The D-Day

And finally it happened. A small journey that started off on a dull afternoon culminated into my first ever meeting with the investors. I have no clue on what it took i-dream to be amongst the 1000 ideas from the total of 12000 which appeared in the first round. Very frankly, real work on the business plan had started only after I had cleared the first round. And then, i-dream managed to even clear the last hurdle and enter into the final round. May be it was the power of idea we had which was strong enough to be one amongst the 234 ideas which made it to the final round.

The final round involved a meeting with the potential investors. I have been preparing for this meeting since a very long time with innumerable days and hours going into it. On the D-day, Dad and me reached on time and we were asked to go into the meeting slightly before scheduled time of 11:45 AM. That the meeting lasted for more than 1.5 hours against the allotted time of 45 mins is a good enough indication of the fact that the things were all positive. The panel liked our idea, concept, marketing, sales strategy etc. However, the only point was that we are still a pre revenue company which therefore increases the risk from the investor's point of view. And very honestly, the point is fair as well. I mean why would someone want to invest money into an idea which is still at a very nascent stage. Secondly, we are trying to sell a concept and not really a product whose market exists already.

So, we may not get the immediate funding but the prospect of getting one is extremely high if we are able to prove our concept in the coming 5-6 months. Moreover, the entire exercise has also helped me give a definite shape to entire business plan which I feel is so critical for any new venture. It helps in more ways than one. Firstly, it sets the direction where you would see your venture shaping up in the years to come. And secondly, since you know your potential numbers much before, you also avoid a lot of frustration creeping into you during the early years when you may not be making all the profits.

As I have said before, " It may or may not, the dreamer will keep dreaming", and so it will be.

My i-pod somehow catches the mood of my guitar and keeps playing the same song, " Piyu bole..piya bole...kya ye bole...jaanu na". Enjoy!