Redherring Asia 2007 - flaws in Indian nominees
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about blatant errors made by Business2.0 in their August 2007 issue… and my blog got picked up by Techcrunch’s Arrington who found similar errors in the same article in countries overseas. This time Redherring has made some incorrect nominees (in my opinion).
There are at least 5 companies that don’t deserve to be short listed (amongst the top 200 for final winners) in the Redherring Asia 2007, for obvious reasons. It seems that American media and journalists are not doing their homework when it comes to reviewing global sites and businesses, or is it that they are just hiringthe wrong people to do it?
The site says - “Congratulations to this year’s carefully selected 200 finalists. For 10 years, Red Herring’s editorial team has diligently surveyed entrepreneurship around the globe. Technology industry executives, investors, and observers have regarded the Red Herring 100 lists as an invaluable instrument to discover and advocate the promising startups that will lead the next wave of disruption and innovation.” and “The Top 100 award winners will be announced at the Red Herring 100 Asia Award Ceremony on August 29th.”
In my opinion and from my experience here are the mistakes below. This is from the domain expertise that I have knowledge in. I am sure there are many other errors, in areas and countries that I could not evaluate due to lack of data.
- Gameshastra.com - A Game Development services company. My take - there are other front runners and game services companies here doing better work… Dhruva, Indiagames, TrineGames.
- Nautanki.tv - An online video sharing portal. My take - probably selected because of hyped traffic stats on their homepage - there are many other video sharing portals that are better.
- NetAlter.com - An IPV6 concept company with a concept of building a world with their Alternate network. My take - I didn’t see much potential in their model (as yet)
- Kerela.com - A state portal. My take - why choose them? What innovation do they provide, other than being an standard information portal and hub?
- OnYoMo.com - a local search engine for directory type assistance only. My take - I believe Guruji.com should’ve been selected instead, as it is far superior and offers local directory search results as well as general information / search engine results.
— Vishal Lamba Filed under: Uncategorized
Dear Vishal Your mind is not that much broad (i.e. “Vishal” in hindi) that you can comment on judgement of Red Herring. By the way again visit all the websites you have mentioned above & comment later. I have gone through two website
1)Gameshastra.com and
2)NetAlter.com both have very good realistic concept with much more potential. I am sure both will be winner.
hi Ashutosh,
please refrain from getting personal here with your comments. thx.
I have visited all the sites and I am not saying that these models are not workable. There simply are much better sites in India in the same categories that deserved to be listed instead.
For gameshastra - I clearly said - that there are others in the market that are many more deserving to have been short listed.
For netalter - i cleary said it was my opinion that there was not potential (AS YET). maybe in the future… but perhaps, I cannot tell that far. maybe it will work…
Hi Vishal,
Value of Company should be judge on the basis of
its working not on the basis of layout of website.
By the way Gamesutra & NetAlter both are software comapny & not website company. NetAlter has good
patended Idea with commercial potential.
1. its not gamesutra… its gameshastra.
2. i never do valuations based on the website layout. it would be sooo terrible to do so!! where did you get the idea that i did?
3. FYI - I run a game development and game outsourcing company - chakrainteractive… as my full time job - so i do know whats happening in the market
I didnt base my opinion just by looking at the website … and like i said in my post - i commented on areas that i have domain expertise in.
Hi,
I work with NetAlter and came across your comment regarding Red Herring Selections.
Let me mention here that last year we were shortlisted as the finalist. But we did not win the award (i.e. 100 winners). But we were the only company short listed only on concept.
It is true our firm is right now working at the concept level and the reason we have not developed any products is that this requires a great deal more money and planning then developing a Web 2.0 website or portal.
We are developing an alternative to the web just as linux gave an alternative to windows. I hope you see the picture… MS die hard fans used to rebuke linux as unix clones and one which will never see mass adoption. And you know the reasons why linux is used by many companies today.
One common reason is there are less number of virus for Linux than Windows because hackers love MS.
Well we are the underdogs…and hope to compete with google and other big players and snatch a pie (forecasting 0.1% of web market) from them.
We are in the process of developing a secured P2P browser (not as in Allpeers or Desktop Explorer. They mostly offer file sharing) with a development framework where developers can create their own applications.
So this is far more advanced than websites or portals and will require much more than simply coding a piece of software. Marketing and hard selling it to a global audience is also a challenge.
And I feel proud to be part of a company that is atleast trying to do something different. Something which may not be perfect but better than what we have now…
And that is why for second year in a row we have been selected by Red Herring. The selection is for those firms that are startups and trying to do something different.
We may take this slowly but be sure we shall succeed. There is no rush in bring out NetAlter into the market as yet.
Hi Gurudatt,
Welcome. And thanks for your comments. It seems you guys are very determined. I wish you all the best in being selected again.. and in rolling out a successful product.
This is going to be very hard for you to sell to people who are already hooked and mostly happy with the web. Very few out there see any large threat and danger.
I think you’re going to have a hard time getting people to switch over - as everyone has invested so much (time, money, effort, etc) already into the Internet… and unless the Internet blacks out totally - I dont see people switching. Perhaps I am short sighted and you prove me wrong. Time will tell, I guess. But don’t keep at it for toooo long - if it doesn’t work within a given time frame that you set for yourself… drop it … and move on. I’m not saying to quit. Just know when to quit. Its a tough call… but the markets and results will tell… stay determined for a long time if you believe in it…. but know when its not working. You already know this stuff!!
Incidentally, are you aware of Open DNS ? http://www.opendns.com/
Dear vishal,
thanks for your critical opinion. Last year when i introduced netalter many people laughed at the words “alternative to internet” but we stuck on. Thereafter reps of leading software co. Have been dowloading and reviewing our patent over and over again.
The other thing i would like to mention is, we donot expect anyone to stop using the web and start using netalter. We ourselves be using the web as long it exists. But if i want to explore the netalter network, to communicate via p2p with my buddies, send confidential memos to my collegues via p2p mail, download or watch movies legally, sell my car,
purchase a cellphone using my bank account transfer without worrying about it being hacked.
so these are just a few reasons why we i would use netalter.
for the rest where i want to be anonymous, the web will always be there.
we are not flogging anything dead my friend. The concept has sound technical standing and we have observed that since the netalter patent was published many web based solutions have emulated some of our concepts. We are waiting for our patent to be granted in usa and other countries. Thereafter we can see if there have been any ip theft.
so the business and commercial viability is not just based on development of products but also ip potential. This is not appreciated much in a country like india where people are used to piracy.
but red herring i believe has done their homework and hence sought merit in selecting us once again.
i have been in IT for last 15 years 10 years in development, with good teams, serious international projects, worked with linux geeks, and hence understand much better how technology works. Netalter is a bit advanced for general users to fathom but i guess there is something called disruptive marketing and experts who know how to become the youtube among scores of online tubes.
we have done our homework so keep a watch on us and i assure u will not be dissappointed.
this is my professional opinion not because i work for netalter.
By the way i have checked out opendns and scores of other similar solutions. And i keep telling my ceo to get netalter in the market asap. It will be the Bipasa Basu of internet. Ha ha. But he keeps testing my patience.
you have a great blog and keep it going. I also like to write but do not get the time especially after my wife disconnected the net connection at my home. So right now i am using my nokia e61.
Hi Gurudatt,
Its good to see the determination! Keep going!…do tell your boss to launch it while the provisional patent has been filed, and before the full patent is awarded. You wont lose anything, if you have a provisional patent filed - which lasts for one full year. I agree, IP will be a key factor to keep copycats away. All the best!
Dear Vishal,
It is unfortunate when bloggers decide to become irresponsible. We do wish in the future you will check business plans before suspecting motives and why ventures make it to a list.
nautanki.tv for the record is an online video media network. No we are not a video sharing platform. NO we are not India’s youtube. We are the video world’s equivalent to Google adsense. Need to know more? write to me.
For the record we did not make it to the RH Asia 100 list this year.
We wish you guys would atleast portray original ideas in the correct light.
Sunil,
Can you please elaborate on your site being the worlds “google adsense” video equivalent? From what I see - your site has various channels streaming very selective video content - and there is no hint of being a contextual advertising network.
I did revisit and noted that you don’t have a video sharing feature as yet - but you have mentioned in your “about us” page that you will have one soon. (copy included below).
Also, I dont see how you are comparing yourself with the adsense model or any advertising network model…. all you have is a video embed feature - which all video sites have. Are you signing on websites to your program and selling ad inventory to them - which are directly provided to you by your advertisers? I dont see any connection with a contextual ad network model. Perhaps I missed something and you can enlighten me. Thx.
==== from your About Us page ======
About nautanki.tv
Founded in September 2006, nautanki.tv is an entertainment channel for people to watch original Indian content in the genres of drama, comedy, current affairs, live shows and so on. We went live on 20 November 2006.
Everyone can watch videos on nautanki.tv—both on nautanki.tv and across the Internet. People can see first-hand accounts of current events, find programs catering to their interests, about their interests, and discover the quirky and unusual entertainment on the net - while they are at work or are simply waiting for some email to come by.
What is nautanki.tv?
nautanki.tv is a place for people to watch original Indian content in new ways with video by sharing, commenting on, and viewing videos either via the network of web properties that serve nautanki.tv content or by loging into nautanki.tv website.
With nautanki.tv, people can:
* Comment, rate, discuss and share videos worldwide
* Browse millions of original videos or episodes of any program like they would do on a regular internet channel.
* Participate in sponsored events, live shows
* Customize the experience by subscribing to member videos, saving favorites, and creating playlists
* Integrate nautanki.tv videos on websites using video embeds or APIs
* At a later date be able to upload and share their own videos
The service is currently free for everyone. The free subscribers will get access to limited content and complete access to all sponsored events and features.
The nautanki.tv media kit is available here
The Online Video Consumption in India Report is available here
We always encourage our users to contact us with thoughts, suggestions, feedback or otherwise random ramblings. Make sure to check out our Blog to keep up to date on all the latest nautanki.tv developments. You can write to info[at]nautanki[.]tv
Also, I checked again and you are on the short list (200) as of 27th August 2007
http://www.herringevents.com/asia07/redherring100.html#200
… and my post is about the Asia 200 who were shortlisted to be chosen in the final list of 100, as you can see from above. We’re sorry if you were not selected in the final 100 being announced to all, end of this month.
That seemed really hard hitting….. Sunil, business plans are for investors, website is for the lay man.
So you guys need to create the right image about your company and product.
Having said this, I think one should take this in the right spirit. Last year when we were shortlisted in the 200 Red Herring List, many people told me how can you compare NetAlter to the Internet!!! (read out website says “alternative to the internet”)
When we said that and mentioned in the website it mean’t “internet” as in “the web” where people get connected, surf, email, etc
The word “Internet” is very broad and also includes ISPs, Virtual Networks, Protocols, etc. So, we realized our mistake and this year we are not repeating those words and instead saying “Alternative to present web based solutions and P2P/Grid”
At NetAlter, we are also working around the concept of NetAlter TV which is similar to P2P TV but more like IPTV minus the high cost.
We would have loved to say “Alternative to IPTV” but we are not saying that as yet….
So I would say communicate do not be shy, but improvise as you go ahead. And concentrate on your technology not the hype.
Yes, Mr. Vishal
1)Gameshastra.com and
2)NetAlter.com both are the red herring asia 2007 winner
Sunil,
I guess you guys need to update your message on the website as I did do more reading and the message of being a video ad network has finally been realized. Sorry for the over sight. Please do update your site to make the message a bit more clear.
look out for the new improved web interfaces as we go along. startups do not have the luxury of large teams that take care of a lot of these little things. we however accept that the about us page was never really updated
it was due some days ago and we missed another deadline. Thank you for acknowledging that we are NOT youtube and that we are an online video media network.
s
Hi Sunil,
Couple of more things to say though …
1. You say you are an online Video Ad Network. I did notice some of your stand alone ads in your player on Agency FAQs - but I don’t see the real point here…. these were just standalone ads showing inside your flash player. There was no content attached to it. So my point is - why even have a player do this? Videos can be served inside any flash content…. you don’t need a player.
2. I totally understand if you have pre-roll, mid-roll or post-roll ads inside content in players found on video content sites. That model of showing ads makes sense. But having ads show up in video player boxes with absolutely no “real video content” baffles me. Why would anyone watch it? And if they are — you dont need a video player to serve video ads on general websites… it can be done in flash through any ad network system like openads, google, doubleclick, adbrite etc. they all support flash video ads in boxes.
3. Also, you need to polish up the look of your player. its pretty low grade quality in design.