Experimenting With An Event Called Insights

Planning to try an event called Insights,  for the Chennai TiE startup SIG event in mid July.  Would love your feedback. Here are our current thoughts:

1. Who Can Participate?

1. Startups making presentations.
2. Business Advisers – a group of Angels, VCs, startup mentors and coaches
3. Entrepreneurs and Intrapreneurs  – Development, Marketing, Sales, Business Development  and Finance People

2. How does it work?

Presentations are divided into batches. Typically each batch consists of 3 presentations. Number of batches depends on the time available for the event. In this we may have 2 batches (about 1.5 hours each)

Each startup is given a slot to present their business and ideas  to the entire audience. In addition to presenting, they can ask for specific advise from the group.

After a batch finishes their presentations (typically three), the entire audience is divided into groups – one group per startup. Each group  deliberates and comes up with suggestions, recommendations and answers to the questions posed by the startup.

After deliberations, every one congregates in one place and one representative  from each group presents their findings and any advice they have for the startup.

3. What do the startups get?

• You get to present in front a friendly attentive group (think of this as your informal advisers)
• You get the collective intelligence of a group of experts and peers
• You get to understand how their startup is being perceived ( by participating during discussions)
• You get specific advice/suggestions from a peer group
• They get a chance to get some validation for their business idea and get any critical inputs

4. What do the audience get?

• If you are an angel or VC, you get a chance to listen to various startups
• If you are an entrepreneur, you learn from these discussions.
• You get to wear the shoes of the startup and think through their business opportunities and challenges
• You get  a chance to share your knowledge and help your peers (and in future, get help from them as well)

We are trying to leverage the collective intelligence of the group and build a support community for entrepreneurs.

Let me know what you think.

Background

I participated in something similar almost a decade ago the SF Bay Area as a member of the audience and liked it very much. They had two batches of three startups each. Due to a large number of ideas, they gave each start up two groups.