InXero recognized among top 10 Internet companies to watch out for in 2009 by SiliconIndia.

Austin, TEXAS - March 16, 2009 - SiliconIndia (www.siliconindia.com), the premier magazine for business and technology has selected InXero as one of the top 10 Internet companies to watch out for in 2009 in the U.S. The selection recognizes companies that are playing a leading role in innovating in the Internet business.

SiliconIndia tracks over 1,000 companies in the U.S. and selected the ones that have the potential to be the game changer in their segment of technology or business. For this prestigious award, companies were chosen by a distinguished panel composed of accomplished CEO's & CIO's of public companies, VC's, analysts, and founders of other VC funded companies, and the SiliconIndia editorial board. Evaluations were made on both quantitative and qualitative criteria including the technology innovation, uniqueness of service offering, management pedigree, innovation, global strategy, customers and customer retention and, venture funding.

"In the backdrop of current economic conditions, we’re seeing a lot of innovative new companies taking on the established players with disruptive technologies and innovative business plans," said Harvi Sachar, founder and Editor-in-Chief of siliconindia. "The 10 Internet companies we have chosen, among them InXero, are pushing and breaking the boundaries of the technology business and we are excited to report on their success stories. They have a lot of momentum and will rise above the rest."

“Austin has a long tradition of innovation in the enterprise software space and is currently transitioning from legacy technologies to applying web 2.0-like technologies to a new generation of enterprise software innovations.” said Bart Bohn, Director of the Austin Technology Incubator’s Wireless and IT Incubators. “InXero has the potential to help catalyze the emerging enterprise social media industry in Austin and make Austin the global innovation hub in this area by building an ecosystem of existing and new companies to fulfill to this new emerging market.” (www.ati.utexas.edu)
“It’s a great honor to have been selected for this award for our product innovation in Enterprise Social Media and differentiated enterprise 2.0 market offering." said Anand Raj, Founder and CEO of InXero, Inc. “SiliconIndia keeps a good pulse on the high-tech companies that are playing a leading role in innovating in the internet business, and we are very pleased with the recognition.”
The full story is available at: http://www.siliconindia.com/shownews/10_Internet_companies_to_watch_out_for_in_2009-nid-53206.html

Follow carefully NOT blindly - Not all things are like what they may seem

A good rule for an entrepreneur is NOT to take things as they may seem at the first encounter. You may meet with lot of high profile people or high profile companies and may follow their guidance blindly. Not a good thing. Just believe in your instincts and follow your heart no matter what other people say. At the same time - there are also few really good people out there. Consider yourself lucky if you find one of those – and take their guidance seriously.

Above is a picture of a Palace in India. Looks very beautiful from outside. Isn’t it? Now let us look inside it.

Surprisingly, this is the picture of the main entrance of this palace. This is not visible from outside in the main picture.It is at the center of the previous picture. Well, you got the point!

As you start working on your new idea, not let big players in the industry scare you. Every successful company starts small. Remember, you start your journey where you stand today and you don’t worry about any thing else but remain focused on the value creation and making this world a better place.

Be open for new possibilities – but follow carefully, not blindly.

Running and Entrepreneurship: A Blissful Experience

Can I share this thought with you? Once while running at the town lake in Austin, I started thinking that building a business and running or more specifically, running a marathon, have many similarities. Those of us who are runners and have done their long-runs, know this well. The route is typically expected to be full of hills and valleys, great scenic views and desert and so on. As runners, we know we conserve our energies while going uphill, pick speed along the downhill and keep putting one step in front of the other in the right direction without worrying about the rain or wind or distance or without spending too much time at the water stop. As long as we stay on the track, we surely cross the finish line. Businesses go through all the ups and downs and it is the passion of the entrepreneur that keeps him/her on track. Keeping on the track is the key and for that you need courage, commitment, passion and the internal energy to make a difference in this world. The entrepreneurs who are driven by money typically leave the track while going up-hill or in the rainy days.

The second thing runners do very well is to conserve the energy in the beginning of the race – We need to get comfortable with the road conditions, temperature and literally run on air for first couple of miles. Once all the muscles are juicy and mind, body and soul are in perfect rhythm, we start accelerating. While starting a new business, experienced entrepreneurs know to build the right eco-system, use all the funds wisely on the activities that matter to build the successful business. This activity is typically done by entrepreneurs own funds or outside seed money. This is the most expensive money you would ever spend – so be wise and don’t run too fast at the beginning. Remember, building a successful business is not a sprint, it’s a marathon – go slow and conserve your energies. Beyond funds, you also need to be selective who you get the advise from, what kind of customers you want to recruit, what kind of team you need to put in place. Be very careful of the runners on the track who can pass you by very fast and send negative energies. There are a lot of Bozos in the business world as well who may seem the perfect match to help you build your business.

Once the solid base is in place and all parts of the business start to work in rhythm, then it is time to pick pace. The entrepreneurs start accelerating by infusing Series A funds and expanding the eco-system to scale the business-up.

And lastly the most important thing, while running, we enjoy each step all the way – we don’t wait for the finish line to come to start enjoying. Because the finish line comes in the future, and the step we take is in the present, in the now, and present is what we can enjoy. Finish line is just another step that we will enjoy as it comes. So enjoy each day while building your business and don’t keep looking for the perfect day to celebrate. When the actor, the activity and the target become one, the work becomes worship – when the runner, the running and the finish line become one, this activity becomes blissful. When the business goal and entrepreneurs passion become one, the outcome becomes a successful business.

Best wishes for all of us entrepreneurs for a blissful run! Enjoy every single step of this journey and make meaning in our society.

Life is good!