on 11 and 12 June 2012 with over 1,100 delegates, a demo pit of up to 50 regional startups per day and various workshops. Get your tickets now!


Link to full article

Michael Smith and his point of view of startups in the region

Michael Smith (Chief Product Officer of Spuul) Speaker at Echelon 2012

Michael Smith (Chief Product Officer of Spuul) Speaker at Echelon 2012

Michael Smith, or fondly known as Smitty, is a unique character and colourful personality in the startup industry. Currently a Chief Product Officer of Spuul, Michael is responsible for driving the product and technology that will bring premium online video content to Spuul customers across the globe.

He will be joining fellow awesome speakers such as Danny WiriantoJay FajardoSieng Van Tran and Simone Brunozzi to discuss on the Rise of Emerging Markets at Echelon 2012 this 11 and 12 June.

Prior to Spuul, Michael worked with the Yahoo Developer Network in Asia Pacific that entailed working with startups across Southeast Asia to build or partner with Yahoo!. He has also led the acquisition of Koprol which formed the foundation for Yahoo’s Indonesian engineering site.

e27 spoke to him to further undertand his point of view of startups in the region such as Indonesia and Thailand.

Having lived in Southeast Asia for a while, could you share with us some of your favorite tech startup hotspots and why?

My favorite spot – big surprise – is Singapore. I like that most of the activity is startups trying to tackle global markets or large regional ones.

Indonesia would probably be my runner-up cause even if all you were focusing on is Indonesia – the market will eventually be quite big.

What are your thoughts on startups in the region and how they can be better in going global?

I think the startup market continues to improve by leaps and bounds every year. Just look at the batch that came out of JFDI – a great bunch of ideas and people – sure, none of them are guaranteed success but they all have an amazing foundation and I bet 80 percent get some sort of early stage funding.

Going global is really a choice – you either have an idea that is global or one that is country specific or one that is regional. All of them could be successful but the break out hits will be ones that crack the global market – just look at companies like Viki who are doing a great job at this. There are others and there will be more but it does not seem to be the majority.

Michael Smith (Chief Product Officer of Spuul) Speaker at Echelon 2012

Michael Smith (Chief Product Officer of Spuul) Speaker at Echelon 2012

Share with us your thoughts on the Indonesian and Thai startups scene and what value they are looking for to help grow the communities there.

This is a tough one. I am not bullish on the Thai startup scene. Sure there are a few successes but with the lack of freedom of speech and lack of any real entrepreneurial incentives – just try getting a work permit there – as example, the country does not make opening a startup in Thailand all that appealing. As a local you might do well there but non-Thais would do much better in say Singapore or Indonesia.

I love Thailand and hope it does better but they have a lot of work to do. The Indonesian scene is taking off like mad. Still not a lot of hits, revenue successes or exits but I think the market is building and there is lots of intensity with funds, incubators and foreigners looking to make a mark in the country. Freedom of speech is there and the environment is booming but the lack of infrastructure, traffic issues and outdated airport will hold it back some. However there is money to be made there but I think it takes the longer approach – meaning it wont be a quick hit.

Having left Yahoo! recently for Spuul, what is your biggest takeaway and focus stepping into the startups frontline?

My biggest focus is to learn how to build a global company built to last from Singapore. I think now I have seen the balance of the big companies, the startups and the acquisitions to see what worked and what didn’t.

Then I am making sure I remember the good and the bad and using it to make my daily decisions. It’s fun, although stressful, to be back at a startup and even more exciting doing it from Singapore.  So my biggest focus is – focus.

Michael Smith (Chief Product Officer of Spuul) Speaker at Echelon 2012

Michael Smith (Chief Product Officer of Spuul) Speaker at Echelon 2012

Michael Smith (Chief Product Officer of Spuul) is one of the awesome speakers at Echelon 2012. This tech conference is a two-day, double-track event on 11 and 12 June 2012 with over 1,100 delegates, a demo pit of up to 50 regional startups per day and various workshops. Get your tickets now!


Link to full article

A Bubble in the Startup World?

bubble

Is there a bubble in the startup industry? It looks like it. At least that’s according to a discussion panel at GMIC, which included Robin Chan (founder and CEO at Time Machine Ventures), Bao Fan (founder and CEO, China Renaissance) and Huoy – Ming Yeh, (managing director of Silicon Valley Bank China).

It’s the same familiar points, but worth noting. Stupid money is being invested in companies, with no revenue at most times. But few acquisitions are happening in China and Asia. Most investors can’t find the 50x returns they are looking for. And because there’s an excess of capital, more folks are coming out to build startups, raise money, and hoping to be the next Facebook, Google, or Instagram. But you see the disconnection. There’s a lot of money and startups, but very few exits in Asia. That’s how I interpret it.

That said, Bao Fan pointed out that it is a natural cycle of the mobile and internet industry. The next bubble burst and dry spell would test the companies’ true strength. It is good in that sense as the industry somehow needs that. Those who survive are likely to do well. Robin Chan specifically pointed that the gaming looks to be on the downside. He didn’t explain why, but his comment does bring some weight as he previously founded XPD which was acquired by Zynga, which eventually became Zynga China. Chan has also angel invested in Twitter, Square, and Foursquare.

In China, he invested in Xiaomi, which I believe is now a billion dollar company. He is also skeptical about funding mobile applications as he sees no exit in China. For him, only a few companies in China can compete globally. And guess what? He pointed Xiaomi as one. And he noted that Weixin (now WeChat) was another. It’s important to note that Weixin is part of Tencent. Bao Fan did point out others, including Dianping, Youku, Renren, and YY.

While there’s excess capital to invest, I thought Huoy-Ming Yeh gave a good alternative view on investing in startups. Most investors in China are investing in trending industries – or basically clones – and that is fine of course. It’s their money. But new and bold ideas should also be invested as she believes that it would help push innovation, and hopefully, also nurture the next “Yao Ming” within the Chinese tech industry.

[Image: phitolandia.com]


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Startups: Grab your chance to demo @UnPluggd [Nomination Form is Live now]

Ladies and Gentlemen,

We are glad to announce that the nomination form for applying for the demo slot @UnPluggd is live now. But before we share the details, we would like to showcase the brand new logo* of UnPluggd.

unpluggd_small

Like it? Well, do share your comments/feedback on the logo!

And now, the nomination details.

Launch @UnPluggd

Starting today, we will accept the nomination from startups to demo at the event. If you are a startup or a product company, you get an opportunity to demo your product in front of India (and SE Asia)’s investor/corporate/geeky community.

This time, we have made a few changes to the whole demo process (read this carefully):

Any product company that is launching a new product can apply for the nomination slot. Earlier it was only startups, but now given that a lot of startups are going great guns, we realized that we need to give them a visibility platform as well.

Having said that, the preference will be given to startups who are launching @UnPluggd.

Nomination FAQs

Nomination URL: http://www.pluggd.in/unpluggd/nominate/ (the form is also embedded towards the end of this post)

Deadline: June 16th, 2012.

Qn: Who can apply?
Early stage technology product startups and Product companies. Preference is given to those who are launching at UnPluggd (i.e. you should be launching your startup @UnPluggd).

Qn: What is the nomination process like?
Once the nomination is closed (deadline is June 16th, 2012), 30 companies will be selected (for second round) and these companies will be contacted via email. The selection panel will schedule meetings/skype conference with the companies in order to understand their business in depth and the final set of companies will be selected for the demo slot.

Qn: Who sees my submission?
The Pluggd.in team (Ashish Sinha & Pratyush Prasanna). At a later stage, we will announce the panel and you can choose not to share details with a panel member, if you aren’t comfortable with the names (for competitive reasons).

If you are selected for further rounds, we will get in touch with you to discuss more about the panel details/process.

Qn: I want to launch my product at UnPluggd!
Nothing like launching your product at an event where you can derive maximum eye balls – right from angel investors to VCs, media and most importantly, early adopters. Send in your nomination right away.

Qn: Do presenting companies have to pay?
Nothing.
Presenting companies DO NOT have to pay to showcase at the event. Having said that, you will have to bear your travel/stay/event entry charges.

Qn: What about nomination? Is it free?
Yes. Free as in, Free. Totally free.

Qn: We are still developing the product and plan to launch it by July. Are we eligible?
In general, we don’t want to showcase just prototypes, but we suggest that you go ahead and nominate your startup. If you have a matured prototype (with thought-thru’ use cases), we would surely love to have you at the event.

Qn: We are a services company. Should I apply?
Pluggd.in has mostly been about product startups and that’s where we will focus this time too. Of course the event itself would be a great opportunity to meet potential customers, startups and cool people.

Qn: We haven’t yet started making money. Shall we nominate ourselves?
Well, it takes a while for product companies to monetize (especially in India). We respect IP (Intellectual Properties) – so apply right away.

Qn: Who are the VCs attending the event?
Pretty much all the known (and unknown) names. Apart from VC firms, a lot of angel investors will be present at India’s finest Startup event, UnPluggd.

Qn: I have more questions.
Do join our Facebook group (http://facebook.com/groups/unpluggd/) and ask the question there itself. Otherwise, you can ask here (in the comment section) or get in touch with us [email: ashish@pluggd.in]. Do mention “UnPluggd” in the subject line.
Qn: How can I help otherwise?
Help us spread the world. Tweet/Share on Facebook – what’er it takes, we’d really appreciate if you can help us reach out to India’s most amazing entrepreneurs.

—————

UnPluggd Nomination Form


UnPluggd Event Details

Date: July 7, 2012.
Venue: MLR Convention Center, Brigade Millennium Campus, 7th Phase J.P.Nagar, Bangalore – 560 078.
URL: http://www.pluggd.in/unpluggd
Contact ID: srikanth@pluggd.in
Please note that tickets will go on sale from May 15th onwards.

* The UnPluggd logo has been done by our friends at Wowmakers.


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Understanding TDS – Tax Deducted At Source & TAN for Businesses in India [Whiteboard Friday]

TDS or best known as Tax Deducted at Source is one of the modes of collecting Income-tax from the assessees in India. This is governed under Indian Income Tax Act, 1961, by the Central Board for Direct Taxes (CBDT) and is part of the Department of Revenue managed by Indian Revenue Service (IRS), Ministry of Finance, Govt. of India.

In this episode of “eLagaan Whiteboard Friday”, the eLagaan (http://elagaan.com ) team explains various factors you should know to understand TDS. The video will talk about what is TDS, why TDS was created. What is TAN number. Defines major categories of TDS, how to calculate it. When to make the TDS payments, file TDS returns as well as when you can get TDS refunds. Also it talks about consequences of not deducting proper TDS and what NRI’s should know about it.

- Do check out : ‘Whiteboard Friday’ series  | Legal Related Resources for Startups.


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SportsChimp Mixes Hot-or-Not with social sports picking

Love sports? Love Bananas?

Well, hop to SportsChimp, a hot-or-not for sports lover. The concept is very simple – all you need to do is place your bets (root for your favorite team), predict winners and win banana bucks from your friends.
The service is super intuitive to use and within a few days of launch, SportsChimp has recorded more than 3,000 challenges – thanks to nicely designed virality features in the product.sportschimp_logo

What’s really cool about SportsChimp?

Product messaging, I say. The well designed messaging simply brings out the passion around sports like IPL etc.
Take a look at some examples:

Strong Messaging (resonates with passion!)

Strong Messaging (resonates with passion around sports)

That is, the moment you place your bet, the app sends out a ‘super opinionated/flaming/humorous’ message on your Facebook status (flaming for your friends, if they are supporting the other team) and will instantly invite a ‘click’ – i.e. an intent to check what exactly is it all about. That pretty much sets the tone of the app usage and for those who aren’t comfortable with Facebook notifications, you can turn them off in the settings page.

SportsChimp - Root for your team

SportsChimp - Root for your team

Check out this introductory video

Do give SportsChimp a (banana) spin and share your feedback/suggestion with the team. In terms of future plans, the team will expand the service to other sports over the next few days, but for sure this is one of those services which Cricinfo should have had (also reminds me of rivals.com, which Yahoo acquired and did nothing about it)!

Long story short, a very well designed implementation of passion we all have around sports teams, mixed with virality of social.
What’s your take?

- Tweet ref (in the screenshot above).


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