Discussion on start-ups held

ALIGARH  : The Frank and Debbie Islam Entrepreneurship Incubation Centre (FDIEIC), Department of Business Administration (DBA), Aligarh Muslim University organized a discussion on the journey of a financial start-up, “Ethica Invest” by Abdullah Zaman (CEO) and Abdullah Tarin (CFO).

Welcoming the guests, Prof. Jamal A Farooquie, Chairperson pointed out that a start-up is an opportunity through which one can make his or her career as an entrepreneur with a big impact on society. He said Startup India is a flagship initiative of the Government of India intended to catalyse the start-up culture and build a strong inclusive ecosystem for innovation and entrepreneurship in the country.

Highlighting the purpose of starting a series of discussions on various business-related topics, the Incubation Manager, FDIEIC, Mr Mohammad Maaz Husain said the series aims at creating awareness and inspiring budding entrepreneurs from the department, as well as from the university. He said that around 84000 start-ups have been registered in India since the inception of the programme and this shows the success of the Startup India initiative.

Mr Abdullah Zaman (CEO, Ethica Invest) shared his academic and real-world experiences, challenges and opportunities in the entrepreneurship journey of Ethica Invest. He also highlighted the freelancing career options as a SEBI Research Analyst, an Advisor to SEBI and a fund manager. He said Ethica Invest is a strong research-based company committed to building up a portfolio with big companies in different domains. He stressed that one needs to continuously monitor the portfolio and take remedial action to balance the portfolio to stay afloat and profitable.

Abdullah Tarin (CFO, Ethica Invest) exhorted students to avoid procrastination, and start early in implementing the business idea. He said mistakes are learning opportunities.

In his concluding remarks, Prof. Parvaiz Talib pointed out that failures are the stepping stones to success. He highlighted the role of passion while working on business ideas and focusing on the successful implementation of the business plan and strategies with a long-term perspective.

Mr Ibrahim Farooqui, CTO, Ethica Invest attended the programme along with his parents.

An interactive question-answer session was also held for participants.

Ms Maheeba Tahir Syed conducted the session and Ms Amina Siddiqui proposed a vote of thanks.