#ssKochi – Speaking at HeadStart Startup Saturday Kochi

On Saturday, I had the opportunity to speak at HeadStart organized event – Startup Saturday. I was invited  to participate on the panel discussion on “Digital Marketing” by Mittu Tigi from Zhooyi Communications. It was one of the first “unconferences” I attended in a long time and was looking forward to learn and share with the startups of Kochi. Here is a quick report on the event if you missed it 🙂

The event started off with a quick introduction by Mittu on what Startup Saturday was about and its history in Kochi. Previously, the events were conducted in Startup Village and this was the first time it was being organized at the Infopark campus. The introduction was followed with a impromptu session by Krishna Kumar of GreenPepper Digital on the importance of digital marketing and on how companies can leverage digital for their business for branding and lead generation.

kk-speaking-sskochi

I liked how he used the floor than the stage for the talk and it led to a discussion than a one-way radio show and the attendees were able to get answers to their questions on their digital marketing challenges. After the talk, we had a quick networking break where I had the chance to talk to interesting entrepreneurs ranging from a property consultant, a fiction writer and others working in the self publishing, education and electronics space.

sskochi-audience

The “Featured Entrepreneur”session by Rosh Cherian was well received and I was impressed with how his venture CogniCor uses Artificial Intelligence to enable enterprises provide better customer support to their customers.

cognicor-kochi

And finally it was time for the panel discussions. It was time. The last time I got on stage, I got reviews that said I was faster than cooking Maggie Noodles or a visit to the washroom!!

Expectation

wolf-wall-street

Reality!

stage-fright

 

Ah well! 😉

But this time, the discussions went on for a full hour, thanks to the interactive audience.  The discussion revolved around social media and search engines as a traffic source and the latest trends on digital marketing such as WhatsApp marketing. The ongoing dip of organic exposure on Facebook for pages was also discussed.

theanand-digital-marketing

I always love a brainstorming session on how businesses can leverage digital for lead generation and hence the panel discussion was a fun activity.

plant from headstart

@StartupSaturday Kochi, Guys, quick question, is it comfortable indoor or outdoors? Is it trained? I did not get the instruction manual! Jokes aside, I loved the memento! Thanks!

If you were at the event, do tell me your feedback! The next event by HeadStart Startup Saturday will be around the topic of “Funding” and you can follow them on Facebook to know more.


Comments

5 responses to “#ssKochi – Speaking at HeadStart Startup Saturday Kochi”

  1. Thank you Anand for the detailed report on Startup Saturday Kochi – August. We are happy to see that you had fun while sharing your thoughts with the entrepreneurial community in Kochi. Looking forward for more associations.

    1. Thank you guys for having me. 🙂

  2. Benny Dominic Avatar
    Benny Dominic

    Hi, Anand!

    Your talk was both enlightening and inspiring…! Your signature style, I guess, is your flair for presenting the knottiest issue in the plainest of terms…! Your interaction has that lighthearted and cheerful approach which is quite impressive and appealing…!

    But in my case, I failed to grab the content in all its informative and extensive detail! The fault is no one else’s but mine as I hadn’t been geared up for the event the way one ideally had to be. The basic amount of groundwork that needed to go beforehand into the topic was absent in my case. That too, while the topic was one, of which my understanding was almost next to nothing! Weird, taking into account my solid 10 year stint as a Web Designer, right…?!

    What I wish to know, therefore, is about the possibilities of another session (or sessions, for that matter!) taking place on the same topic, anytime in the future…?!
    There is one more reason, though, why I look forward to something of the sort: I feel there definitely is a lot more that could be of immense help for those aspiring but uninitiated wannabes, to tap from what you people are unmistakably and abundantly worth…!

    Regards!

    1. Thank you Benny 🙂 It was great meeting you as well. We should catch up sometime to discuss the writing!

  3. Benny Dominic Avatar
    Benny Dominic

    Definitely…!
    Meantime I am going through your blogs, one after another…! Will cover as many as possible, and may make a few comments..! Only, it could take some time…!

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