Srijan announces partnership with India Development Gateway

Mumbai, June 26 (ANI/Business Wire India): India's only microfinance business plan competition-Srijan 2008 (www.srijan2008.com) announced a strategic tie-up with India Development Gateway (IDG) (www.IndiaDevelopmentGateway.com), a joint initiative of Intellecap and Development Gateway Foundation that enhances the chances of the plans to materialize as successful businesses, after the competition.

Srijan, an annual Microfinance showcase event ushers in new ideas for greater financial inclusion. Srijan believes the partnership with IDG would help address the trust and information asymmetry issues for start-ups and attract new sources of capital in the industry.

Srijan's award ceremony this year will feature presentation of top ten entrepreneurs who will battle it out at the Finals on July 3 to win the coveted 'Srijan 2008: Best Business Idea Award'. Srijan's ten finalists will be provided with a dynamic online pitch page and will be included in both Srijan and IDG's future publicity efforts.

Participants can also create investor-facing accounts on IDG where they can access advanced business planning tools, investment advisory services and a growing network of investors.

India Development Gateway (IDG) aims to collapse transaction costs for the enterprise segment requiring investments under USD three million (INR 10 lakhs to INR 10 crores) by improving entrepreneurs' interaction with an emerging investor class.

Through its MSME online capital marketplace, IDG will provide contestants with a targeted collection of resources, continued access to mentors and experts, and membership on IDG to raise capital.

The video clips of Srijan 2008 Panel Discussions and Award Ceremony will also be available on www.IndiaDevelopmentGateway.com for those who are unable to attend. This partnership will continue adding valuable new and related content including interviews with leaders in the field, notable investors and experienced entrepreneurs.

Srijan 2008 is organized by Intellecap and Aavishkaar Goodwell, in partnership with The Financial Express. The initiative is supported by FMO Netherlands (Lead Sponsor) National Agricultural Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) and Fullerton India (Associate Sponsors), Standard Chartered Bank (Prize Sponsor) and International Finance Corporation (Panel Discussion Sponsor).

'Online media partner' VCCircle.com, 'Outreach Partners' Solution Exchange and 'Print Media Partners' The Financial Express and Microfinance Insights are also supporting the initiative.

ANI