J. Krishnan, Vice President, TiE Chennai and Chairman, TiECON Chennai 2009

1. Mr. Krishnan, has the role of TiE changed from the time of its inception?

From the time of its inception the mission of TiE has been to foster conscious entrepreneurship globally by Educating, Mentoring and Networking:

• Educating - Inspires and educates budding entrepreneurs
• Mentoring - Provides role models and one-on-one mentorship through experienced entrepreneurs and support system like VCs, service
• Networking - Regular conferences, workshops, and networking meetings providing a platform to forge relationships. e.g. 15 TiE chapters in India collectively roll-out 300+ programs for entrepreneurs every year.

Hence, our role has not changed but rather, has become diversified and extensive over the years. Our principal objective is to provide a platform on which people with entrepreneurial spirit and those interested in economic value creation can come together to share ideas. TiE endeavors to cultivate and nurture the ecosystems of entrepreneurship and free-market economics everywhere. This, we believe, is the single most powerful instrument of prosperity. Our entrepreneurial ecosystem is currently spread across 53 Chapters in 5 continents.

2.      How has the TiECON Chennai evolved over the years?

TiECON Chennai 2009 would be the largest conclave of entrepreneurs in Tamil Nadu. With each new year, TiECON has become bigger and better not just in terms of quantity but quality as well. There has been a steady increase in the number of delegates and speakers with each passing conclave. On the speaker front, this year we have invited eminent speakers such as T. T. Ranganathan, Founder, Alma Mater, Kris Srikanth, Former Indian Cricket Captain & Chairman, Selection Committee, Radikaa Sarathkumar, Founder, Radaan Mediaworks, Mr. Sashi Kumar, Founder President, Asianet, Mr. Amit Chandra, MD, Bain Capital etc. from diverse areas like spiritual awakening, sports, entertainment, media and raising capital. They would share the stage with other entrepreneurial stalwarts like N. Srinivasan, Vice Chairman & MD, The India Cements Ltd., Gopal Srinivasan, Chairman, TVS Capital Funds Ltd., Sanjeev Bikchandani, Co-Founder, Naukri.com and others.

At TiE, we strive to bring together and reach out to as many entrepreneurs as possible and to assist them in nurturing their business idea to make it a reality. We help the upcoming entrepreneurs by providing them with experienced mentors and proper funding channels or support and one of the mediums for this is TiECON.

3. How much can entrepreneurship change the face of an economy?

Entrepreneurs create new businesses, generating jobs for themselves and those they employ. In many cases, entrepreneurial activity increases competition and, with technological or operational changes, it can increase productivity as well. Due to this many economists also agree that entrepreneurship is essential to the vitality of any economy. It’s not just the large businesses or industries that contribute to the economy, the benefits of small businesses go beyond income. Small businesses broaden the base of participation in society, create jobs, decentralize economic power and give people a stake in the future.

Entrepreneurs innovate and innovation is a central ingredient in economic growth. Entrepreneurs are responsible for the commercial introduction of many new products and services and for opening new markets. A look at recent history shows that entrepreneurs were essential to many of the most significant innovations, ones that revolutionized how people live and work. From the automobile to the airplane to personal computers - individuals with dreams and determination developed these commercial advances. Innovations improve the quality of life by multiplying consumers' choices. They enrich people's lives in numerous ways - making life easier, improving communications, providing new forms of entertainment and improving health care, to name a few.

Regardless of the level of development and firm size, entrepreneurial behavior remains a crucial engine of innovation and growth for the economy and for individual companies since, it implies attention and willingness to take advantage of unexploited opportunities. International organization such as the United Nations and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, agree that entrepreneurs play a crucial role in mobilizing resources and promoting economic growth and socio-economic development. This is particularly true in the developing world, where successful small businesses are primary engines of job creation and poverty reduction. All these clearly states how crucial entrepreneurship is for an economy and its development.

4. It is the highly educated English speaking young people who come to the event. What about those unknown and unheard of people out in the wild with ideas? Do you have any plans to locate them?

TiE is focused on entrepreneurs, who are interested in business and therefore interested in making a profit and success out of any venture. It is focused on the language of business and entrepreneurship, not on English, or Tamil or Hindi or any other language. TiE is spreading its wings gradually but surely, in various parts of India. There are 53 chapters already of TiE globally across 5 continents including in places like Mauritius, Islamabad, Hubli and Nagpur. There are chapters planned in Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu and several other tier II towns.

In addition, each chapter interacts with several constituents – students, aspiring entrepreneurs, entrepreneurs wanting to scale and grow, venture capitalists and other funding bodies, investors, and so on. There are several ways by which TiE and its members reach out to them both individually and collectively.

5. Please let us know about the plans & programmes of TiE Chennai Chapter?

Tie Chennai has several programmes right through the year aimed at the constituents listed in the previous answer. Apart from the annual conference, there are many programmes which are open to public, some restricted to members, some focused on the student community, others on the aspiring entrepreneur and so on.

TiE Chennai has set up a seed fund to promote and fund aspiring entrepreneurs. Many TiE members have contributed personally to this fund. There is also a Mentoring initiative organised by TiE.

(http://chennai.tie.org/chapterHome/programs/MentoringPrograms200704113029843195/viewInnerPagePT) TiE also works closely with other organisations that promote and celebrate entrepreneurship such as NEN, Proto.In, IIT- Madras, to name just a few. TiE Chennai now has about 70 Charter members and plans to double that in the next two years. The aim is to spread the brotherhood of entrepreneurship in several ways and to reach out to as many as possible.