Book on start-up funding sources to be released

PUNE: Startups looking for seed funding often find themselves hitting road blocks owing to limited options and funding sources. Now here’s a book that will give entrepreneurs a helping hand with funding sources. ‘Start-ups -- Finding funding’ a book by Mehul Darooka and Vikas Kumar lists 20 innovative ways to fund one’s venture.

“Start-ups often don’t go beyond angels and venture capital firms. But we have spoken to successful companies, who began as start-ups and found innovative ways to fund themselves,” said Pooja Kumar, founder of SME Networks, a networking platform for start-ups. The book has been authored by SME Networks director Vikas Kumar along with entrepreneur Mehul Darooka.

While Vikas has launched ventures such as bollywoodfashion.com and Brainvisa Technologies, Darooka has been an entrepreneur and is currently with Suzlon Energy Ltd, besides authoring another ’Pride of Pune’.

Some of the entrepreneurs are known names like Kailash Katkar, owner of anti-virus manufacturing company Quick Heal and Shubra Chaddha, owner of Chumbak a gifting and personalization company. “Each of the entrepreneurs we have spoken to initially struggled to find funding and managed innovative ways to find funding. We feel new entrepreneurs will find more options through this book, when they are cash strapped to run their ventures,” said Pooja.

The authors have used their experience to critically analyse pros and cons of each method, and the circumstances for this source of funding. “A Fund-o-meter at the end of each story to help one judge the merits of each approach to funding,” says Pooja. The book has been published by Vishwakarma Publications will be released in Pune on May 28, and will be available in major bookstores post that.