The External Relations (ER) cell of IIM Calcutta left no stone upturned in conducting the even in a delightful manner.

This year however turned different for IIM Calcutta as it held the city meets on virtual mode owing to restrictions brought in by COVID-19 situation.

ER unit of IIM Calcutta organised eight meetings is six cities across India namely, Delhi, Bangalore, Chenai, Hyderabad and Kolkata.

IIM Calcutta 2020

About 350 students took part in the event hosted by ER cell of IIM Calcutta. Dikshant Yadav and Isha Mittal, the External Relations Secretaries at IIM Calcutta said said organizing the meets virtually was an enriching experience for them.

Creating a good experience for the attendees, virtually, was a challenge that the team took head-on and was able to navigate successfully.

‘The efforts of the entire team were commendable. We are also thankful to our alumni who graced the meets with their presence.’

‘It was heartening to see the enthusiasm of the incoming batch, even in these uncertain times,’ said Joy Bhattacharya, host of the Kolkata meet.

The city meet began with an orientation to IIM Calcutta and its rich history, exemplary academia and legendary alumni through a presentation.

This was followed by a fun and interactive quiz for the participants featuring trivia from Joka.

To encourage this, the session was joined by distinguished alumni of various batches through special invitation, who shared their ‘Journey at Joka’ and the life lessons they learned while pursuing their courses and how that has shaped them as professionals.

Apart from this, for further personal interaction, breakout rooms were created where students could ask their questions in a closed group environment.

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The event conducted by ER cell of IIM Calcutta saw students being divided into small groups where they focused on building interpersonal rapport and indentifying one common element between them.

The commonality was shared through impressive videos and PowerPoint presentations and gave everyone a chance to know each other better and break the ice.

The city meet organised by senior at IIM Calcutta was very interactive and informative. It was a precious opportunity for us as we got to meet some bright minds of our country, said Sweety Gupta who attended the Delhi meet.

IIM Calcutta director Professor Anju Seth said “Our students deserve kudos for their dynamic and entrepreneurial approach to hosting city meets virtually.

In these unprecedented times that demand innovative solutions, we greatly appreciate our students and alumni working together to collectively support the Institute and welcome the incoming batch.

‘Yes, there is uncertainty, but I am confident that we will work together to build a particularly positive and even stronger IIM Calcutta experience during the very special circumstances that we jointly face.’

About – IIM Calcutta

The Indian Institute of Management Calcutta (IIMC) was established as the first national institute for Post-Graduate studies and Research in Management by the Government of India in November 1961 in collaboration with Alfred P. Sloan School of Management (MIT), the Government of West Bengal, The Ford Foundation and Indian industry.

During its initial years, several prominent faculty formed part of its nucleus, including Jagdish Sheth, J. K. Sengupta, among others.

Over the years, IIMC has grown into a mature institution with global reputation, imparting high quality management education.

It has been playing a pioneering role in professionalizing Indian management through its Post Graduate and Doctoral level programs, Executive Training Programs, Research and Consulting Activities.

Today, the institute serves as an autonomous body, continually evolving to meet its goals in an ever-changing business environment.

Apply Now for – Roorkee Institute of Technology, Dehradun

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur has collaborated with z21 Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm operated by its alumni. The z21 venture capital firm founded by IIT Kharagpur alumni will invest a total of Rs 2.5 crore in this partnership. The institute mentioned in a statement on Friday that the preliminary investment per team in this collaboration will be Rs 25 lakh.

As a result, IIT Kharagpur and z21 Ventures are joining hands to start an innovative program to provide final-year students with the necessary support and resources to create a successful startup.

The accelerator is created to leverage exceptional talent from IIT Kharagpur, turning ambitious ideas into market-ready startups. It will provide participants with unparalleled access to mentorship, funding, and premium resources. Centred on developing technological, scalable solutions to global challenges, the program will combine the latest research capabilities by IIT Kharagpur with the investment success cultivated by z21 Ventures to empower student entrepreneurs to make lasting, transformative changes.

• Mentorship: Direct guidance from successful entrepreneurs, industry experts, and venture capitalists.
• Seed Funding: Access to early-stage funding opportunities to ignite their ventures.
• Workshops and Training: Tailored sessions on business-building necessary features, including business development, product-market fit, fundraising, and scaling operations.
• Networking: Opportunities to connect with a wide network of investors, successful entrepreneurs, and corporate leaders, that promote partnership and business development.

The accelerator is designed to tap into the immense talent pool at KGP and translate bold ideas into marketable ventures. It offers a platform with unmatched access to mentorship, funding, and top-tier resources for participants. The focus of this program would be on building technical, scalable solutions to global challenges by leveraging IIT Kharagpur’s cutting-edge research along with proven investments in z21 Ventures. This is meant to empower student entrepreneurs to change the world.

First cohort and the structure of the program

The accelerator program will accept up to 10 teams in the first cohort. Throughout the program, these teams will continue to receive mentoring, strategic guidance, and seed funding in efforts to develop their ideas into products. Participants will also tap into the extensive network of z21 Ventures’ industry experts, successful entrepreneurs, and experienced advisors dedicated to guiding them toward market success. Critical infrastructure support would also be offered by IIT Kharagpur even after graduation to ease the transition from idea development to execution.

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“Start-up Accelerator Program with z21 Ventures, founded by our esteemed IIT alumni, to launch the ‘KGP Forge Entrepreneur’ is a structured accelerator program created to teach the students about company building, basic company finance and company law, fundraising etc. It is a significant step toward empowering our BTech, MTech, and PhD students. This collaboration aims to provide budding entrepreneurs with mentorship, resources, financial support and professional networks sufficient to convert their ideas into successful startups”, said V K Tewari, Director, of IIT Kharagpur. KGP alumni can also participate in this transformative program, in case they collaborate with current KGP students on their founding teams.

Conclusion

The IIT Kharagpur and z21 Ventures collaboration marks a transformative step in advancing student entrepreneurship. With its first cohort set to support up to 10 teams, this accelerator program gives aspiring entrepreneurs a solid platform from which they can turn innovative ideas into impactful startups. Combining cutting-edge research from IIT Kharagpur with investment expertise from z21 Ventures, this initiative will focus on scalable solutions to global challenges. This is done through mentorship, funding, and comprehensive resources to equip the participants to make meaningful contributions and lay the foundation for generations yet to come of trailblazing innovators.