KOLKATA: At a time chief minister Mamata Banerjee is flying to Germany to woo investors to
Bengal
and create
jobs
in the city, a large group of individuals have taken her other suggestion of setting up self-employment options more seriously. And no, they aren’t setting up roadside ‘telebhaja’ (fritter) shops, but something far smarter and profitable, on their own.
A sizeable bunch of Kolkata’s youngsters are saying no to nine-to-five jobs and walking the brave path of startups. So much so, that the city now features among the top emerging centres for start-ups in the entire country, not lagging too much behind Mumbai, Bengaluru and Delhi, which lead the race.
“Two years ago,” said Ravi Ranjan, head,
Nasscom
10,000 Startups, the platform that aims to mentor and provide logistical help to startups, “the ecosystem was slower than what it is now. Startups didn’t know where to get funding from, and proper mentorship was not available. There have been cases where a
startup
didn’t have the right investors to get funds from or the right ideas. The situation is, however, fast changing here now.”
The Nasscom 10,000 Startup Warehouse in Salt Lake’s Sector V provides places for budding tech startups to incubate — gives them space, proper connectivity, guidance and put them under the purview of a manager. The warehouse received more than 400 applications, of which 35 were selected for incubation. “You need to have the right idea for getting selected and investors must like the idea of the startup,” adds Ranjan, who is a former startup manager at the Warehouse.
In a city where overqualified people regularly apply for a peon’s post, the need for an entrepreneurship destination for the young-at-heart was sorely felt. Now, instead of sitting idle, they are using whatever skill set they have to start their own companies.
Passion, say startup entrepreneurs, is the most important thing — both to take the first brave step and then to drive it to greater heights. And the equation is simple: entrepreneurship is more than self-employment. One simply has to be in that ‘zone’ — passionate promotion, the attempt to do something new every now and then, implement new ideas, struggle to take it forward, and not lose hope no matter how tough the going gets.
“To me, entrepreneurship is being my own boss,” says Arijit Das, who runs the restaurant Foodpath at Baranagar, which remains open every day, even during strikes and bandhs. “I work every day of the week, and don’t take days off to be with friends or family but I don’t complain, as I would have done in a regular job,” he adds.
Being independent is very important. Most founders do not let the societal pressure of “surviving without a proper job” affect them. “I have always loved to experiment, be it with my hobby or even the profession I was in,” says Ria Banerjee of RB-Artfx, which has graduated from selling customized cards to hand-painted bottles, lampshades, mugs and even pillow covers. “I was teaching at a school, but my hobby of crafting and painting was known to everyone. The idea of starting up RB-Artfx came to me last July, when one of my closest friends gave me the first order for a customised card. I realized this is what I was meant for. I left my job and set up a customised gift house where customers could get customised gift items according to their budget and choice.”
For Subhasree Basu, the monotony of going to office every day did not appeal to her. Subhasree, who worked in the administrative department of a private hospital, says: “I was never comfortable with a stereotypical desk job and the routine nature of my job. I had a knack of designing sarees and experimenting with various forms of clothing and accessories. I left the job and started my own boutique.” She owns a designer boutique, Shree’s, at Jadavpur, which operates through Facebook and city exhibitions.
No matter how much passion there is, there is always the F-word: funding, which is most important. But then, there are always ‘angel investors’ (businessmen who fund startups). All one needs to do is come up with an innovative idea and a viable
business
model, and that can provide the necessary kick to the investor to fund the business. At the Nasscom incubation centre, six such startups have received funding from angel investors.
Calcutta Angels, a platform that brings together a group of angel investors, has also invested on seven to eight startups around the country. The organization has spent about Rs 70 lakh on each startup. “This year, we are looking to fund around three to four startups from Kolkata, based on the merit of their ideas,” says Calcutta Angels president Sidharth Pansari.
Not too long ago, startups with very little resources found themselves in a difficult spot, as the city did not have many incubation centres to nurture them during their initial days. Now, the city has three: Nasscom 10,000 Startups Warehouse, the IIMCIP (IIM Calcutta Innovation Park) at Joka and Innokul on Park Street.
The mushrooming of startups in eastern India has also added a positive note to the job scenario in Kolkata. Just-out-of college freshers can try a hand at startups with decent salary packages. According to Nasscom data, only technology startups by Nasscom has provided direct jobs to more than 200 and indirect jobs to at least 1,000 people in the city.
“Startups have always been there,” says Abhishek Gupta, co-founder of Tootle. “It’s just that it has become more noticeable now, especially in Kolkata, where things have just started improving. If you see other metros like Mumbai or Bengaluru, it is much more pronounced there, as people explore new domains more often. But in Kolkata, people generally want secure jobs rather than take the risk of creating something new.”
So, where is this all headed? Startups are surely a trend now, but only time will tell how steadily these youngsters can hold on to the reins, and where they can guide the fledgling ventures. As of now, however, it looks like a step in the right direction — up.
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