Vision India 2020 Book Review: Edward Fields

Edward Fields, founder, chairman and CEO of HotChalk, has posted the following review of Vision India 2020 by Sramana Mitra:

“Charting a course to the future and actually providing a tool to practically navigate with is what separates Sramana’s work from so many others.

Sramana’s ability to see over the horizon with a grounded perspective on the realities we face today makes this work a critical read for anyone concerned about how and why India continues to win.”
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Partner Events

IIT Kharagpur Students at Kairos Summit in New York – April 16-18, 2010
Entrepreneur Commons, San Francisco – April 26, 2010 
Entrepreneur Commons, San Francisco – April 28, 2010

IIT Kharagpur Students at Kairos Summit in New York – April 16-18, 2010
Congratulations to Ankit Narayan, Aniket Panda, Anuj Gupta and Subhendu Panigrahi for representing IIT Kharagpur and India at the Kairos Global Summit 2010 in New York this weekend.
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Smartphone Ecosystem (Part 10): Beyond Smartphones – High End

By guest author Nalini Kumar Muppala

Retailers such as Target have recently started accepting coupons from smartphones. However, in much of the Western world one still has to make in-store electronic payments with a plastic card. Consumers in advanced mobile markets such as Japan and South Korea routinely pay using their phones. >>>

Food Entreprenueurs: TastyKhana

By guest author Erika Valdez

Known for being a country in which home-cooked meals are highly valued, India prides itself on being a society in which food traditions stand strong. Yet fast food restaurants such as McDonald’s and Jumbo King have not only made an entry into the market but have prospered. There is also growing demand for more sophisticated options among young Indian professionals and families who enjoy Sunday brunches and discovering new restaurants. The expansion of fast food chains into India’s smaller cities and towns and the demand for premium brands across major cities has resulted in strong growth in recent years. What’s more, India is the world’s second largest producer of food next to China, and according to McKinsey & Co, the retail food sector in India is likely to grow from around $70 billion in 2008 to $150 billion in 2025. The company has the potential to be a leader in the food and agricultural sectors, according to the Food Industry of India, and one of the most promising sub-sectors is fast food. This situation creates a large number of fast-growing food markets. >>>

IPO In China: Made-In-China.com President Joseph Wong (Part 3)

SM: Tell me more about your website. Is it entirely in English?

JW: We have two languages for our site, English and Chinese. The English portion of the site is targeted at the international trade market, such as importers. The Chinese side is targeted at the domestic Chinese market, which would primarily be the manufacturers and exporters. >>>

Forbes Column 2010: Bootstrapped SaaS Gains Critical Mass

Entrepreneurs are building significant Software-as-a-Service businesses without outside capital. Read more in this week’s Forbes column, Bootstrapped SaaS Gains Critical Mass.

Smartphone Ecosystem (Part 9): Applications

By guest author Nalini Kumar Mappala

Part of the success of the iPhone can be attributed to the App store. To its credit, Apple  had the foresight to see the smartphone as what it is – a computing device and not merely a piece of communication equipment – and devise a strategy to sell software that further enhances it. “App store economics,” as it came to be called, is based on the classic principle of economies of scale. In fact, impressed by the success of this strategy, Apple sold Snow Leopard (the latest incarnation of Mac OS X for computers) for an unprecedented $29. However, it might be argued that the reduced pricing was a means to bring more users to the latest OS and thus reduce support expenses in the long run. >>>

IPO In China: Made-In-China.com President Joseph Wong (Part 2)

SM: Was your strategy to consolidate Chinese exporters on one side and worldwide importers on the other side and then let them connect through your Web services?

JW: Yes. The idea was to put suppliers and buyers on a single site so that they could meet. >>>