Looking for advisors. I am currently studying in class 12th(will be giving board exams in a month) and just turned 17(don't take me lightly just because I'm small, I am equally passionate as you are). I'm thinking to take a year gap to continue research on one of my project. In the same year I also want to start my own startup on an idea I've been thinking up for the past few weeks. I have some friends who have successful companies at Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore and are willing to help me for building prototype model which would cost around 1.5lacs. But I have some questions :
1. I once approached Kae capital via one of my friend but they were shocked that I'm not 18 years old, although my friend managed the situation but I don't think investors would invest into my idea due to my age. So do you know any investor who doesn't really care about age thing and only cares about the idea or capability of a person? or anyone who can help me with the funding ?
2. I want to start my own startup, even make my own prototype with my team of engineers. If I take help from any other(I have some friends who would happily help me) they might ask for share of just for investing in the prototype, right?
3. How to protect my idea? We have many entrepreneurs or companies who just copy ideas like olacabs, taxiforsure, flipkart, snapdeal, etc who just don't innovate, they only copy the ideas of others and say that they made it more efficient( if you were so interested to make the product better, then you could have suggested them instead of copying the idea).
4. I'm planning to make a hardware and networking based product. So which is the best place to start?
5. How to make idea/product valuation? And safely?