Web 3.0, Social Dancing and 123ContactForm at 108th 1M/1M StrategyRoundtable For Entrepreneurs

By Sramana MitraAt the 108th 1M/1M Strategy Roundtable For Entrepreneurs roundtable, we had a 30-minute segment on Web 3.0 and Social Dancing. We basically took the Web 3.0 framework – Web 3.0 = (4C + P + VS) – and did a blue sky exercise on how to create a comprehensive user experience for social dancers. We also explored business models that not only can span advertising, subscription, and e-commerce, but also hybrid virtual-physical concepts that could even draw upon a Starbucks of Salsa, Tango or Swing!

It’s a fun segment, so please take a look at the recording here. I hope some of you reading this post ARE social dancers. I am. I would love to see a much better leverage of web technologies to facilitate the formulation of dance related experiences. For more, you can also follow the discussion on my blog titled: Web 3.0 and the Argentine Tango. Complete with videos and definitive use cases, it would give an interested reader some great ideas on how to design such a Web 3.0 system.

Then we moved to another exciting segment for which I need to give you some context. As you may recall from previous roundtable posts, that 1M/1M works closely with many incubators around the world. We simply offer our services as an extension of the incubators’ existing programming. Today, Timişoara Software Business Incubator, led by Executive Director Radu Ticiu, brought on an entrepreneur to pitch, giving us a window into the Romanian startup scene.

123ContactForm

Florin Cornianu from Timisoara, Romania, pitched 123ContactForm, a company that competes in the same space as YCombinator’s WuFoo that exited earlier this year for a $35M price, and was acquired by SurveyMonkey. In other words, 123ContactForm offers web forms of all kinds that are used by web developers, small businesses, etc., for various purposes, from surveys to lead collection.

Florinhas already built a nice, profitable business with $100,000 a year in revenue. Of course, the significantly lower cost-structure inRomaniahelps a lot. He is looking at additional expansion opportunities, especially in Europe (through the introduction of multi-language forms) andAsia(through channel partners).

The space is crowded, and requires steady navigation. However, it is wonderful to see steadfast execution from a software startup, and the evolution of a sustainable business inRomania. We hope to see many more in 2012.

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About Sramana Mitra

Sramana Mitra is the founder of the One Million by One Million (1M/1M) initiative, an educational, business development and incubation program that aims to help one million entrepreneurs globally to reach $1 million in revenue and beyond. She is a Silicon Valley entrepreneur and strategy consultant. She writes the blog Sramana Mitra On Strategy and is author of the Entrepreneur Journeys book series and Vision India 2020. From 2008 to 2010, Mitra was a columnist for Forbes. As an entrepreneur CEO, she ran three companies: DAIS, Intarka, and Uuma. She has a master’s degree in electrical engineering and computer science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.