Hundreds of start-ups in India were all charged up on Monday. None other than Michael Dell, the father of the modern PC business, was to answer their queries.
While some were lucky to attend the Michael Dell event in person, others got a chance to tweet questions, the answers to which were to be given later in the day.
The fledgling entrepreneurs are so excited that they have started updating their Twitter accounts as they hear Dell at “In conversation with Dell,” organised by 10,000 Start-Ups in association with the PC firm. 10,000 Start-Ups is Nasscom’s recent initiative to incubate, fund and mentor 10,000 start-ups in the next 10 years. It wants to create at least 15 companies with a Rs 5,000-crore turnover by the end of the 10-year initiative. “Nobody wants just Big Data, they want Big Results that can have Big Impact. In Dell, we have done quite a few start-ups where internally people had ideas, we funded them, built them and also own stakes in them,” Dell said, addressing the gathering in Bangalore on Monday.
Michael Dell is letting the secret out. Consumer start-ups are in a crowded space. Do enterprise, instead, another said, quoting Dell.
Questions for Dell
Questions began to pour in on a host of issues on Twitter. They ranged from his daring decision to buy back stock to the problems with running a firm.
Michael Dell, the founder-Chief Executive Officer, is on a low-key tour, but Nasscom convinced him to answer queries from start-ups. The moment it announced Dell was available to take queries, 10,000 Start-Ups’ Twitter account was flooded with scores of queries. The news spread like wildfire among the start-up community.
Excitement unlimited
“The day has arrived! Michael Dell will be in India today. We have confirmed selected requests for an invite for the Michael Dell event,” 10,000 Start-Ups tweeted early today. “Couldn't score an invite to the event? Tweet your questions about starting up for Michael Dell to us. Don’t forget to use #AskDell to get answers from him,” it said. Pat came the response from start-ups. One start-up wanted to know the answer to the question: “(What is the) mantra to survive and sustain for a start-up in those difficult days financially when they are small and not recognised?”
“Is it important for a tech start-up to be based out of (Silicon) Valley to increase their chance of success (funding, guidance),” another fledgling entrepreneur wondered.
Another start-up raised a basic question: “Is it good to throw away the current job for a start-up when the only thing I have is an Idea?”