Proto Vs Headstart

Estimated reading time [2 mins 48 sec - 3 mins 30 sec] I believe this would be a thorny and tricky post, as I really have to walk the tight ropes not to antagonize the people involved. At the same time this is a straight forward attempt to critique the flag bearers of the Indian startup system and is to be taken in the right spirit, no offense meant at anyone whatsoever. And these were some thoughts going on in my head since last few days. Most of it concerns the recent efforts and newly renewed startup nurturers, more so at the grass root to middle layers. I have been an avid watcher of startup scene in India in general, and Bangalore in particular for more than a year past now (also much earlier but nowhere as passionate and regular as in last year and half). Why the title? - "Proto Vs Headstart" Simple answer - There is a tussle going on between the two startup nurturers cum showcase platforms. More on that, read on. So how many people like and support both the entities? And how many prefer to belong to one camp and not the other? Following is a rough comparison of both events.

	Proto	Headstart
Operation start dates	Started almost 3 years ago	Started more than a year ago
URL	http://www.proto.in/	http://headstart.in/
Backing	Backers mostly from Chennai	Based mostly out of Bangalore & Mumbai
Naming	Proto from the beginning	Headstart and Kickstart, then a merger to Headstart Network Foundation and now finally settled to Headstart Network. So far so good. Headstart Network Foundation sounded awful for a while.
Format	Startup showcase event with demos, panels and discussions every 6 months across cities in India	Started with a yearly format but have switched to hold the event half-yearly after first two editions (countering Proto?) Demo pits, panels and booths. Now also across cities in India
Additional events	Startup chat session every Saturday via online Proto chat portal with topic discussion in first half of day and startup plus product review during second half of day (contering Headstart?)	Start up Saturday events spread across the country in Banglaore, Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Kolkata. Very nice initiative from the beginning seems like the organizers had a plan to create efficieny and involvement amongst entrepreneurs and wannabes. Includes knowledge sharing, demos, pitches etc.
Google groups	prototalk@googlegroups.com Dormant	headstart-network@googlegroups.com Very Active
Popularity	Widespread	Just started, and gaining ground, especially with the Startup Saturday events in multiple cities
Response to previous event	Held in Jan 2009 at Nimhans Conventions Center, Bangalore, smaller auditorium and room full of people	Held in Jan 2009 at Nimhans Convention Center, Bangalore, bigger central auditorium not really, wonder if they over-estimated the response
Team outlook	Has approachable and friendly members, also responsive	Also have approachable members but need to improve their friendliness quotient.
External alignments	Pluggd.in looks pro-Proto but recently mentioned both Proto and Headstart in same post. Last Proto event covered by Pluggd.in. Of course, we covered it in real-time.	No coverage from Pluggd.in for the previous event. Headstart is heavily backing Watblog. MediaNama covered the previous event. We did cover startups in last Headstart.
Social Media	Using social media quite well.	Headstart has own blog and quietly spreading through the social mine.
Summing up	Proto started much earlier is popular widely. Well organized events, brining in some variety with varying formats.	Headstart has a robust and distributed team and well-trenched strategy. Gaining ground both online and offline. Event organization is good but some confusions like last minute announcements of demo-pit being free and then hearing a different story at the actual venue. Demo booths need more audience.

So Headstart is giving tough competition to Proto and with similar or extra efforts, is all set to outdo everyone. We can expect more blitz from Proto in near future. But bipolarity is always better than unipolarity, we don't really need monopoly here. I haven't compared these with other premiere events like TIE summits and Startup City held every year. One of downers is that there are only as many people in the Indian startup arena and you tend to meet the same old faces. We need more new faces and young blood coming in. The quality of startups also needs tremendous improvement. I will probably cover more players in coming posts. The interplays are setting up an interesting scene for the coming years. What do you think?