Press Releases

Press Release 3 February 2020

A special start-up zone for fashion, retail & fashion tech companies at ASW2020

Start-up is certainly not a passing trend; it is a revolution from the word go. And it is here to stay!
A report by Indian Private Equity & Venture Capital Association (IVCA) in December 2018 says it all – “India is among one of the top start-up ecosystems in the world, housing 50,000+ total start-ups and 3,500+ funded start-ups growing rapidly at over 30 per cent.” Looking at the figures registered in the last decade, entrepreneurial space in India has witnessed an overwhelming growth pace, raising more than US $ 50 billion of funds.
There’s more – the booming start-up economy of the country, in its last count, reported to have as many as 26 unicorns, with 8 new start-ups coming onboard in 2018 alone. Even the government has realised the potential of the young entrepreneur and has initiated a Startup India Scheme to encourage the movement.
So far as the fashion start-up space is concerned, a lot of exciting things are happening. Thanks to the plethora of inspirational designs and evolving aesthetics, fashion industry in India is taking the global fashion market by storm and technology is revolutionising the fashion industry, transforming it at a faster pace than ever.
It is opening up new doors, bridging the gap between the imaginable and the achievable – given the thunderous arrival of various groundbreaking technological innovations like Artificial Intelligence (AI), 3D image rendering, visual search and QR codes. Many fashion start-ups these days are investing in technology so as to remain on top of the game, enabling the tech treatment in all or most parts of the process – in a chase to improve design and merchandising, as well as boost sales and retail experience.
Keeping all this in mind and moving with the times, Apparel Sourcing Week is glad to introduce a special segment for start-ups in its second edition. It will be a great platform for companies with innovative ideas for sustainable, profitable and scalable businesses in the fashion, retail and tech segments to showcase, network and find their match.
After a self-nomination process, 10 companies shall be shortlisted to display at ASW 2020, out of which 5 will be further selected to present their start-ups to 4 Venture Capitalists, including the likes of Navin Honagudi, Partner, Kae Capital and Vikram Gupta, Founder and Managing Partner, IvyCap Ventures, at a special VC forum on the first day of the event.
Several opportunities for participating fashion start-ups at ASW 2020:
  • Chance to showcase their ideas/products at the 30 SQM Start-up Zone in front of Venture Capitalists and top Retail CXOs on all 3 days
  • Chance to hear 4 VCs talk about how to build and scale a start-up
  • Chance to pitch their ideas to Venture Capitalists in a 10-minute presentation followed by a 5-minute Q&A session
  • Chance to meet the panelists, one-on-one for specific feedback, comments and networking
  • Chance to attend other exclusive industry-led seminars and discussions
  • Free access to private networking events – including dinners, lunches and tours
  • Industry visibility via coverage in Apparel Online India – the country’s leading fashion business magazine
Besides offering a great platform for fashion start-ups to make healthy and strong business relationships with renowned and established international fashion enterprises, ASW 2020 will also host 9 seminars, 6 workshops, 8 open house discussions with industry experts and 4 vendor sessions – 2 each from global as well as Indian retailers, along with networking lunches on all 3 days. The premier sourcing show will be held at the beautiful Sheraton Grand Bengaluru Whitefield Hotel & Convention Center from 20 to 22 February 2020.
For insights into startup pitch, visit https://apparelsourcingweek.com/visit/startup-pitch

About Apparel Sourcing Week 2023

Apparel Sourcing Week 2023, a two-days Sourcing Show not only provides the Asian manufacturers a platform to showcase their products & manufacturing capabilities to the Brands & Retailers from all over the world including India, but also extends them a chance to attend the multiple seminars (headed by industry experts), workshops, open-house discussions and networking opportunities organised during these three days, which would help the manufacturers get a better understanding of Indian and International Retail and evolving dynamics of sourcing in various markets and retail formats.

About the Organiser

Apparel Resources is well known for its benchmark publications – Apparel Online, StitchWorld and Resource Guide published from India, Bangladesh & Vietnam. These publications have been around in the industry for over 35 years, supporting, guiding and standing by garment exporters and the retail industry globally, providing them a platform to source better.