The main objective of this event is to create awareness and excitement among students about Entrepreneurship, creating a synergy between academia and the practitioners, and aligning entrepreneurship with management education. The speakers for the events include eminent IIMC alumni entrepreneurs and other stalwarts from the industry. It is expected to be attended by several faculty and heads of institutes and hundreds of students from across the region.
The event would showcase amongst an array of programs, finer nuances of Entrepreneurship through sessions that would be conducted by role model entrepreneurs known in the domain for setting high standards in business excellence and noteworthy achievements. The speakers includes Mr. Sridhar Iyengar, Ex-Chairman and CEO, KPMG India who will deliver the Keynote Address; followed by a session on ‘Facilitating the Entrepreneurial Mindset’ by Mr. Ajit Balakrishnan, the Rediff CEO, and Ms. Laura Parkin, the Executive Director at NEN and Wadhwani Foundation. Subsequent speakers include Mr. Pradeep Gupta, Chairman & MD, Cybermedia, Mr. K. Ganesh, CEO, TutorVista.com, Mr. Kanwaljit Singh, Co-founder & MD, Mr. Helion Ventures, Mr. R. Thulasiraj, Executive Director, Aravinda Eye Hospital, Mr. Saumen Chakraborty, CEO, INTELLISYS Technologies, Mr. R. Sriram, Consultant, Ex CEO Crossword Bookstores Ltd on topics such as ‘Starting Up’, ‘Scaling Up’ and ‘Identifying Future Opportunities’.
IIMC’s situating the summit on the eve of the annual alumni meet, scheduled for the 24th and 25th, targeted towards strengthening the alumni interaction with current students, with particular focus on entrepreneurship motivation and mentoring. Prof. Anjan Raichaudhuri, the faculty co-ordinator for the event from IIMC says, “Entrepreneurship has been a major catalyst in transforming our economy, and IIM alumni have contributed significantly in new venture creation. This summit is a celebration of the Spirit of Enterprise, by bringing together prominent personalities, including IIM alumni, to inspire & motivate young minds .”
Within a year of existence in Bengal, the National Entrepreneurship Network already has 49 institutes in its fold within the region. NEN currently has a nationwide membership of 287 academic institutes across 30 cities of India, and reaches over 2.9 lakh young people in India.
Laura Parkin, Executive Director, NEN says, “NEN is proud to be associated with IIM Calcutta for this summit. The summit is a great example of how academia is equipping young people to make the most of opportunities today, by bringing together experts and students. We’re also delighted to see that this event has become a networking platform for the students and faculty of the different NEN member institutes in Kolkata. Connecting these young people with the entrepreneurial community is a critical step towards building a vibrant and supportive ecosystem for the next generation of entrepreneurs. With the intention of creating awareness and excitement around entrepreneurship in West Bengal, the summit will go a long way towards motivating future entrepreneurs in pursuing their own entrepreneurial ambitions.”
INTELLISYS Technologies and Research Ltd. is aiming to promote an entrepreneurial eco-system in the country from the students of the engineering and management institutes. Mr. Saumen Chakraborty, Managing Director and the entrepreneur behind the consortium of beautiful minds, says “As India moves up the value chain from a services economy to a knowledge economy innovation would be the key to entrepreneurial success in the country. It would be a necessity to foster an entrepreneurial ecosystem in the country through research and development for creating Intellectual Property Rights (IP) in all fields more specifically in IT. I wish IIM Calcutta and the NEN all the best in its effort to create the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the country through the Entrepreneurship Sumit ‘2007.“
Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Auditorium, Joka, Kolkata–700104, Date: December 23, 2007, Timing: 08.00 a.m. to 05.00 p.m.