Startup resources –
http://mca.gov.in/
(updated – 06/03/09)
Almost all legalities related to setting up a company can be completed online from this site. One of the most useful feature is checking if a company name is available for registration. Create a user i.d as ‘registered user’ and after logging in select ‘check for company name’ from the list. The search results are not very easy to navigate, but at least you can!
http://www.legalserviceindia.com/company law/company_formation_procedure.htm
More detailed info on forming a company in India
http://www.smallindustryindia.com/
Government website for Small and Medium Enterprises.
http://madaan.com/incorporate.htm#DSC
Lists the procedure to setup a business in India. Although not applicable for very small ventures, if you are thinking of setting up a limited company, this will be very useful.
http://www.startupdunia.com/
Follows news about startups.
http://www.jbv.com/lessons/lesson01.htm
Find out more about entrepreneurship and decide for yourself if you are built for it.


Interesting startups –
http://dailydump.org/
This company provides solutions for people to eager to make their homes “green” . They have a number of products and solutions to help people start composting their household waste at home. Products are available for gardens of all sizes, from the very small to real big ones too. They also offer service plans for the people who don’t have enough time and still want to stay green.
What works
1. The products – custom designed earthen pots – are extremely good looking and trendy. They can serve an additional purpose of decorating your house. You can plant small plants in them too.
2. I think the service plan is a great idea. Many a time, people can afford a lot of things but don’t have the time to maintain them, like people have kids and then hire a nanny to take care of them. Well, not a great example but you get the idea.
3. Anything green is fashionable nowadays, so you can price it a premium and get good publicity, endorsements too.
What might not work
1. Although I do not know the pricing details, I’d be pleasantly surprised if all this came at a low cost.
2. The entire composting process is time taking, food waste takes around 15days to completely decompose. Also, you need to pay attention the pots during this period. Only the most committed of green advocates would be willing to spend so much time. The service plan is a good idea, but can everybody afford it?
3. Although the website says that they are working on a solution for apartment flats, constraint for space may be one thing to consider. Plus, a foul smelling compost pot (it’ll smell if proper aeration is not done by turning the compost regularly) would not be so good inside a house.

http://www.blessingzonline.com/
This company designs and manufactures prayer kits for businesses and companies to give as gifts. They have a retail version of their product too. They the website only lists a Hindu prayer kit, I believe they have one for Muslims too.
What works
Considering the fact that they broke even in 3 months, something is definitely working for them.
1. Corporates usually gift dry fruits to their clients and sometimes employees. A prayer kit sounds much more exciting than the staid dry fruits.

http://www.evam.co.in/
Turned a hobby into a business. Organize drama and theater presentations in various formats for corporates.
What works
1. Being closely associated with the H.R at my previous employer, I have seen the amount of time, money and effort corporates are willing to spend in order to motivate their employees. This company has a very interesting service which can be utilized by such corporates.
2. It’s a hobby turned business, meaning the management have a passion towards theatre and drama.
What may not work
Cost cutting measures at companies can severely hurt them.

https://chalbasey.com
Aimed at the Indian diaspora around the world. It is trying to provide a facility for people to broadcast the news of a death in the family. In addition it has some social features – aimed only for families – such as the facility to upload pictures, videos and a guestbook feature.Compares its features with TOI, NY times, Tributes.com and Legacy.com.
What works – I think this website has found a niche market, although it may not be large one right now. I haven’t seen deaths being announced through a website, only recently have I seen weddings being announced this way. But, there might be a decent market overseas. Plus, the website is also providing a feature to search for a holy man and places to complete the last rites. I haven’t tried these features myself, so can’t comment on how good they are.
What may not work
1. We Indians are very social people, we also have a strong attachment to our communities and families. In such a scenario, I’m not sure how many would like to go for an impersonal medium to broadcast that somebody close to them is no more.
2. Also, death is still somewhat taboo among Indians. We often do not talk about it. Broadcasting a message about a death may not come easily to some.
These may not hold true to non-resident Indians and to people in the better off social strata. Anyway, I think it is a unique idea and hope it works well.


Blogs –
http://www.guykawasaki.com/ – one of the most popular blogs ever.
http://www.kiruba.com/ – one of the firsts and most famous Indian blogs.
http://numsum.com/spreadsheet/show/23163 – List of startups.
http://trak.in/ – Comments about current economic issues.
http://www.pluggd.in – How could i have been so late in putting this very popular Indian business blog?
http://www.venturewoods.org/ – Venture capital and startup blog
http://witopia.blogspot.com/ – Blog of an entrepreneur from Bangalore – callgraph.in – records skype calls

Will keep adding to this list as I find more.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.