Velocity Kotak BizLabs Series : What It Takes To Build From Tier 2 Markets
Building Beyond the Hubs
What it really takes to build from emerging startup ecosystems
Not every founder builds from a metro — and not every breakout story begins in Bangalore or Mumbai. Across India’s new growth cities, a different kind of founder journey is unfolding — one that faces unique challenges around access, capital, networks, and credibility.
This session brings together investors, founders, and enablers who have built and backed companies from outside the metro bubble. We’ll unpack what’s holding back emerging hubs like Nagpur, what’s quietly working, and how founders can move from potential to momentum.
It’s a candid, founder-first conversation — practical, sharp, and rooted in real experience.
Who’s in the room:
Poonam Khandelwal
Principal at 100Unicorns and active angel investor. Brings deep experience working with early-stage founders and sharp insights on capital readiness and founder clarity.
Vikram Gawande
Investor at Blume Ventures, and a former founder himself. Offers a rare dual perspective on what it really takes to raise capital when you’re building outside the mainstream corridors.
Dr. Pranav Sapkal
Founder of Lucid Implants — a healthcare deeptech company built out of Nagpur and scaled globally. His story proves that global businesses can grow from anywhere.
Shashikant Chaudhary
Co-founder of Happyeaters.ai and longtime ecosystem enabler. Anchoring the conversation with insight from years of working closely with founders in Central India.
About Velocity Kotak BizLabs at NSRCEL, IIM Bangalore
Incubation program for early revenue-stage startups, built by NSRCEL at IIM Bangalore in partnership with Kotak Mahindra Bank.
The program focuses on helping founders refine their go-to-market (GTM) strategy, become capital-ready, and scale with clarity, particularly in sectors such as AI, E-commerce, health tech, deep tech, and other innovative spaces.
Whether you're in a metro or building from an emerging hub, Velocity helps founders grow with real speed and substance.
Date: Friday, 27th June 2025
Time: 4:45 PM onwards
Venue: Nagpur (details shared upon confirmation)
This is a curated room for serious builders.