Celebrating Startups and Bollywood = #StartupWood [A Fun-filled Tweet contest for UnPluggd tickets]

Startups are almost like a Bollywood story – drama, romance and a lot of action ( hopefully with happy endings :))

Given the TGIF moment of today (i.e. Thank God It’s Friday), we just thought we will play a mixer today and start a fun contest around startup life and the Bollywood connection.

“7 Bug Maaf” – after all, that’s how you define a ‘beta’ product, right?

“Yeh termsheet mujhe de de thakur”

We invite all ye startup crazy people to celebrate the startup life and how it connects with Bollywood. Tweak a movie name (“Hum bplan de chuke sanam”) to mashup dialogues – the stage is all yours.

Contest Rules are very simple:

- Contest starts today (Nov 23rd) and ends on Saturday (Nov 24th).

- The contest goes live on Twitter as well as Facebook.

- Twitter format is very simple : “Bollywood Dialogue/Movie Name” #startupwood unpluggd.org [e.g. 7 Bug Maaf #startupwood unpluggd.org]

- Facebook format : <Dialogue/Movie name> #startupwood UnPluggd.org [e.g. 7 Bug Maaf #startupwood unpluggd.org]

- You can participate N number of times.

- Winners  (10/day : 5 FB, 5 Twitter) will be DMed/Messaged on Monday (you need to follow @NextBigWhat for us to DM you).

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CueLinks wants affiliate marketing to suck less – offers clean URL plus centralised reporting

While online shopping has gathered momentum over the past 2 years, affiliate or performance marketing is also on rise – which is according to some industry estimate is expected to grow 5x over next couple of years. For publishers, managing affiliates takes effort as it involves a lot of interaction with merchants and affiliate networks for payments, campaign updates, reporting and so on. Also, the publisher needs to understand affiliate marketing concepts like deep-linking, sub id tracking and to create and insert ugly looking affiliate links on their websites which reduces the click-through ratio further for any publisher.

Mumbai based startup CueLinks attempts to solve this with its content monetization solution for bloggers, deal site owners, coupon sites, forum owners or any publishers including any websites which sends outbound traffic to online shopping, travel, finance or matrimony websites. Importantly, using CueLink’s technology is completely free for content owners and offers masking of ugly URLs.

Though CueLinks does not intend to become an affiliate network, the company aims to assist affiliate marketing ecosystem by helping publishers monetize their content by providing them the right technology and insights while driving sales to merchants and affiliate networks.

Weeding out the pain of decentralized reporting, CueLinks helps affiliates (blogs, coupon sites) to track domains they send traffic to and what are their conversion rates and EPC (Earnings per Click) for each merchant. Essentially, CueLinks’s platform offers a single point of contact for payout and centralized reporting. In addition the company also has an API in place, so any publishing house can integrate their core app or any part of the app with CueLinks, if they do not prefer to install CueLink’s code snippet.

CueLinks passes on 65% of the revenue which it gets from the merchants or affiliate networks to its publishers. For top performing publishers, it usually passes higher percentage upto 75%. Currently, CueLinks is a team of 7 members and founded by Jimish and Mehul Jobanputra . Earlier, Jimish has launched DesiDime – an online shopping community in 2010 .

How does Cuelinks work?

For publishers and bloggers, CueLinks provides a small snippet of Javascript code which needs to be inserted on their website. Soon after that, any outbound traffic to CueLinks’s merchant partners is automatically monetized and publisher gets commission for every sale or lead generated via their website. Publisher just needs to insert the normal url which they would share with the readers and in the backend, CueLinks automatically converts it into an affiliate link which then gets tracked all the way until a purchase happens on the merchant’s end. The automatic conversion of the link happens only when the reader clicks the link (which CueLinks claims to redirect in less than 0.1 seconds).

In terms of traction, Cuelinks has grabbed over 100 publishers since September.

we can very confidently say that we currently work with the largest number of merchants in India as we have the advantage of working with all the networks and other direct merchants as well”. In terms of revenue, we have some big publishers who joined us and we now send almost 50% more traffic to our merchant partners and affiliate network partners compared to what we did 2 months back” said Jimish.

The biggest challenge, however, CueLinks says is to educate Indian bloggers and publishers about affiliate marketing and why they need to take that marketing channel seriously when it comes to monetization of their website.

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Noise Street: Making In-Store Advertising More Interactive

Yesterday, it was announced that Singapore startup NoiseStreet and SPH MediaBoxOffice have partnered to launch a smartphone-based solution that aims to bring a new level of engagement, interactivity, and immediacy to what’s called out-of-home advertising (OOH) – ads in stores and on the street.

The smartphone-based solution, also known as Noise Street, is part of the drive to make screens a two-way medium, instead of a one-way platform. Noise Street claims to be a one-of-its-kind in Asia, allowing consumers to be engaged with advertisements, and enabling them to play games on their smartphones in order to receive rewards and benefits on-the-spot.

Edward Tang, SPH MediaBoxOffice’s general manager, explains:

We’re committed to bringing leading-edge innovation to our advertisers. This partnership with NoiseStreet allows retail advertisers to increase footfall and sales, and brand owners to create a unique engagement with consumers.

Using Noise Street’s custom analytics, retailers are able to tailor future marketing promotions to suit their customers’ preferences, such as tracking redemption rates, promotion-linked in-store sales, and the level of user engagement during the promotion period. They are also able to select from a ready-made set of available games developed by Noise Street or design a customized one.

In a recently concluded pilot promotion with bubble tea brand GongCha, it is said to have attracted new customers with good redemption results. Customers at the participating branch played a ‘Guess the Drawing and Win!’ game, which could be played by scanning a QR code in the mall’s foyer. With the correct answer, consumers could proceed directly to the mall’s GongCha outlet to redeem their rewards.

Anyone can take advantage of such promotions, provided they have an internet-enabled smartphone. No apps are required.

NoiseStreet : Engage your audience .. from NoiseStreet on Vimeo.

The post Noise Street: Making In-Store Advertising More Interactive appeared first on Tech in Asia.

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Knock, Knock! Who’s There? Doctor! Doctor Who? No, a DoctorPage Seed Funding Round

We’re seeing a lot of healthcare-oriented startups emerge these days in the region. Another new one is DoctorPage.sg which has just received seed funding a mere two months after it launched. Like a lot of restaurant booking services out there, DoctorPage lets you make appointments in real-time – that’s after you’ve browsed doctors nearby using the iPhone app. Currently, the startup service works only in Singapore where it has a directory of 12,000 specialists.

A DoctorPage representative tells us that the finances of the angel round can’t be disclosed, but it is revealed that the backer is Michael Brehm, a serial web entrepreneur who’s most recently the founder of social shopping website SpreadSave.

Global expansion is in the cards for DoctorPage, thanks to this seed round; the team explained to us today:

The funds are used to strengthen DoctorPage’s market leader position in Singapore and preparation for its international operations.

That’ll require a lot of work building up healthcare listings in other nations – but of course it makes sense for a Singaporean startup to expand quickly beyond its small home market.

In the startup’s announcement, Brehm says of the service:

We analyzed more than two dozen e-health companies worldwide and ultimately decided to invest in DoctorPage, the most promising e-health platform in the market. In only a few weeks, the team has made DoctorPage.sg the market leader in Singapore, and this reflects the excellence of the management.

Founder and CEO Max-F. Scheichenost doesn’t have the Singapore market to himself – there’s also the healthcare appointments site DocDoc which has attracted funding from Dave McClure, Jungle Ventures, and more. DocDoc is aiming at South Korea next with an eye on its massive demand for plastic surgery. It’s not yet clear where DoctorPage is looking to expand.

The DoctorPage iOS app is here.

The post Knock, Knock! Who’s There? Doctor! Doctor Who? No, a DoctorPage Seed Funding Round appeared first on Tech in Asia.

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Raising Seed and Series A rounds

My previous post laid out a simple structure for a pitch deck. Ten slides only. Easy enough right? Not really. The thinking, analysis, and work that goes on behind the scenes before you can articulate your business in a simple yet comprehensive way is far from easy. In addition, it progresses and changes as you go through your lifecycle as a startup, and as you go through the funding process.

Let’s say you read the previous post on raising an Angel round, successfully raised $250K, and used the funds to test your startup’s key hypothesis, build your product, and acquired some customers through your customer development efforts. Now, your money is running out and it is time for the next round of funding: the Seed round. This is the round that should help you really validate your business model in more detail, and help you get to scale.

VC bloggers like Mark Suster have said that Amazon Web Services has changed the VC industry by creating the trend of micro VC and Seed investment. As a result, there are 3 groups you can go to for raising your Seed round:

• Angel networks or angel groups who can syndicate to jointly fund your Seed round
• Seed funds, i.e. funds that only do early stage Seed investing
• VC’s that have Seed programs or are known to do smaller, early investments

All these three types of investors tend to say the same thing to startups looking to raise a Seed round: “Show me traction!” They expect you to have used your angel money to refine your product and get some initial market validation for your product. They also like to see that you have smartly invested in customer acquisition so you can demonstrate solid traction. The figure below visually shows which parts of your pitch should be fully completed.

On the business model metrics, the figure shows a half-full circle. In other words, it is expected that you have clarity on a number of the key metrics and have improved those to date. At this stage, the focus tends to be on those metrics that impact revenue. Dave McClure from 500Startups suggests focusing these metrics around “AARRRR”:

• Acquisition: users come to site from various channels
• Activation: users enjoy 1st visit: “happy” experience
• Retention: users come back, visit site multiple times
• Referral: users like product enough to refer others
• Revenue: users conduct some monetization behavior

For the Seed round, this tends to be sufficient. When you move to the next stage however, revenue alone is not enough. Venture Capital firms want to see a real business. A profitable one. One that can generate returns for them and their investors. That requires metrics and hard numbers that go beyond pure revenue growth. Things to consider in your business model metrics here include fixed costs, variable costs, unit economics and contribution margins, return on invested capital, etc. Some of these metrics will be generic, but many are industry specific. For example, for an e-commerce business, you have to know how much capital is locked up in inventory, your inventory turnover ratio, and the impact this has on profitability and cash flow. In summary, you have to be able to communicate your entire business and be able to convincingly explain how the balance sheet, P&L, and cash flow will change over time towards break even and profitability.

In conclusion, pitching for funding isn’t easy. Your business keeps evolving, your understanding of your business keeps involving, and as a result, your pitch continues to change. The key is to ensure that there is validated learning, clear progress and traction, and a clear view on how to reach profitable and sustainable growth. Easy enough right!?

About the author

Pieter Kemps works for Amazon Web Services and interacts closely with leading VC’s and fast growing tech startups in Asia. He is passionate about startups that combine product innovation with strong business model economics.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are the personal thoughts of Pieter Kemps and do not reflect the views of his employer or their associates.

Image credits: Caplinked Blog

The post Raising Seed and Series A rounds appeared first on e27.

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Raising Seed and Series A rounds

My previous post laid out a simple structure for a pitch deck. Ten slides only. Easy enough right? Not really. The thinking, analysis, and work that goes on behind the scenes before you can articulate your business in a simple yet comprehensive way is far from easy. In addition, it progresses and changes as you go through your lifecycle as a startup, and as you go through the funding process.

Let’s say you read the previous post on raising an Angel round, successfully raised $250K, and used the funds to test your startup’s key hypothesis, build your product, and acquired some customers through your customer development efforts. Now, your money is running out and it is time for the next round of funding: the Seed round. This is the round that should help you really validate your business model in more detail, and help you get to scale.

VC bloggers like Mark Suster have said that Amazon Web Services has changed the VC industry by creating the trend of micro VC and Seed investment. As a result, there are 3 groups you can go to for raising your Seed round:

• Angel networks or angel groups who can syndicate to jointly fund your Seed round
• Seed funds, i.e. funds that only do early stage Seed investing
• VC’s that have Seed programs or are known to do smaller, early investments

All these three types of investors tend to say the same thing to startups looking to raise a Seed round: “Show me traction!” They expect you to have used your angel money to refine your product and get some initial market validation for your product. They also like to see that you have smartly invested in customer acquisition so you can demonstrate solid traction. The figure below visually shows which parts of your pitch should be fully completed.

On the business model metrics, the figure shows a half-full circle. In other words, it is expected that you have clarity on a number of the key metrics and have improved those to date. At this stage, the focus tends to be on those metrics that impact revenue. Dave McClure from 500Startups suggests focusing these metrics around “AARRRR”:

• Acquisition: users come to site from various channels
• Activation: users enjoy 1st visit: “happy” experience
• Retention: users come back, visit site multiple times
• Referral: users like product enough to refer others
• Revenue: users conduct some monetization behavior

For the Seed round, this tends to be sufficient. When you move to the next stage however, revenue alone is not enough. Venture Capital firms want to see a real business. A profitable one. One that can generate returns for them and their investors. That requires metrics and hard numbers that go beyond pure revenue growth. Things to consider in your business model metrics here include fixed costs, variable costs, unit economics and contribution margins, return on invested capital, etc. Some of these metrics will be generic, but many are industry specific. For example, for an e-commerce business, you have to know how much capital is locked up in inventory, your inventory turnover ratio, and the impact this has on profitability and cash flow. In summary, you have to be able to communicate your entire business and be able to convincingly explain how the balance sheet, P&L, and cash flow will change over time towards break even and profitability.

In conclusion, pitching for funding isn’t easy. Your business keeps evolving, your understanding of your business keeps involving, and as a result, your pitch continues to change. The key is to ensure that there is validated learning, clear progress and traction, and a clear view on how to reach profitable and sustainable growth. Easy enough right!?

About the author

Pieter Kemps works for Amazon Web Services and interacts closely with leading VC’s and fast growing tech startups in Asia. He is passionate about startups that combine product innovation with strong business model economics.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are the personal thoughts of Pieter Kemps and do not reflect the views of his employer or their associates.

Image credits: Caplinked Blog

The post Raising Seed and Series A rounds appeared first on e27.

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Microsoft Acclerator to nearly double intake in 2013, is inviting applications for second batch

Mukund Mohan, CEO in Residence, Microsoft Accelerator for Windows Azure

The Microsoft Accelerator will take in 50 new startups in 2013 through various batches and is inviting applications for its second batch from today. Mukund Mohan, CEO in Residence at the Microsoft Accelerator says that the second batch of the four stage, four month accelerator program will begin in March 2013.

The Microsoft Accelerator for Windows Azure was announced in India last July and had taken in 11 startups for its first batch. The Bangalore based accelerator is the second the software giant has opened under its banner since the launch of its accelerator in Israel last March.

The company which also runs an accelerator in China, is planning one on similar lines in Europe as well.

During the program, Microsoft offers startups with office space, design, PR resources, mentors and other facilities. They also track the evolution of early stage startups closely using in house tools.

Of the 11 startups that are at the Microsoft program, only 2 are un funded, said Mukund Mohan. Startups including PlusTxt, Hirerabbit, Healthify.me, VentureHire.in and Whitesharkk were part of the first batch of startups.

Recommended read

A look at 11 startups selected for Microsoft Accelerator for Windows Azure Program

THE Incubator and Accelerator List in India

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DailyDose: Is Microsoft building its own Google Glass like device?

Russian Billionaire Fights to Recoup Investment in India: AKF Systema wrote off $700 million of its India investments.

Samsung wins U.S. court order to access Apple-HTC deal details: In August, the iPhone maker won a $1.05 billion verdict against Samsung.Microsoft Patent Shows It’s Working On A Google Glass Type Device Of Its Own

RIM shares rally as optimism about new devices grows: Shares of Research In Motion Ltd surged 17.3 percent in Toronto on Thursday on rising optimism around RIM’s soon-to-be-launched BlackBerry 10 device.

Apple Looking Into 3D App And File Drawer To Extend Mac OS X Dock

Banned on Wall St.: Facebook, Twitter and Gmail: Most financial firms ban Facebook, Twitter and Gmail, and block most music and video streaming sites.

Autonomy Founder Says HP Accounting Claim Doesn’t Add Up

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