Times Professional Learning, Indian Institute of Management Calcutta launch entrepreneurship programme – SURGE

SURGE is an entrepreneurship toolkit programme spread over nine months where aspirants will hone their skills to realise their start-up ambitions

New Delhi: Times Professional Learning (TPL), under its brand The Second Wind (TimesTSW), Indian Institute of Management Calcutta (IIM Calcutta), and Indian Institute of Management Calcutta Innovation Park (IIMCIP) have launched their inaugural entrepreneurial programme – Start-Up Readiness, Growth and Execution (SURGE).

The nine-month programme is developed specifically for entrepreneurs that will guide them through their entrepreneurship lifecycle and empower them to build, manage, and scale up their organisations. It will provide learners with a unique understanding of study-modules such as Essential Management Tools for Entrepreneurs, Managing Early Growth, Navigating the Unexpected, among others that will help them take challenges head-on. SURGE is ideal for those who have an interest in starting a new venture or scaling an existing entity.

The pedagogy would include lectures, case studies, project work, guest sessions by practitioners, etc., to be delivered by eminent faculty and experts from the industry via a state-of-the-art TPL platform in the Direct-to-Device (D2D) mode. At the end of the programme, learners will submit their Capstone Project to be reviewed by a panel of judges including at least one venture capitalist. It also includes a three-day campus visit at the end of the programme. Participants would also receive the IIM Calcutta Executive Education Alumni status on the successful completion of the programme.

The SURGE programme is unique as it is offered along with the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta Innovation Park’s whose objective is to foster innovation that leads to the growth of entrepreneurs and creation of employment. IIM Calcutta Innovation Park provides dedicated mentorship, funding and market connect, capacity building programmes, business, and community support, among other outreach initiatives. It has raised over Rs. 200 crores funding for 51 entrepreneurs, impacting 320,620 lives through direct and indirect employment.

Candidates interested in enrolling for Start-Up Readiness, Growth and Execution (SURGE) can register on: https://timestsw.com/course/iim-calcutta-surge-an-entrepreneurship-programme/

Speaking at the launch of the programme, Sunil Sood, Chief Business Officer – Executive Education, Times Professional Learning, said, “India has a massive start-up ecosystem and witnessed record start-ups turning unicorns that has boosted growth in the region. Entrepreneur driven start-ups have been offering a plethora of innovative solutions to their consumers and large-scale employment to skilled professionals. The TPL-IIM Calcutta SURGE programme aims to provide a fillip to build and hone the skills in the ever-evolving business ecosystem to promote growth and augment their entrepreneurial aspirations.”

Professor Vidyanand Jha, Programme Director, Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, said, “The past two years have been remarkable and witnessed 54 Indian unicorns as India emerged as the third largest unicorn hub behind USA and China. We are highly optimistic and excited for what lies ahead, and with SURGE, we aim to develop and entrepreneurial ecosystem to build competences for our learners, make them abreast and ready to address challenges of the industry and scale their business ventures.”