Innovation Meets Entrepreneurship at Innoventure 2024 at NMIMS Chandigarh
SVKM’s NMIMS Chandigarh conducted a two-day event dedicated to the spirit of innovation in the form of their annual Innoventure 2024 event. This lively competition called for an eclectic gathering of dreamers, inventors and innovators to show off their creativity and be selected to represent the next big idea. The Innoventure stage was built to welcome truly diverse minds, whether an experienced founder, a growing entrepreneur, or a student with a fresh idea.
The highlight of the event was the presence of the Shri Banwarilal Purohit, Hon’ble Governor of Punjab & Administrator of Chandigarh, who was present as chief guest on the second day. In his special address at the event, lauding NMIMS Chandigarh’s initiative, Hon’ble Governor, Shri Banwarilal Purohit encouraged the students to firmly say no to ill-gotten wealth and stay on the path of honesty and truthfulness while taking a pledge to serve the country. He added, “Our NEP is very robust and encourages boosting infrastructure. I urge the institution to invest in refresher courses and invite experts regularly so that no one is left behind in this competitive world. Moreover, the institution should be run on the principles laid down by Mahatma Gandhi and Kasturba Gandhi by upholding ethics and total transparency.”
The event was also graced by the esteemed Chancellor of SVKM’s NMIMS, Mr. Amrish Patel. Addressing the august audience, he said, “We have been dedicated to delivering high-quality education to the new generation of students for many years now. I want to assure you that NMIMS Chandigarh will continue to pursue its goal of empowering young students with the skills and knowledge they need to be self-reliant.”
The event ushered in an impressive guest panel composed of industry thought leaders, company founders, investors and business experts as judges of the main event. The panel of judges provided a world-class benchmark for students to rise in their entrepreneurial endeavours.
The panel of experts at the two-day event included Dr. Puran Singh, Associate Professor, IIT, Mandi, Vidur P Bansal, Founder and CEO, Workcave Coworking, Mr. Kaushik Roy, Founder & CEO, Biryani By Kilo, Mr. Gurpreet Singh, Vice President, IQVIA, Mr. Rishabh Gupta, Founder, Axiom Ayurvedic, Mrs Nikita Mishra Khurana, Head Investments, Chandigarh Angels Network, Mr Hitesh Gulati, Founder, Diversity Ace, Mr Ekant Aggarwal, Startup and Legal Consultant, Mr. Shiven Tondon, Principal, July Venture, Mr Sahil Makkar, MD, Punjab Angels Network, Mr Brahm Alreja, Founder and Director, Innovative Incentives & Rewards Pvt Ltd., Mrs Deepali Gulati, President, WICCI CSR Council, Chandigarh, Mr. Satish Kumar Arora, Vice President, TIE Chandigarh, and Mr. Hetal Sonpal, Startup Evangelist and TED Speaker.
The students got a chance to showcase their skills and pitch their groundbreaking ideas in the form of groups, with an average of 5-10 minutes to complete their pitches, depending on the pitching round. In addition to winning exciting cash prizes, this event allowed participants to directly network with industry leaders, gaining valuable professional insights and finding inspiration to take the next steps in their journey as future founders, entrepreneurs and CEOs.
The event drew bright and enthusiastic students of NMIMS into the limelight with its engaging roster of activities. The highlight event was the thrilling pitching competition, where participants exhibited their business ideas and inventions to the illustrious guest panel composed of angel investors, established authors, financial gurus and company heads who posed as strict judges. Every passionate pitch held the promise of a budding venture waiting to be recognised.
Exciting cash prizes worth up to the sum of Rs. 1 lakh were awarded to the most innovative and promising ideas. The top winners received prizes along with recognition and exposure to potential investors and collaborators. Meanwhile, the event turned out to be an invaluable experience for all participants, fuelling entrepreneurial aspirations and ambitions. The pitching sessions were complemented by an engaging panel session hosted by angel investor, author and TEDx speaker Mr Hetal Sonpal.
The final pitching round was followed by the declaration of results and a gala dinner. Competition winners were given the unique opportunity to join in and personally interact with the event judges.
The winners at Innoventure were Yashvi Kamboj and Kinjal Madaan from Reverberate- Sound Pressed of Chitkara International School, who secured the 1st position. Vansh Saini claimed the 2nd position. The 3rd position was jointly shared by The Incredibles, comprising Pratima Sikarwar and Shiv Gahlawat from Panipat Institute of Engineering and Technology (PIET) KUK, and Ease Fitness, represented by Mansi Gupta and Abhishek Kumar from PIET KUK.
Speaking about the unique event, Dr Jaskiran Kaur, Director, NMIMS Chandigarh, said, “It is the age of startups and we at NMIMS encourage the spirit of entrepreneurship at our campus. I am certain that budding entrepreneurs on our campus got practical insights into the world of business from the wisdom shared by the experts present at Innoventure 2024. We want to nurture the talents of our students by moving beyond classroom learning and this event was a testimony to that philosophy.”
Overall, the Innoventure 2024 event was a fascinating look into the minds of tomorrow – a glimpse at promising future leaders, pioneering inventors and bold innovators who will certainly go on to disrupt the Indian entrepreneurial landscape for the better.