For some months now I have been thinking wouldn’t it be nice to have a page (or a series of posts) which would list all the commonly asked questions (particularly by entrepreneurs) about venture capital, what we do, how we invest etc…
Although investing style and preferences vary considerably amongst firms (and between Partners), I felt there was some value in discussing at least the basic stuff (e.g. how much equity should you give up? and when should you seek Venture Capital)…
Yesterday, during a late night surfing session, when I came across this post on Max’s blog, “How much equity should you give up?”, I realised that there could not be a better way to begin this series of posts.
So, thank you Max…and I am looking at fellow London VC bloggers (Jason, Fred, Nic, Paul) for inspiration and comments…
More soon.
December 9th, 2006
Posted by
Shantanu |
Miscellaneous |
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As I wrote in my previous post, the idea that left me most intrigued at the Mind to Market conference (New Delhi, last week) was “cutlery that can be eaten” (not just edible but also “nutritious”!)
While the idea of bio-degradable cutlery has been around for a while, I had not heard anyone talk of edible cutlery until now.
So, last evening I decided to find out more…and this is what I discovered.
The person behind this is Narayana Peesapaty. His “edible cutlery” is made from sorghum flour (“jawar”), comes in two flavors, sweet or namkeen and uses vegetable dyes for different colours!
Narayana’s company plans to sell a packet of 50 edible spoons for about US$1.50 and his future plans include edible wrappers for sandwiches and hamburgers.
I would anyday prefer an edible, nutritious spoon to a greasy, unclean metallic specimen…and I think most of us would make the same choice.
Unhygienic cutlery is behind numerous gastro-intestinal diseases in India and generally causes (or aids the spread of) a range of related diseases. This idea therefore is not only environmentally-friendly but could actually contribute to public health and of course, individual nutrition.
Other side benefits (primarily in the West) include savings in human effort in dealing with (plastic) trash and of course, ease of disposal.All in all, a brilliant idea and one that neatly encapsulates high-impact innovation.
For the more curious amongst you, here are some slides on the company and press coverage of Narayana’s innovation. For a brief history of such attempts, read “Have Your Plates and Eat Them Too“.
Update: Just came across Marije Vogelzang’s edible (sugar-based) cutlery mention in VLM Airlines in-flight magazine. Very appetizing picture…
December 9th, 2006
Posted by
Shantanu |
Miscellaneous |
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