Lufthansa, in partnership with The Indus Entrepreneurs, is hosted the second edition of the The Start-up with almost 10,000 in attendance. The expo was attended by around 75 investors, 100 partners, 500 mentors and about 250 startups.
The Start-up Expo, India’s largest ecosystem for start-up success, recently took place at GoWork, Gurugram. Co-created by Lufthansa and The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE), the unique one day event brought together all that is needed for start-up success – investors, mentors, business experts, industry partners, government agencies, corporates and customers – all under one roof.
Taking forward the unprecedented success of the first Startup Expo held in 2016, the second edition featured over 75 investors, 100 partners, 500 mentors, 250 startup showcase and drew more than 10,000 attendees. It will provided start-ups an opportunity to explore funding opportunities, receive valuable insights at expert workshops, gain mentorship, engage with government organizations, network with potential partners, customers and more.
This is yet another step taken by Lufthansa to partner the success of Indian business. Over the past five years, Lufthansa has empowered 150,000 entrepreneurs through its flagship program Lufthansa Runway to Success, a platform that has grown to become India’s largest SME stage. It has been a catalyst for some of India’s most disruptive start-ups such as Chaayos, Sattviko, Find My Stay, Heads up for Tails, Prozo amongst others.
Wolfgang Will, Senior Director, South Asia, Lufthansa Passenger Airlines, said, “Entrepreneurship is the driving force of the Indian economy. We at Lufthansa feel privileged to be at the heart of this nationwide movement celebrating entrepreneurship. As an integral part of our Lufthansa Runway to Success initiative, the Startup Expo yet again brings alive our promise to be More Indian Than You Think.”
The Start-up Expo followed close on the heels of a chain of free Lufthansa Runway to Success mentorship camps organized by TiE chapters across nine cities to offer insights and advice to nurture small and medium entrepreneurs. This year, over 2,000 startups participated in these workshops and received an opportunity to engage and draw inspiration from mentors and business experts.
The Start-up Expo saw participation from entrepreneurs across diverse sectors, including Technology, FinTech, social and food. Startups got an opportunity to network with top business experts from various industries, besides investors, VCs, accelerators, industry associations, service organizations as well as corporates. This year too, Startup Expo attracted widespread support from organizations such as Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP), Sequoia Capital, Unitus Seed Fund, IDG Ventures India, YourNest, Calcutta Angels, Ivy Camp; Indian Angel Network, Orios Venture Partner; IFC, Kalaari Capital, Saif Partners, etc.
According to Geetika Dayal, Executive Director, TiE Delhi-NCR, “This is the collective strength of India coming together to fuel the drive and passion of young entrepreneurs. Lufthansa’s strong commitment to partnering the success of Indian business is creditable. As the largest global network fostering entrepreneurship, TiE’s core philosophy is to support startups and SMEs with opportunities and mentoring them for success. This is why our long-standing partnership with Lufthansa through initiatives such as Runway to Success and the Startup Expo is unparalleled.”
India is the 3rd largest base for startups in the world witnessing a YoY growth of 10-12% and is expected to grow by 2.2X till 2020, according to an industry report. The Startup Expo provided a great chance to interact with and learn about the most innovative and exciting start-up ventures in India.
