Startup Saturday Hyderabad – The 100th edition

When I decided to move back from the US in 2009 and start my own venture, little did I know about startups (or that we would be called a startup!) and the ecosystem here in Hyderabad. All I knew was “I want to do something on my own.” Two good friends and I came together, chalked out a plan, put in the money and thus was born Internfever (now YoGrad ) . We looked into our family and friends circle to introduce us to companies who we could go to and pitch our services. Someone we met during our early days suggested that we should attend one of the Startup Saturday (SS) sessions that happen on every second Saturday and that they would be a great networking platform. And that was how I was introduced to new words like ‘startups’, ‘startup ecosystem ‘, ‘angels’, and etc etc.

Startup Saturday’s changed our perspective about running a business. For 3 youngsters fresh out of college and who didn’t know what an invoice was or how branding was different from marketing and so much more, the Startup Staurdays were our classroom for learning and our platform for networking. As a ‘novice’ entrepreneur and a former volunteer for the SS-Hyd sessions, it is not exaggeration when I say that we got most of our business lessons  and clients through the Startup Saturday events in Hyderabad. We were overwhelmed to see so many individuals volunteering to help budding entrepreneurs in the city and we can proudly say that we did witness the entire ecosystem bloom. In gratitude, it only made more sense for me to blog about the ‘SSHYD100- the Centennial Startup Saturday’ event.

“When we started SS back in 2008, it just happened.  We were not thinking much beyond just starting and creating a platform for early stage startups. Someone from Headatart reached out mentioning about SS that had started in Bangalore previous month. Seemed like a good idea. We already has a small version of it, got students at IIIT  and then a few months on, we converted that into a bigger format. Never really saw beyond month at a time. And quickly became a steady early stage enabler.  And soon it became 8 years and now SS100. Amazing journey. Volunteer led.  Very actively supported by the whole ecosystem in Hyderabad.”, quotes Ramesh Loganathan, the chief man behind Startup Saturday’s in Hyderabad.

Through the last 100 SS – Hyd events, more than 600 entrepreneurs from across various domains like ed-tech, data analytics, food tech, healthcare , women entrepreneurs, social enterprises  and more got an opportunity to pitch their startups and also network with mentors, investors and the likes. Startup Saturday Hyderabad has been the most consistent community meetup for startups in Hyderabad.  The 100th edition puts together some brilliant panel discussions and fireside chats with some amazing entrepreneurs.

Srikanth Soni, one of the oldest volunteers with SS Hyd says, “My journey with Headstart started in 2011 as an attendee. In early 2014 I joined as a volunteer, little realizing that this was going to transform me forever. It’s almost impossible to find a purely volunteer driven initiative with such consistency. With the 100th edition coming up, it only made sense to celebrate with grandeur and bring together the entire entrepreneurial community. SS100 will feature Panel discussion with – investors, coworking spaces, accelerators, incubators, successful Startups, Startup pitches along with music, food and some fun.

This particular tweet sums up the manner in which SS has become synonymous with Saturdays –

Contrary to the popular belief, Startup Saturday folks did not invent Saturday – BK Birla

Need we say more? “

Come be a part of the the Centennial Startup Saturday. You can buy your tickets by clicking here.

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