Hi all,

I am puzzled. I am involved in the Design Business Incubator project set up
recently by NID and surprise- surprise! After all the emails about how DBI
needs to work with only NID designers- out of 80 proposals- there was hardly
one/two NID entries and that too one of them was by a student who has still
not graduated! (Prashant, please correct me if I am wrong)

C’mon guys whatever happened to good ideas? Don’t you have something you
want to develop, have dreamt of developing and wished that you had the
backing for it? Wished that you had NID infrastructure, a library like NID
and a potential VC to back you? I certainly wish I had something like this
when I set up my first business venture.

I raised the issue with DBI members and they are as puzzled as I am. Perhaps
you don’t really know the details, but at the risk of repeating to some:

1. The DBI offers key NID facilities- Library, W Shops, Internet and
Communications, access to academic experts on various topics.
2. Opportunities to interact with the big VCs from day 1- and potentially
get their funding (I know how tough it is to get them to even listen to you
on your own)
3. Leveraging your ideas with potential Industry partners
4. Apart from VCs (ICICI, Sidbi, Gujarat Finance), The DBI board has high
quality professionals- like Priti Vyas Gianetti, entrepreuners who are also
board members of NID governing council, IIMA professors- who will provide
guidance to incubatees.
5. DBI is headed by an IIMA graduate and other positions are yet to be
filled in.

And all this is available at a nominal monthly cost- where NID is not making
any money. Any experienced entrepreneur will tell you how cost intensive and
difficult it is to set up your own business. The heartaches are many and
rewards are few, in the initial years. A little bit of backing goes a long
way, when your business is at seed stage.

I would strongly encourage anyone out there, who wants to start a design
business/ has a great idea to take forward- please apply! You can send your
proposal to:

Prashant Kutaula, COO- DBI,NID
His email id: info@...

Cheers,
Shibani

_________________________________________________________________
Take a loan. Win great prizes! Handsome prizes to be won! Take a loan & win
TV, Fridge & many more prizes ! http://go.msnserver.com/IN/44044.asp