Surya Thankam

MARKETING PLAN OUTLINE FOR INCUBATORS – SURYA THANKAM I.   Executive Summary Technopark Technology Business Incubator (T-TBI), a joint association of Technopark, Trivandrum and the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, is avidly helping the technology business start-ups with all the necessary resources and supports they need to evolve and grow as a ripened business. Technopark Technology Business Incubator (T-TBI) has registered as a Society under the Travancore Cochin Literary, Scientific and Charitable Societies Registration Act XII of 1955 in 2006 and has started operation during 2007. TBI’s aim is to provide incubatees with necessary infrastructure support, technology/ prototype development support, research assistance, help in getting funding, business consulting assistance and do whatever is necessary to make the start-up a success. II.   The Challenge Providing the right kind of support for incubatees operating in different domains has been a major challenge for us. To address this , Technopark TBI has initiated the Step to start a Telecom Incubator in association with MobME a leading graduated company from T-TBI in providing mobile value added services. Earlier the major challenge used to be arranging Seed Fund for the Technology start ups. This problem was addressed when NSTEDB, Department of Science & Technology granted Seed Funding for dispersing to the Incubatees. II.   Situation Analysis Incubator Analysis Technopark Business Incubation Centre (T-BIC) started operating in the year 2002 and has been assisting entrepreneurs in launching new ventures in the area of ICT from the prestigious campus of Technopark. The initiative was launched with Rs.25 Lakhs as grant from Govt. of Kerala. With the establishment of TBI in 2006 Technopark has been able to admit Technology ventures also and has 5 Technology Start ups till date. So far we are able to incubate 76 start-ups and 44 of these companies have graduated. 27 companies are continuing their operation and only 5 companies have been dropped out due to various reasons. The success rate of the incubator programme is almost 93%! The graduated companies are working in the Technopark campus and they have generated employment opportunities of almost 2000-2500. Client Analysis We do a lot of Entrepreneurship Awareness Programmes for identifying innovative ideas right from the colleges and provide all support to nurture these young talents to mature into Techno-entrepreneurs. Most of our incubatees are coming out directly from the College Campuses. A major percentage is coming as Spin out from larger companies operating inside Technopark. Competitor Analysis Collaborators TTBI operates in close co-operation with national R&D Centres and premier academic institutions to provide assistance to entrepreneurs in identifying technologies or undertake technology development activities. Technopark TBI is working together with other TBIs in the State and acting as a Regional TBI thereby coordinating the Entrepreneurship Development activities in the State. TTBI has business partnership with State level Entrepreneurship Institutes like STED (Kerala State Science & Technology Entrepreneurship Development) and KIED (Kerala Institute of Entrepreneurship Development) and jointly organising ED programmes in various parts of the State. Introduction to banks / venture capitalists Technopark already has a number of banks and financial institutions working with them and their member companies in the campus. We have full fledged Branches of State Bank of India, Central Bank of India, HDFC Bank and IndusInd Bank in the campus with ATMs and offsite ATMs of HSBC, UTI, ICICI and HDFC in the campus. Technopark works closely with venture capitalists like KVCF, Indiaco etc. These institutions are also empanelled by TTBI to support the entrepreneurs. Technopark is helping the incubatees in finding Seed capital and working capital assistance from venture capitalists. The incubators may get TePP funding from DSIR/TIFAC Climate The National Centre of Innovation, Incubation & Entrepreneurship (NCIIE), a part of the Technopark Business Incubator, is conducting Courses and seminars on Entrepreneurship Development. Technopark networked with all the Engineering Colleges (84) and Technical Institutions and Management Institutions (9) in the State and helping them to form Technology Business Incubator and Entrepreneurship Development Clubs (EDCs) in the colleges Technopark is acting as the Regional TBI and State Government considered Technopark as a Centre of Excellence. NCIIE is conducting Faculty Development and Training programmes for the Technical Institutions as part of the TEQUIP (Technical Education Quality Improvement Programme) of the State Government. Technopark is helping the incubatees in finding Seed capital and working capital assistance from venture capitalists. The Indian Institute of Information Technology and Management provides necessary lab facilities for the student Start up ventures from the campus. The Government Engineering colleges in Trivandrum (College of Engineering Trivandrum and Sree Chithra Thirunal College of Engineering) are also providing development facilities to the student entrepreneurs SWOT Analysis SI. No. Strength Weakness Opportunities Threat 1 Dedicated management team Lack of in-house research and faculty personnel Projected Growth of ICT industries Bigger companies in the Park taking away skills from Incubatees 2 Well defined tenant selection & graduation system Shortage of experienced Incubation managers and staff Availability of technologies for commercialization from R&D Centres The perception of Kerala as an investor un-friendly destination 3 A set of value added services Shortage of risk Capital Large pool of technically trained manpower Competition from other similar cities in the country 4 TBI to be run as a business entity Shortage of Angel Investors Availability of a large pool of NRKs with investment capability Dynamic marketing conditions affect the commercialization of these novice entrepreneurs 5 Periodic performance evaluation Shortage of Venture Capitalists 30 million people in small geographic area with high purchasing power Failed incubatees and sick units who fail to exploit from the limited resources 6 Presence of Resource centers around Trivandrum Lack of industrial base in Kerala International connectivity Attitude of the incubatees in facing a problem 7 Availability of a large no of Technology Experts in the area High Manpower cost Digitally well connected population in the State 8 Presence of a large no of Engg. & Other technical Institutions Lack of continuous enthusiasm with in the incubatees Availability of a large pool of educated and highly productive human resource 9 Having tie up with various value adding services like Technopark,TiE, Kerala Venture Capital Fund(KVCF) Supported by wide range of Financial Institutions and Banks which are already full fledged in Technopark Campus 10 Strong interfacing and networking with VSSC of ISRO, NIT-C,IIITM-K, C-DAC Promoting innovation and entrepreneurship skills among Students, Professionals, General Public and Business Houses through various activities 11 A Smart Business Centre which can accommodate graduated ventures with lesser infrastructure requirements An efficient panel of Technology Angels and a large pool of Mentors are available at the disposal of TTBI IV.   Customer Group Customer Group 1 Student Start up coming directly from Engineering, Science Colleges and Management Schools Customer Group 2 Spin off/ Spin outs from bigger companies operating inside Technopark V.   Alternative Marketing Strategies Creating Awareness through Programmes like Technopreneurs, barcamps, Road Shows etc Similar to franchising in business, we establish our extension centres in the Engineering colleges in the name of Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Centres (IEDCs) This has helped a lot to spread the Technopark TBI brand name among the target group VI.   Selected Marketing Strategy Product Furnished Cubicles with plug and play facilities Price Affordable for the Start ups. A fully furnished 4 seater incubation space cost Rs.7000 p m Place Operating inside the greenest Technology Park. The ambience inside Technopark gives the necessary motivation for the companies to move forward. Promotion Promoting innovation and entrepreneurship skills among Students, Professionals, General Public and Business Houses through various activities People Presence of experts and a large pool of mentors in Incubation and Entrepreneurship to guide and mentor the Start ups companies. Process Admission process to the Incubation programme of Technopark is simple and hassle free Physical Evidence The strength of Technopark TBI is its alumni entrepreneurs, who graduated out of the Incubator VII.   Short & Long-Term Projections VIII.   Budget PARTICULARS OF EXPENDITURE RS IN LAKHS   2009-10 RECURRING EXPENDITURE   Salaries & Allowances 9.00 Administrative Overheads 8.00 Travelling Expenditure 1.00 Promotional & Marketing Expenditure 11.00 Sub Total 29.00 CAPITAL   TBI Lab Equipments 155.00 Sub Total 155.00 GRAND TOTAL 184.00 IX. Conclusion Appendix AWARDS 1. T-TBI won the National Award for the Best Technology Business Incubator in the country for the year 2007 Technopark TBI has bagged the prestigious National Award for the Best Technology Business Incubator in the country for the year 2007. The award is instituted by the National Science & Technology Entrepreneurship Development Board of the Department of Science & Technology, Government of India for encouraging and recognizing the Business Incubation activity, which plays a key role in promoting the entrepreneurial culture in Kerala. 2. Technopark TBI incubatee Light Logics Holography and Optics won the ISBA award for the best start-up engineering company for the year 2008 3. Technopark TBI incubatee MobME won the ISBA award for the best start-up ICT company for the year 2008. 4. Technopark Incubated Company MobME wins NASSCOM Innovation Award 2008 5. MobME has won the prestigious NASSCOM Innovation Awards 2008 for its innovative flagship product Mobshare in the business innovation category 6. DeoGracia wins German Plug and Play award DeoGracia won the prestigious Plug and Play award by Hannover Impulse, Germany. mediRes which is a Health Distribution and Reservation Engine, aiming to tap the potential of Medical health care infrastructure of India. Deo Gracia is a spin off from Keralanext.com which graduated from TBIC