MDI Gurgaon further bolsters its support to the start-up ecosystem with its mentorship series
New Delhi: Underlining its focus on fostering entrepreneurial fervour among students, Management Development Institute Gurgaon, one of India’s premier and oldest management institute, has helped connect over 20 early-stage start-ups and entrepreneurs with more than 10 investors. As a part of a mentorship series launched by MDI Gurgaon alumni – called MDI MEGAMINDS, these 20 start-ups got a chance to present their ideas and business plans to investors during multiple events held at the institute.
MDI MEGAMINDS was created by the institute’s alumni, and entrepreneurs, like Manish Verma (Founder – BankerBhai.com, Akshay Datt – Founder, Unnati, Saurabh Garg – Founder, C4E.in, along with Dr. Nakul Gupta, Coordinator – Centre for Entrepreneurship, MDI Gurgaon. The aim behind the initiative is to create an ecosystem for start-ups to access opportunities of finding strategic partners, experts to mentor them, as well as the right investors. For each MDI MEGAMINDS event, the institute invites early stage start-ups to make a pitch in front of an audience comprising investors, accelerators, incubators, start-ups, experts, mentors. With 20 start-ups having participated across four editions of the MEGAMINDS series, one venture has been selected for the acceleration program at an accelerator, while a number of start-ups are pursuing further discussions with individual and institutional investors and accelerator networks.
Dr. Nakul Gupta, Coordinator – Centre for Entrepreneurship, MDI Gurgaon commented, “India’s start-up market is teeming with ideas, energy, and enthusiasm. For every unicorn that emerges, there are thousands of start-ups that start and end in oblivion, some of them with truly innovative ideas. But what they don’t get is timely or adequate guidance, mentorship, and funding. The MDI MEGAMINDS series aims to provide such worthy early-stage start-ups the chance to connect with mentors, experts, investors, and even the industry to help them grow and get their ideas off the ground. The goal behind this initiative – the recent among many, is also to reinforce the institution’s long-held commitment to proactively supporting the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the country.”
Management Development Institute Gurgaon is a leading institute in the field of management education, with its programs cutting across Post Graduate programmes, Executive Education, and Doctoral programs. Over the last four decades, MDI Gurgaon has produced fine professionals, entrepreneurs, and citizens to the industry and the society. The MDI MEGAMINDS series further highlights MDI Gurgaon’s progressive and proactive stance towards facilitating growth opportunities across the start-up ecosystem. In the near future, the alumni group along with the MDI Gurgaon Centre for Entrepreneurship plan to take the events to the next level and on a greater scale. With this it, the institute aims to help create an engaging avenue for the entire community to build a stimulating and supportive network, and enable more number of start-ups to grow.