‘We Plan to Expand into Tier 2 and 3 Cities Using a Hub and Spoke Model’ - Anand Desai, President, TiE Mumbai
Anand Desai is the Managing Partner at DSK Legal since it was founded in April, 2001. Recognised as a leading practitioner in India, Anand has over 30 years of extensive domestic and international experience, being a trusted counsel to several large multinational and Indian corporates and high net worth individuals, including many business leaders and celebrities.
An astute litigator and negotiator, Anand has developed a strong track record of successfully representing many high profile clients in criminal and civil litigation including in the areas of real estate, commercial disputes, intellectual property, anti-trust and information technology, as also getting several large commercial deals concluded. Clients look forward to his innovative and strategic inputs to optimise their strategy, and his counsel is deeply valued by several HNIs and celebrities for their professional and personal legal requirements.
Anand has served as the National President of the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce, and has also served and continues to serve on various committees. He has been elected as President of TiE Mumbai from April 2016, and is currently involved with several well-known NGOs including as trustee of L&T Employees Welfare Foundation, director of Paani Foundation, advisory board member of Swades Foundation and Yuva Parivartan, Chairman of the Tribal Mensa Nurturing Program, and managing council member of Vision Foundation of India.
BW Disrupt interacts with Anand Desai, President, TiE Mumbai and spoke to him.
Journey so far
I joined TiE in 2014. It has been exciting to participate in events and interactions with some wonderful charter members and entrepreneurs in various parts of the world. The networking opportunities and high energy levels are stimulating. Silicon Valley in particular is amazing. I have attended two TiECons there. Our TiECons and other events in Mumbai have also been excellent! I have also been involved in mentoring and investing in a startup, all of which has been quite new for me.
Initiatives for Indian Startup Ecosystem
We have several initiatives and events to encourage startups and entrepreneurs. We have placed special emphasis on each chapter being relevant in their geography. In Mumbai for example we focus on fintech, media, lifestyle, pharma and tech, all of which Mumbai is known for. We have started angel funding, and have matchmaking (speed-dating) for investors with entrepreneurs – who help in funding, mentoring, and general advise.
TiE expansion plans
TiE is currently in 17 countries across North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. Future expansion plans include taking TiE to Central and South America and Africa.
Events organized so far & entrepreneurs’ response
As I said, most programs and events are organized by chapters. Each chapter has its own events, and then there are global programs and events which all Chapters participate in. We currently have 60 chapters across 17 countries. The response has been excellent, and the network is growing.
Future plans
We plan to expand into Tier 2 and 3 cities using a hub and spoke model. We have started this in Telengana where the Hyderabad Chapter is mentoring spoke Chapters in Warangal and Nizamabad.
We have an initiative targeted at Women Entrepreneurs which is in its second year. We have directly impacted over 250 Women entrepreneurs through this program.
Our TiE Young Entrepreneurs program is targeted at High School children and is running at 10 Chapters in India
We are launching a University connect program where we will work with Top universities and colleges to provide mentorship and funding to Young entrepreneurs.
As an organization we are focused on 3 areas – Women, Youth and Budding Entrepreneurs. All our programs will be directed at these segments.
Achievements of Tie Global
We have 60 Chapters in 17 countries which have created over $200 billion of wealth over the last 25 years. TiE currently has over 3000 Charter Members (successful entrepreneurs) and over 10000 members (budding entrepreneurs). It is a unique organization where the successful devote time and money to help those who want to be successful.
