New
Delhi, January 31, 2009: IndiaMART.com founder and CEO,
Dinesh Agarwal, Smile Interactive’s Chief Mentor, Mahendra
Swarup, Contest2Win founder, Alok Kejriwal and Info Edge Ltd MD &
CEO, Mr Sanjeev Bikhchandani – all stalwarts in their field,
recently came together on to a common platform - an event
organized by The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) hosted at the India
Habitat Centre on 30th January in New Delhi.
The event was attended by a majority of aspiring entrepreneurs,
start-up enthusiasts and venture capitalists. Speaking on ‘Surviving
and Winning in a Downturn’, a panel discussion, an optimistic
Dinesh Agarwal said, “The online business is about serving
your customers well, at the right price, and despite all break
down. And when the markets are facing mayhem, you must choose to
pounce on latent opportunities by realigning your approach and
rethinking your strategies.”
Using his vast experience over the past decade, Sanjeev
Bikhchandani - known for his famous portal Naukri.com said, “One
should assume that there will be no funding and then decide to go
ahead with their start-up. Rather than focusing on dream projects,
it's imperative to emphasize on returns in the next quarter or
within the current year. If your project does not guarantee
returns so early, then one needs to realign the marketing and
distribution strategies.”
Hosted by The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE), the event brought
together leaders who have seen the resurgence of the internet
after the dotcom burst and emerged winners; and promising
entrepreneurs who believe in the commercial potential of the
Internet. Answering a question as to whether a business should opt
for online, offline or hybrid model, Mr Agarwal said that it
depends entirely upon the type of business model in practice and
the strategies in effect at that particular time, considering
prevailing market scenario.
Fielding a question as to the right time to start a new venture,
an optimistic Mahendra Swarup said that if he could afford to
start a company, he would do it now, in the downturn, as it is the
best time to go ahead with any new kind of start up.
Dinesh Agarwal added, “Sun Tzu writes in his book The Art of
War, ‘when in peace, be at war’. It’s true;
recession is really the time when you can gather all the
ammunition you will need once things improve”. The technocrat
started IndiaMART.com in 1996, survived the dotcom burst in 2001,
and is today running India’s largest online B2B marketplace.
Also brought to the table were case studies of companies that
stayed afloat during the burst, and what was learnt from their
experiences.
About IndiaMART.com
IndiaMART.com is India's largest online B2B marketplace. It
connects Indian suppliers with international and domestic buyers
through business directories, online product catalogs, buy-sell
offers, printed media and trade shows participation.
Founded in 1996, the company has a presence in over 100 cities
pan-India. With approximately 1000 employees, IndiaMART.com offers
an extensive range of value-added products and services to over
500,000 members and over 5 million global buyers across industries
and verticals.
IndiaMART.com has won numerous awards over the years including
Red Herring 100 Asia & Emerging India and the company has been
widely covered by media such as CNBC, BBC, BusinessMoney, CNN,
Businessworld, Economic Times, Financial Express, etc.
About TiE
The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE), was founded in 1992 in Silicon
Valley by a group of successful entrepreneurs, corporate
executives, and senior professionals with roots in the Indus
region. There are currently over 12,000 members and more than
1,800 charter members in 52 chapters across 11 countries. TiE’s
mission is to foster entrepreneurship globally through mentoring,
networking, and education. Dedicated to the virtuous cycle of
wealth creation and giving back to the community, TiE’s focus
is on generating and nurturing our next generation of
entrepreneurs.
Besides its flagship event, TiECon--the largest professional
conference for entrepreneurs, TiE now has a wide range of programs
including Special Interest Groups (SIGs), TiE Institute, Deal Flow
Meetings, TiE Young Entrepreneurs, and, most recently, TiE Women’s
Forum and CEO Forum.
For more information, please visit :
www.indiamart.com/press-section/
Media Contacts:
IndiaMART.com
Arun
Tyagi
Marketing & PR
Mobile: +91-9711003832
Telephone: +91-120-3911000
Email: aruntyagi@indiamart.com
|
TiE
Geetika
Dayal
Executive Director, New Delhi
Mobile: +91-9810539848
Telephone: +91-120-4243322
Email: geetika@tienewdelhi.org
|
