Industry, ecosystem, engagement: All that happened at Tamil Nadu Story’24

The third edition of Tamil Nadu Story held in Chennai on July 19 was a melting pot of ideas, lessons and inspiring stories. The event saw young entrepreneurs, as well as veterans from the startup and investor community, sharing valuable insights into how their journeys began and brands grew. 

In a series of riveting fireside chats, renowned industry leaders shared critical aspects of building successful businesses by taking a leaf out of their own journeys.

Suresh Kalpathi, CEO of Veranda Learning and Director of AGS Cinemas, said identifying pain points was a hallmark of successful startups. “For me, a successful startup is one that has got a unique product or a unique solution that nobody else has been able to offer. Identifying a pain point and going all out to follow it is the way to go,” he said.

At the session on exploring Chennai’s unique financial and tech landscape, Madhusudanan R, Co-founder, M2P Fintech, highlighted the importance of collaboration and outreach among fintech founders, creating opportunities in smaller towns and consistent engagement with government and industry bodies from the fintech sector.

Srinath Ravichandran, Co-founder and CEO, AgniKul Cosmos, which made history by launching the world's first rocket with a fully 3D printed engine, emphasised the need for reusable rockets and the company's commitment to testing technology for recovery. He also shared his experience mentoring aspiring entrepreneurs and the importance of demystifying the space industry for young students. 

The session ‘Beyond the 'Kolly': Building thriving vernacular content businesses’, took audiences on a candid and humorous journey into the lives and success stories of homegrown content creators-turned entrepreneurs, including Sakthivel Panneerselvam, guerrilla marketer and Chief Surprise Ninja, the6.in; Suresh Radhakrishnan, Founder and CEO, Mypreneur, and Dharaneetharan G D, Founder and CEO, Social Eagle and Founder, 21DC Community. 

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The trio revealed how their ability to think beyond the restrictions of conventional campaign formats and identify innovative methods resonated with and formed an emotional connection with the masses and their needs. 

Sivarajah Ramanathan, Mission Director, Startup TN, highlighted the state’s commitment to creating a startup system based on diversity and inclusion. He said Tamil Nadu’s SC/ST Startup Fund, an initiative to invest in innovative and scalable startups by entrepreneurs from the Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe communities had supported 38 startups so far with funding amounting to over Rs 550 crore.

He also highlighted the government’s schemes for women and trans entrepreneurs, making them active participants in the state’s startup system. He noted that these values propelled the state on a steady arc of growth and inspiration.    

Tamil Nadu Story 2024 concluded with awards being given to startups across sectors, including Agnikul and Garuda Aerospace in space tech; Mind and Mom in healthcare; Veranda Learning and Guvi in education; and Yubi and Cloudbankin in fintech.

Meanwhile, Frigate and Fabheads bagged the award in the manufacturing category; Yellow Bag Foundation and Maatram Foundation in social impact; Agrisakthi in agritech; and Beyond Sustainability and Solar Suresh in sustainability. 

The Lifetime Achievement Award was given to KP Ramasamy, Founder and Chairman of KPR Mill.