Life@VIIT

Entrepreneurship Development Cell

The Entrepreneurship Development Cell (EDC) is a student-run organisation that promotes and nurtures an entrepreneurial spirit among students. It serves as a platform for aspiring entrepreneurs to explore and develop their business ideas, gain practical skills, and connect with industry experts and mentors.

EDC VIIT plays a crucial role in fostering a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship in the college. It provides a supportive ecosystem that encourages students to think beyond traditional career paths and empowers them to create their own ventures. The cell organises various events, workshops, and initiatives throughout the year to stimulate entrepreneurial thinking and enhance the startup ecosystem within the college.

Startup Achievements:

  • Trackademic an innovative venture, achieved a remarkable feat by being selected to participate in Eureka, the prestigious B-Plan competition hosted by IIT Bombay.The team showcased groundbreaking concepts and competed among the best minds in the startup ecosystem. This recognition underscores our commitment to driving innovation and propelling our vision forward.
  • Aashray has emerged as the triumphant winner of Agnitio, the highly competitive B-Plan competition held at VIIT by the Entrepreneurship Development Cell (EDC). This remarkable achievement underscores Aashray's innovative prowess and strategic acumen, solidifying their position as frontrunners in the entrepreneurial realm.
  • Team Elecer was the second runner up in the B-Plan 2018 and was invited as a guest speaker at Inception 2.0 held by MIT World Pace University. Team was also invited as the chief guest for Eklavya, annual sports event of Indian Institute of Information Technology and also got nominated for ‘INDIA’s 500 Startups Award’.
  • Team COVEREZY got selected as a finalist from all over Maharashtra and secured the 7th position at Global student Entrepreneur's Award (GSEA) Pune finals. They were also selected as a finalist for Asia’s biggest B-Plan competition named Eureka from amongst 10,000 teams which was held at Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay.
  • Team Swadheen, having the unique idea of helping the specially-abled people by making them self-sustainable secured the 2nd runner-up spot in the B-Plan Competition by IEEE, Credenz held at Pune Institute of Computer Technology.

Vishwapreneur

  • Vishwapreneur

Vishwapreneur'23, the culmination of a decade of entrepreneurial zeal at VIIT, Pune, unfolded with the theme "Rise to the Zenith!" A spark of creativity ignited during the Guest Revelation, captivating attendees with its artistic allure.

Stealing the spotlight was the two-day Entrepreneurial Summit on March 4th and 5th, 2023. This convergence of global entrepreneurs and experts set the stage for dynamic discussions. The event's inauguration by Tech Mahindra's Mr. Jagdish Mitra added gravitas, resonating with the diverse participants who engaged in riveting conversations and networking.

From meticulously timed refreshments to thought-provoking sessions, "Vishwapreneur'23" encapsulated the vibrancy of entrepreneurship. It left an indelible mark, encouraging attendees to embrace innovation and ascend to unparalleled heights.

The event was graced by the presence of esteemed guests, including:

  • Mr Jagdish Mitra - Chief Strategy Officer at Tech Mahindra.
  • Major General Yash More - CEO of Save The Himalayas Foundation.
  • Mr Gaurav Chaudhary - Founder at technical Guruji.
  • Mr Sandeep Jain - Founder and CEO at GeeksforGeeks.
  • Mr Ishant Sharma - Founder Markitup Media.
  • Mr Vishnu Korde - CEO and Chief Architect at Stack OS.
  • Mr Anshul Rustagi - Founder Totality Corp, a Web-3  gaming ecosystem.
  • Mr Nilesh Vohra - Blockchain and Web-3 Influencer.
  • Mr Ashok Ramachandran - CEO and President at  Schindler ,India.
  • Mr Rishabh Jain - Creator at Labour Law Advisor.
  • Mr Harish UthayaKumar - Co founder
  • Mr Shreyans Sancheti - Co founder BlueLearn.
  • Mr Aditya Arora - CEO at Faad Network.
  • Mr Anant Ladha - Founder at invest Aaj For Kal.

Outcomes : 

  1. Attendees connected with entrepreneurs and experts, fostering potential collaborations and innovative ideas.
  2. The summit sparked discussions on tech, sustainability, and entrepreneurship challenges, offering new perspectives.
  3. The artistic Guest Revelation and theme inspired attendees to strive for unprecedented success.
  4. Valuable insights from experts left a lasting impact on attendees' entrepreneurial journeys.
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Startups

  • Startups
  1. Helios:

 EDC 6

   Empowering Vision, Enabling Safety

   Helios innovates affordable devices for the visually impaired, offering security from obstacles. Our vision is to enhance independence and safety for individuals with visual conditions.

  1. Dinego:

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   Reserve Elegance, Dine with Ease

  Dinego revolutionises dining reservations with seamless online booking. Elevate your       dining experience by selecting preferred seats hassle-free.

  1. We Go:

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   Explore. Discover. Journey.

   We Go app redefines city exploration, offering comprehensive trip planning, expert suggestions, and unbeatable deals for the ultimate adventure.

  1. Trackademic:

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   Shape Careers, Secure Histories

   Trackademic employs Blockchain for secure storage of educational and professional records, paving the way for easy verification and career advancement.

  1. Escape:

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   Thrills Unleashed, Connections Forged

   Escape curates outdoor activities fostering adventure and meaningful connections across generations.

  1. Aashray:

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   Find Comfort in Residence

   Aashray's web-app simplifies student accommodations, pairing personalised options with the freedom to choose roommates.

  1. Mediinfo:

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   Health Insights, Securely Stored

   Mediinfo offers secure medical record storage for informed diagnoses, empowering patients and aiding doctors in comprehensive care.

  1. SwanX:

   Stories that Soar, Brands that Thrive

   SwanX amplifies brands through captivating content and digital marketing services, ensuring success across industries.

Activities

  • Activities

Barter to Cater:

Bridging theory with practice, this event empowers participants to master resource acquisition, fostering strategic thinking and collaboration in a competitive business environment.

Motto: "Exchange, Learn, Excel."

Outcomes :

  1. Enhanced Resource Acquisition Skills: Participants likely improved their ability to acquire resources through bartering, negotiation, and collaboration.
  2. Strategic Thinking: The event likely encouraged participants to think strategically about their business or entrepreneurial ventures
  3. Awareness of Market Dynamics: Engaging in resource acquisition exercises may have heightened participants' awareness of market dynamics.

Meals on Wheels:

Igniting business aspirations, this event nurtures skills like innovative thinking, financial acumen, communication, and teamwork. Participants transform concepts into actionable plans, embarking on a journey of entrepreneurial growth.

Motto: "Innovate, Collaborate, Succeed."

Outcomes :

  1. Enhanced Innovative Thinking: Participants likely developed the ability to think creatively and come up with innovative solutions to real-world challenges
  2. Improved Financial Acumen: The event may have provided participants with insights into financial planning, budgeting, and the financial aspects of running a business.
  3. Teamwork and Collaboration: Entrepreneurship often involves working with others.
  4. Increased Confidence: Successfully translating concepts into actionable plans and presenting them can boost participants' confidence
  5. Practical Experience: The event likely provided participants with hands-on experience in entrepreneurship

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Prying Owls: Fostering innovative thinking and entrepreneurial curiosity, participants observe, analyse, and ideate, uncovering brilliance within the business world. This hands-on endeavour empowers future entrepreneurs to shape industries with visionary ideas.

Motto: "Curiosity, Innovation, Impact."

Outcomes :

  1. Hands-On Learning: By engaging in a hands-on endeavor, participants gain practical experience in the business world.
  2. Creative Ideation: Through the ideation process, participants will learn to generate creative and out-of-the-box ideas.
  3. Inspiration: Some participants may be inspired to take their entrepreneurial ideas further, leading to the development of startups or innovative projects.

Clash of Minds: Encouraging open discourse and fearless public speaking, this event enhances participants' communication prowess. They embark on a journey to harness their expressive abilities, amplifying confidence in communication.*

Motto: "Speak, Engage, Empower."

Outcomes :

  1. Enhanced Persuasion Skills: Public speaking often involves persuasion.
  2. Active Listening: Effective communication is a two-way street. Participants may become better listeners
  3. Overcoming Stage Fright: Participating in such events can help individuals overcome this fear or at least manage it more effectively.

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Initiatives

  • Initiatives

Education Fair:

Presenting the impactful 'Global Education Fair' by VIIT's Entrepreneurship Development Cell—an enlightening platform unveiling international educational horizons. Hosted in February 2023 at Pune's Vishwakarma Institute of Information Technology, the event featured university delegates worldwide, fostering interactions, informed choices, and enriched career paths. With enthusiastic participation from students, faculty, and esteemed guests, the fair affirmed the institution's dedication to global learning and exploration.

Outcomes :

  1. Increased Awareness of Global Education: The fair likely raised awareness among students about the various international educational opportunities available to them.
  2. Exposure to Different Educational Systems: The fair exposed students to different educational systems and teaching methodologies from various countries
  3. Career Advancement: For students considering international study, exposure to global education options can significantly enhance their career prospects and global competitiveness.
  4. Enhanced Institution's Reputation: Hosting such an event can boost the reputation of VIIT as an institution dedicated to providing its students with access to global learning opportunities.

E-Cell Meetup:

Entrepreneurship Development Cell acts as a dynamic hub, uniting aspiring entrepreneurs to foster growth. An "E-cell Meetup" was orchestrated in January 2023, bringing together diverse E-Cells to cultivate an entrepreneurial spirit. This event facilitates networking, knowledge exchange, and ideation, catalysing the journey of budding innovators.The event showcased guest sessions and interactive networking, igniting connections and idea exchange among invited E-Cells, including EDC PVG, EDC PICT, EDC VIT, EDC BMCC, EDC AIT, and EDC SKNCOE.

Startup Meetup (Road Bounce):

Mr. Ranjeet Deshmukh, the founder of Roadbounce and an alumnus of IIM Ahmedabad, conducted an engaging guest session, sharing his journey from college to startup success. He navigated the challenges and failures, offering insights into real-world situations. His Shark Tank India experience and post-funding advice resonated well, making it an interactive and enlightening event.

Outcomes :

  1. Strengthened Ecosystem: The event contributed to building a stronger entrepreneurial ecosystem by fostering connections and collaboration among various EDCs.
  2. Knowledge Exchange: By bringing together diverse E-Cells, participants had the chance to exchange knowledge, insights, and best practices related to entrepreneurship development.
  3. Community Building: The meetup played a role in building a sense of community among like-minded individuals who share a passion for entrepreneurship.
  4. Long-Term Partnerships: The connections made during the meetup might lead to long-term partnerships, collaborative projects, and even startup ventures between students from different EDCs.

Agnitio

  • Agnitio

Commencing with an air of anticipation, the event found its initial stride through the grand inauguration of the "Agnitio" B-Plan Competition. This marked the inception of the vibrant "Ideation Phase," a crucible for the birth of ingenious startup concepts that carried the promise of transformative impact. In a carefully choreographed sequence, the stage was set for a pivotal "Mid Evaluation," an event meticulously slated for November 13th. Esteemed professionals, each a luminary in their respective entrepreneurial domains, were invited to grace this occasion as discerning evaluative judges.

Participants, poised and prepared, took the spotlight, each unveiling their prospective startup visions with finesse. These fledgling ideas were elegantly fortified by a "Lean Canvas" and an intricate "Pitch Deck." These two tools, ingeniously designed to encapsulate and showcase intricate business plans succinctly, effectively laid the groundwork for comprehensive understanding.

  1. The "Ideation Phase," a cradle for nascent entrepreneurial dreams, emerges as the foundational stage where novel problems find innovative solutions.
  1. The 'Lean Canvas' emerges as a streamlined business blueprint, adeptly distilling intricate ideas into essential components for rigorous analysis.
  1. A 'Pitch Deck,' a symphony of pivotal business details, adroitly furnishes potential investors with a panoramic view of the entrepreneurial landscape.

The event, orchestrated with finesse, creates a symphony of innovative fervour. It not only kindles the flame of inventive thinking but also empowers participants with the eloquence to eloquently unravel the fabric of their entrepreneurial aspirations.

Outcomes:

  1. The event began with anticipation, launching the "Agnitio" B-Plan Competition.
  2. The event initiated the creative "Ideation Phase," fostering ingenious startup concepts for transformation.
  3. Esteemed professionals from diverse entrepreneurial domains evaluated the startups.
  4. Participants gained experiential learning by receiving critiques from experienced entrepreneurs and industry experts.
  5. The event fostered connections between aspiring entrepreneurs and seasoned professionals, expanding participants' networks.

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Webinars and Sessions

  • Webinars and Sessions

MSME Entrepreneurship Awareness Programme(EAP):

Entrepreneurship Awareness Programme in collaboration with the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) held on  March 14, 2023, a guest lecture by Mr. Abhay Daptardar, Associate Director at MSME, illuminated students about the array of opportunities and schemes available for the development of small and medium enterprises in India. The lecture emphasised the significance of innovation and entrepreneurship in today's business landscape. This informative event provided valuable insights to aspiring entrepreneurs and was met with gratitude for shedding light on avenues for economic growth and development.

Outcomes :

  1. Understanding of MSME Sector: Participants gained a better understanding of the importance and significance of the MSME sector in the Indian economy.
  2. Knowledge about Government Initiatives: The lecture would have provided students with insights into various government initiatives and schemes aimed at supporting and promoting entrepreneurship and small businesses.

Bulls & Bears:

Enhancing financial literacy and strategic insight, this event provides a profound understanding of stock market mechanics. Through discussions and practical exercises, it equips participants with valuable analytical skills for navigating the world of trading and investments.

Motto: "Invest, Analyze, Thrive."

Outcomes :

  1. Improved Financial Literacy: Participants likely gained a deeper understanding of financial concepts, stock market mechanics, and investment strategies, contributing to improved financial literacy.
  2. Understanding of Investment Vehicles: Beyond stocks, participants may have gained insights into various investment vehicles such as bonds, mutual funds, and exchange-traded funds (ETFs), broadening their investment knowledge.

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