Nepal Communitere was abuzz with entrepreneurial spirit in 2019! Many of you who have visited during our Friday networking events, or smaller startup showcases have been peppering our team with questions “Are they ready yet? Which one should we invest in?”
We can put your inquisitive and business-savvy minds to rest now! Nepal Communitere is extremely excited to announce it will be hosting a very special Demo Day graduation in December showcasing five more promising startups from the I-Cube business incubation program’s Year 2 cohort. Learn about the amazing journey these I-Cube entrepreneurs have been on in transforming their startups, from a a concept or successful product into a fully operational business with paying clients. All five startups will share their incubation journey as well as pitching their business to potential strategic partners and investors. The startups pitching at the I-Cube Demo Day 2019 include:
Antidote Nepal, an online and storefront clothing rental company that makes finding occasional and ethnic wear as easy as browsing on your phone. Antidote Nepal provides the on-the-go woman a sustainable, affordable and smart way to dress. They offer beautiful saree, lehenga and dress options for rentals at fraction of the price, within 48 hours. Since April 2019, the team has been able to expand set up a storefront with over 100 dress options.
Ecoorb Initiatives vision is to reclaim, repurpose and reimagine waste. Currently they manufacture paper made from elephant dung with a small scale paper production site based in Chitwan. The team has spent many hours in R&D, product development and have now successfully come up with a quality paper product. Early paying clients are using Ecoorb’s paper for both packaging solutions and paper print services.
Airlift Technology is a company that leverages drone technology to create high quality 2D maps and 3D models. These maps are used for large-scale urban planning and heritage conservation work. In the past year, Airlift team has been recognized as one of the top drone flyers and the only company that owns a fixed wing VTOL (Vertical Take Off and Landing) drone. The team has successfully on-boarded and delivered for clients including government agencies, GIS companies and donor agencies.
Sampurna Multipurpose manufactures finely crafted leather goods. A team of generational leather craftspeople, they leverage their traditional shoe-making knowledge and skills while adopting modern manufacturing processes. Recently the team shifted and expanded their production site to a factory unit in Kalanki. Their current distribution channel that includes 15 retailers and 4 wholesalers in the Nepali market.
Nuga Essence produces personal care products using natural ingredients, free of synthetic chemicals. They want to be a leader in the Nepali Personal Care Industry and tap into a global market for synthetics-free products. In the past year they have become a key supplier for one of the largest spa chains, and have introduced their products to the Kathmandu and Chitwan consumer market. The team also recently expanded it’s production site in Chabahil.
We are confident that our Year 2 startups will drum up as much excitement and meaningful opportunities for partnership as our previous cohort. Last year, Orange Ball Pest Control and 8byte Creative Studios were the two startups that successfully pitched their businesses to investors. Both startups raised seed investment after Demo Day graduation. Since then, Orange Ball and 8byte have brought on three of their investors to sit alongside the founder and a member of the Safal Partners team on their respective company boards. Safal Partners currently manages the seed fund, meeting with the two startups regularly to ensure each team is on track to hit their investment milestones. Board members approve fund disbursement once the startups have successfully reached their targets. The startup founders themselves say this milestone-driven approach has helped maintain a laser focus on their growth and push overall team performance.
Current investors sitting on the board of Orange Ball Pest Control’s include Trishagni Sakya from KGH Foundation, Prajwal Gadtaula from Business Brainz and Rajiv Sharma from Job Dynamics
Current investors sitting on the board of 8byte Creative Studio include Sabine Diki Shrestha from Snow Lion Investments, Josh Sherchand Leslie from DataMoon and Dije Shrestha from The ICTC Group.
For more information on the I-Cube Demo Day and the Year 2 startups, please reach out to [email protected] or follow our Facebook page @NepalCommunitere.
