Give Wings to Your Creativity—Come, Join the Software Product Community at NASSCOM Product Conclave 2010

Avail special discount for the YourStory community

Engineering marvels around the world have been built by creative engineers. At the heart of science is a creative application that became engineering. India simply outnumbers the rest of the world when it comes to producing engineers annually. But are we doing justice to this number? We are still very far behind when it comes to engineering products. Innovation seems to have been a refrain of economies that are open to learning – otherwise how can a country called the United States or a country in eternal conflict, Israel, produce quality products? What does India lack?

Engineers who have a taste for creativity don't go on to write codes for a services infrastructure. Many software product entrepreneurs have shunned the services space when it went on to become one of the most lucrative sectors of the Indian economy. When there is nothing and you build something out of it, the sheer adventure in doing that and the charm of creativity keeps these entrepreneurs glued on here. If you think software products are a male bastion, there have been a few dedicated women entrepreneurs who have tested waters here—Sangeeta Patni of Extensio and Anupama Arya of Mobera are just two examples. There are many lurking without getting noticed.

What's stopping us from creating global enterprises in the product software space? Questions are easy and answers are difficult. Maybe we don't have companies that were born out of India that went on to become big. Successes have been few and far in between. Local markets are not still very attractive. Think of India as a nation of billion people. Is there no scope for varied needs for such a huge population? There are a billion possibilities, if you look at it that way.

It all starts with an idea. Guy Kawasaki bets on a girl and a guy in a garage or two guys in a garage or two girls in a garage going on to build something that truly fulfils a need. What you build should be the one you should yourself be using, feels Kawasaki. If your product is able to bridge that one yawning gap that is real on ground, then all you need is to think of scale to reach it to whoever needs it. This is one way. Finding a need and building a product to fulfil that need.

The other way is that a product creates customers and markets. This product does not really go after a need but creates the need. Once the product is built, it is used by customers who vouch for it as it is the one they were just betting on to increase their sales, productivity, or whatever. No one thought about it and you did.

Products take a long time to be successful -- wait time is huge. The traditional way is to find a need, build a great product to fulfil that need, reaching the product to customers, and finally customers adopting it. There are several iterations in between that refine the product in line with customer needs. Are you patient enough and find joy in creating something? Are you an engineer with a creative bent of mind? Are you thinking of a start up but is groping without a direction?

NASSCOM Product Forum under the stewardship of Sharad Sharma has gone on to create a platform just for you. By assembling a congregation of all those product professionals and enablers of the ecosystem in a biggest event annually -- NASSCOM Product Conclave -- they have just made it easier for you.

Stories are powerful. If you come and hear different stories from different perspectives, your perspective broadens and all that you found difficult in your mind suddenly becomes so easy. Learning from who have been and done that reduces your learning curve. Just watch this video to understand why you need to be there:

http://vimeo.com/15863941

Special rates for the YourStory community

NASSCOM has accorded the YourStory community a special discount -- registration for the Product Conclave at NASSCOM member fee. So here is one more reason for you to be part of the YourStory community and not miss the conclave.

The discount coupon code is URSPCM010 and steps to register using this coupon code is as follows:

1.      Visit at http://nasscompc.doattend.com/

2.      Select the Qty for ‘Event Partner’  and click on the ‘Have a discount code?’

3.      Enter the given Promo Code and click on ‘apply discount’ (Price will change as per the Member Fee)

4.      Click ‘Register’ Button

You’re done and see you at the Product Conclave. We entrepreneurs survive by the spirit of community. If you know of any product entrepreneur who is interested, ask them to register with YourStory to connect to our updates and avail special discount offered by NASSCOM.

—Venkatesh Krishnamoorthy, chief evangelist, YourStory