A recent report
by IMAI (Internet & Mobile Association of India) pegs Indian internet users
at 120 million mark. It is interesting to note that a large part of these users
are single and below the age of 30. Today, these youngsters consider
internet culturally, a good way to find a potential life partner, thanks to its
omnipresent nature that is touching lives in myriad ways- throwing windows open
for closer social and personal interactions.
Considering, the
fast adoption of internet by the masses for forging long lasting relationships,
more and more enterprises have immense opportunities to establish a structured
platform for people to meet and foster meaningful friendships and
emotional bonds. Reckoning this fact, Directi – a leading global web products
company, has announced ‘Case study competition 2012’ for B-school
students, inviting over 420 entries from 20 colleges countrywide, therefore,
fostering the ‘spirit of entrepreneurship’ and a culture of product development
in India.
This year, the
contest invited students to research, plan, debate, create and market the
business potential of an ‘Online dating service website.’ Since
digital networking is the most widely and fastest growing
phenomenon in India, media reports suggests that India accounts to 15 million
users of online dating services. With a bulk of online users, coming from
metros and tier 2 cities, with people accessing internet not only through
computers but mobile phones, a whole new variable has opened up for online
dating services.
Directi urged
students to build a compelling business case for online dating website which
included In-depth market research, Product prototypes for their offering, a 360
degree marketing plan to promote this product & tangible ways in which they
would monetize this product. Students came back with fantastic, well researched
and comprehensive decks detailing out their ideas for this concept. One of the
popular presentations from IIM- Ahmedabad revolved around localizing search to
our immediate vicinity to find our perfect mate! Another exciting presentation
came from ISB Hyderabad, which built their proposition based on interactivity
of their members.
The finals of
the events scheduled for January 05, 2011 will be held at Directiplex in
Andheri. The eminent jury panel consists of Anupam Mittal – Founder,
Chairman and Managing Director of shaadi.com,
Bhavin Turakhia- CEO and Founder of Directi
and Shashank Mehrotra- Director of Strategic Partnerships- Directi and will evaluate students based on
originality, creativity and content. The winners will be awarded with
cash prizes of over Rs. 3, 00,000.
About
Directi:
Directi
(http://www.directi.com) is a 300+ million dollars group of Businesses that
develop innovative mass-market Web Products serving millions of Customers
worldwide. Our products include email, instant messaging, web hosting,
domain registration, digital certificates, social networking and other
communication and collaboration apps for enterprises and end users. Directi
businesses rank amongst the fastest growing businesses worldwide in their
corresponding industry segments.
Sourced From: Text 100 Mumbai
