St. Xavier's College, Kolkata
St Xavier's College’s EAC '24 Ignites Entrepreneurial Fire in Kolkata's Startup Landscape!
Our Correspondent
The entrepreneurial fervour blazed a trail at St Xavier's College (Autonomous), Kolkata, as the Entrepreneurship Development Cell (EDC) orchestrated its magnum opus, the Entrepreneurship Awareness Camp (EAC'24). From April 2 to April 5, EAC '24 transcended boundaries, uniting aspiring entrepreneurs, industry leaders, and savvy investors under one roof.
St Xavier's College, Kolkata
EDC's brainchild, the Entrepreneurship Awareness Camp, is not just an event; it's a transformative experience, a nexus where startups meet investors, dreams meet opportunities, and aspirations meet reality. Over its illustrious journey, EAC has been a catalyst for over 100 startups, connecting them with 40 discerning investors and mentors, propelling some onto the national stage of Shark Tank India.
St Xavier's College, Kolkata
The 7th edition of EAC 2024 marked a paradigm shift, transitioning from a virtual affair to an electrifying hybrid extravaganza. The palpable energy pulsating through the offline interactions catalysed meaningful connections among entrepreneurs, mentors and investors, fostering an ecosystem ripe for innovation.
St Xavier's College, Kolkata
The curtain lifted with riveting online sessions by luminaries like Ish Anand (GAA at EST FAB and Country Partner, India & UAE at iCapital Ventures) and Tripti Shinghal Somani (Founder, Womennovator and The Economic Times 40 under 40 awardee), igniting conversations about global startup ecosystems and women's leadership, setting the stage for days brimming with insight and inspiration.
St Xavier's College, Kolkata
The following day saw 9 startups, namely, Diagnoeasy Healthtech PL, Buzz, Yogitha Biofarming PL, RawRX, Joleys, Biogreen Projects PL, EZ The One App, Jutaji, and Dive in 2 Digital engage in intimate mentoring sessions, with a cadre of industry stalwarts, extracting invaluable wisdom from the likes of Vivasawan Bhattacharya (Startup Consultant, Mentor & Angel investor), Skannd Tyagi (Founder & CEO, Starshot Ventures), Ruby Ray (Founding Director & CEO, Food Lexicon Pvt Ltd), Abhay Dubey (Head of Investment Readiness, Velocity1), Arindam Chakraborty (Founder and Director, Business Unplugged), Prashant Sinha (Senior consultant Ernst and Young LLP), Ritwik Bhawsinghka (Partner, Spectre Corporate Finance), Anirban Basu (Co-Founder, Spectre Xorporate Finance), Rishav Sadhu (Founder and Director, Webingo), Mitesh Mehta (Founder and CEO, Knowbility Consultants LLP), Animesh Goswami (Managing Partner, Cofiance Mobility LLP) and Devansh Lakhani (Director, Lakhani Financial services). This knowledge exchange, coupled with an illuminating session by Akul Jindal (Associate, Venture Highway) on fundraising strategies, armed entrepreneurs with the arsenal needed for success.
St Xavier's College, Kolkata
The climax arrived with an offline Investment Round, where startups pitched fervently to a panel of seasoned investors, laying the groundwork for future collaborations and investments. The event culminated in a networking extravaganza, fostering relationships that would propel startups to new heights.
St Xavier's College, Kolkata
The Investor Panel comprised of Raghav Kanodia (Partner, Anchor Group), Yash Dugar (CEO at Crealth Educare Co-founder at jai Capital), Aaquib Hussain (Founding Partner, Free Flow, Angel Investor), Avelo Roy (MD, Kolkata Ventures [Kolkata]), Shantanu Jain (Co-founder, ReadOn), Abhishek Ginodia (Director, Altius Investech), Udeept Kanodia (Angel Investor), Pratik Agarwal (Founding Member & Angel Investor, BEE), Ayush Gupta (Co-founder at Chaigram), Alkesh Agarwal (Founder & CEO, Re-feel Partner, Seeders VC) and Sujoy Datta (Managing Partner, Sky Consultants).
St Xavier's College, Kolkata
As Shantanu Jain of ReadOn remarked, “I have been to Varanasi and IIT Jamshedpur, and a lot of different colleges like BHU. The quality of startups that I saw today, and the kind of work these guys have done in terms of sourcing and evaluating these startups is phenomenal.”
St Xavier's College, Kolkata
The grand finale featured a riveting panel discussion with Venture Capitalists like Parag Dhol (General Partner, Athera Ventures), Ankit Agarwal (Managing Partner, Alteria Capital), and Rohit Bafna (Co-founder & CEO at 888VC). The event was moderated by Madanmohan Rao, Research Director at YourStory. They offered insights into the future of entrepreneurship and venture capital in India. A poignant keynote was delivered by Prashant Tandon (Co-founder & CEO, TATA 1MG), underscoring the imperative of innovation, the wave of student entrepreneurship in India and work-life balance.
St Xavier's College, Kolkata
The resounding endorsement from Aaquib Hussain (Founding Partner of Free Flow and Angel Investor) reaffirms EAC's pivotal role in shaping the startup landscape inasmuch as “Our portfolio consists of three startups in the last 4 years that have been introduced to us by EAC, which itself is proof that the cell is doing a great job!”
St Xavier's College, Kolkata
EAC 2024 wasn't just a success; it was a testament to EDC's commitment to nurturing entrepreneurship and driving innovation. It's not just about ideas at St Xavier's College, Kolkata; it's about turning those ideas into action, fuelling the flames of entrepreneurship that illuminate Kolkata's startup horizon.
St Xavier's College, Kolkata
As remarked by Raghav Kanodia (Partner, Anchor Group), “It gives me great joy to see that St Xavier’s College, Kolkata is also now a part of this ecosystem and is launching these initiatives.”
St Xavier's College, Kolkata
Last updated on 15 Apr 2024