Startup and business pitching events often evoke deja vu in terms of their formats — the regular presentations, investor panels and idea-grilling sessions end up being another monotonous activity where one’s unsure about anything fruitful coming out of it. Mumbai-based Nodd wanted to give this a new spin with Tu Bhi Beer Hai , named after the TVF show, where pitching turns out to be fun, constructive and helps startups establish key relationships to surge ahead. This one-of-a-kind pitching experience combines pitching with food and beverages with top entrepreneurs of the country, the right mix of seriousness and comfort under one roof. The event in its fourth edition was hosted for the first time in Hyderabad recently, where ideas, discussions and business engagements flourished over a plate of biryani and beverages.
Shubham (second from left) and team Nodd, at their Hyderabad event
The founder of Nodd, Shubham Rai too underwent the rigmarole that most startups go through. Having been a natural ally to startups, when he ideated Tu Bhi Beer Hai (TBBH), he wanted an event that’s outgoing and facilitates interaction. Fuzel of Nodd’s team tells us, “We wanted to come up with a concept where it becomes easy for them to talk about raising money, take the dread out of the whole process of asking for funds.” The idea was to be convenient and at the same time not lose focus. The event is divided into two parts —the pitching takes place in a confined space, where the ideas of the startups are respected, another area is for networking amid food, beverages, where the need for order is minimal.
They admit the concept is their biggest USP, apart from the investor presence. Also, one their biggest trade-offs is their help to people who’ve never pitched before in their lives, loosen up. “They weren’t comfortable with the idea of pitching before, this concept transformed their abilities. We’ve had men in their 40s come up and tell us about the change,” Fuzel adds. Yet they wouldn’t call this fun, they insist it’s learning-oriented, comfortable and nurtures relationships. “One of the most important facets of an entrepreneur’s life is his/her connections. This is our way to help them.”
Proven record
The format has tasted success across various other cities including Bengaluru, Pune, Mumbai and Chennai. They’re impressed with the variety of startups in Hyderabad — a mix of food, technology, content platforms. “The seriousness of the startups is one of the best we’ve seen.” What has changed over these four editions across various cities? “The values have remained the same. If there’s a change, it has got to be the presence of mentors, professionals in the industry who help us pick startups.”
However, the startup ecosystem is one where more fail than succeed. How do they plan to change that? “We have great ideas. But startups don’t realise it’s exponential growth that defines them. I see many are struggling because they’re not familiar with the industry, they miss out on taking their branding and their name seriously and don’t communicate very clearly.”
They also add that the culture of investing is yet to catch up in the country. “Many are hesitant to work with investors for the lack of liberty. We want to expand TBBH across the country beyond metros as well, we want to connect to the grass roots of the country and have firms network with the right investors.”
