February 14, 2026 01:57 am (IST)
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Kolkata start-up aspirants get a leg up from mentors
Kolkata, July 15 (IBNS): The newly formed Kolkata Ventures and the US Department of Commerce organised a programme called Be UR Own Boss: Starting With ZERO Money, recently in Kolkata, where entrepreneurs from diverse fields -- software to journalism -- shared their journeys of braving all odds to be on their own.
It was a dream meet for those in the audience who want to be their own boss but may not have the wherewithal to begin a venture.
It is often seen that funding is the main problem faced by most start-up entrepreneurs.
"You don't need money to start. All you need is a problem that many people care about to pay to solve," pointed out Chicago-based Avelo Roy, the architect of Kolkata Ventures, who covered a wide range of topics that often flummoxes most start-up venture aspirants.
Kolkata Ventures has been formed by Roy, who hails from the city, to promote entrepreneurship in Eastern India
According to Roy, Co-founder and CEO of Kiuqi, LLC (Chicago) and a Guest Lecturer at his alma mater Illinois Institute of Technology (Chicago) , a start-up entrepreneur must first create a solution by translating the market demand to product design.
"Leverage your solution to find the resources you are looking for," said Roy. "Build a Minimum Viable Product using Lean Startup Methodology."
He also said that aspirants must be able to distinguish between product business and service business.
Roy, who has been featured in some of the top US media, also emphasized that getting a mentor often helps aspirants to save time and resources.
Despite the best of efforts, it may happen that a start-up venture fails to take off. According to Roy, "It's okay to fail, grit is the key ingredient for success. So get up, learn and keep going."
Several city entrepreneurs ranging from diverse fields shared their experiences of building their business from scratch, driven by the passion to follow heart and be one's own boss.
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