Roundtables: a dialogue between you and industry experts at TIA BLR 2016

Tech in Asia conferences aim to plug the gaps in the region’s tech community. The main stage, a fixture since day one, has hosted industry heavyweights and forerunners of our time – who are now in turn, offering a towline to help us move forward.

We introduced expert stages last November, to provide practical and hands-on advice in the hottest domains in tech. While these have proven to be well-received with virtually all stages being oversubscribed, one problem remains: What happens when you have doubts following these sessions? Who can you ask for support?

Our answer to that comes in the form of Roundtables.

Round…what?

A debut segment at a TIA conference, Roundtables is an informal, cosy session where your questions will finally be answered.

Think of it as a guided group consultation, laser-focused on one topic at a time. Expect meaningful discussions, questions, and dialogues led by our speakers who bring to the table years of experience.

What will we be talking about?

Covering the most relevant issues startups today face, Roundtables will cover a range of topics from intimidating legal fundamentals, to the much-debated startup culture. A special session hosted by 500 Startups in this segment will also dive deep into the importance of diversity, and the required steps to achieving it in your company.

Want more details? Here you go:

Legal

(Speakers: Anil Advani – Managing Partner at Inventus Law; Sanjay Khan – Senior Associate at Khaitan&Co; Vivek Boray – Founder of Flometry/GIN)

Intimidated by the nitty gritty clauses and legal jargon? This workshop seeks to empower business owners in India with essential knowledge on business law at every stage.

Exits – IPO or M&A?

(Speakers: Subinder Khurana – CEO of Between Ventures; Kumar Sudarshan – Founder & Director of Qwikcilver)

Funding seems to be all the rage for Indian startups. But what’s your end goal – IPO or M&A? What’s the difference between the two, how should you build your startup towards a favourable exit, and how does the process work? This roundtable will answer your burning questions.

500 India Diversity Summit

(Speakers: TBC)

A strong believer that diversity is the key to spark new ideas and innovation, 500Startups is committed to expanding opportunities for people of all backgrounds to thrive in the entrepreneurial ecosystem. Does better education, background, or your city of residence lead to a higher probability of success? The team from 500Startups will debunk these myths.

Business model and product-market fit

(Speakers: Ritesh Dwivedy – Co-founder & CEO of Petoo; Bharat Sethi – Founder & CEO of PosterGully)

You’ve built a great product that everyone loves. But your investors are looking at more than just the number of users or downloads. Sustainability (read: profitability) is another important metric to look at too. What business models should you consider? Is there a product-market fit? When and how should you start to monetize? This session seeks to help you understand and overcome these challenges.

What I learnt from my startup journey

(Speakers: Santosh Panda – CEO of Explara; Goonjan Mall – CEO of Online Prasad; K Vaitheeswaran – Co-founder of Fabmall & Indiaplaza; Kavita Jhunjhunwala – Founder & Digital Lead at Web Spiders)

Building a startup isn’t a bed of roses. Sure, you enjoy flexible working hours and various employee perks that will incite jealousy from your peers in the corporate world. But behind the scenes are tonnes of blood, sweat, and hard work put in that the public is oblivious to. This roundtable will be a raw exchange of experiences and lessons gleaned from the startup journey.

Company culture

(Speakers: Movin Jain – Founder of galleri5; Bharat Sethi – Founder & CEO of PosterGully)

Culture can be a competitive advantage. It unites the company, attracts and retains talent, creates a better working experience, and guides the business through tough decisions. How do you start to build a great culture in your company, and what can it do for you? Find out here.

What makes good UX

(Speakers: Manoj Mohan – Design Practices Lead at Wow Labz; Luke Sequeira – Founder of DCCPER)

Startups spend time perfecting their product. But what’s the point if all it does is piss your users off? It may not seem material right now, but please your users with good UX and business will follow. This roundtable will focus on the key UX points you need to address and not let slip.

I’m in! What’s next?

If you have a slew of burning questions to ask, that’s already one step in the right direction.

1. Roundtables are only open to conference attendees. So the first step is to get your passes to Tech in Asia Bangalore 2016. Pricing for Indian locals here.

2. Register for your Roundtables slot – fast. Registrations for each session will close once it has reached maximum capacity (20). This is to keep each session conducive for questions and discussions.
   Note: Each attendee can only register for a maximum of two Roundtable sessions.

3. You’ll receive an email by end June informing you of your confirmed slots. This email will serve as your admission ticket into Roundtables!
   Pro tip: Add bangalore@tiaconference.com to your mailing list to avoid your confirmation email going to spam.