Kozhikode : The Indian Institute of Kozhikode, is all set to organize the sixth edition of its annual National Entrepreneurship Summit ‘Start-O-Sphere’ on March 6 and 7. The event is organized by IIMK Entrepreneurship Cell (E-Cell) team with the support of IIMK LIVE, the business incubator of the institute. The event is one of the biggest entrepreneurship summit of South India and it aims to support the start-ups by providing them an opportunity to network, get mentored and a chance to get funded. Though this event will be held virtually due to Covid-19 pandemic restrictions, it will witness a wide variety of activities during these 2 days.
Announcing the launch of this eagerly awaited annual entrepreneurship summit, Prof. Debashis Chatterjee, Director IIM Kozhikode, said “StartOsphere is a marquee event of IIMK organized and conceptualized by the students of our Entrepreneurship Cell. It doesn’t only aim at bringing the emerging startups and investors together, but it also attempts to evangelize entrepreneurship among the student community on campus and the greater community of entrepreneurs. It is delighting to see this meet getting bigger every year.”
The Summit also witnesses events such as Bouncer which shall allow the budding entrepreneurs to validate their ideas from ‘Industry Gurus’ and seasoned IIM-K professors which will help them to refine their approach. Horse’s Stable, a unique event will allow the students to understand how the start-up ecosystem works right from ideation stage to the pitching and funding stage through a virtual simulation. The summit will also witness panel discussion by who’s who of the Industry and a Boot camp which will disseminate the knowledge on pertinent topics such as ‘Art of Presentation, Pitch Desk Preparation, and Design Thinking’. In addition to this the event will also witness a unique Ideation Challenge with A Junior VC wherein the students will be given to solve the problems of existing start-up unicorns and will get an opportunity to present their ideas with AJVC team in person.
The previous edition of ‘Start-O-Sphere’ 2020 received 457 startup registrations from across the country and varied industries, including healthcare, wellness, manufacturing, and fintech. Out of these, a list of 40 startups were curated for attending the summit at the campus and showcasing their ideas to the IIMK community and a select group of 15 marquee investors.
The coming edition is set-to get bigger though to be held virtually due to Covid-19 pandemic with an estimated potential fund base of INR 7 crores. Some well-known names in the investment community like the Indian Angel Network, Venture Catalysts, Ankur Capital, 100X.VC will be participating in the event.
The website for the event https://www.ecelliimk.org is now live and open for registrations. Interested entrepreneurs can also write to [email protected] for any queries or clarifications.