EXIMIUS 2019, IIM-B: When participants were buzzing with energy and transcending the ordinary

Bengaluru, Aug 17: The EXIMIUS 2019 hosted by the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore (IIMB) and ACT Fibernet is one of the most significant national entrepreneurship summits in India.

This year the theme was "Transcend the Ordinary," and the three days national Sumit comprised a host of events, workshops and speaker sessions. The event also witnessed case competitions and workshops in entrepreneurship, finance, marketing, healthcare and analytics.

Chirag Gandhi, Venture Capital Fellow, Kstart Capital said that it was the ultimate pitch competition He said that it was great pleasure to be in the room hearing and judging their pitches. The participants were buzzing with energy, insight and entrepreneurial spirit. They made our job super hard, he also said.

Kishan Malur, product leadership, IoT Product Strategy, Evangelising Product Mindset said over 30 people from over 11 teams pitched their proposition for the Tehnimator event, a unique showcase event for aspiring PMs. The case threw a near-real challenge for the participants to address.

The event was a well designed one to simulate diverse aspects of product management.

He also said that the best thing about being in a jury in such an event is how each team approaches the same problem differently. Each team had come up with some very unique perspectives and dimensions. Moving beyond just happy ideation, the pitches involved how they would prioritise, how they would approach barriers. I totally enjoyed evaluating the pitches, Malur also said.

Satyaki Raghunath, Chief Strategy and Development Officer, Bangalore International Airport said that he had a great time speaking to students and other members on the Digital Transformation and Future of Travel at the IIM-B. He went on to thank Rohit Bamb and other members of the IIM-B EXIMIUS Organising Committee.

Plenty of eco-systems needed:

The government must provide an ecosystem that is supportive of disruption for it will be a huge sign of success when a small organisation disrupts a large organisation, said Dr Montek Singh Ahluwalia, former deputy chairman of the planning commission.

For star-ups to flourish, we need plenty of eco-systems. Here the finance eco-system, such as funds and venture capitals, must support it as well, Dr Ahluwalia also said.

Rahul Barua, co-founder of Delivery and an alumnus of the IIMB explained how Delhivery, a B2B and C2C logistics service provider was born.

The world has changed largely due to technology around us. Expose yourself to technology and entrepreneurs must choose problems that are large and meaningful. You must have the ability to take responsibility for the entities that you create, he also said.

Kris Gopalkrishna, chairman of Axilor Ventures and co-founder of Infosys said that entrepreneurship is the activity of setting businesses or business taking on financial risks in the hope of profit. The biggest drivers of transformation are technology and innovation, he also said.

Professor B Mahadevan, faculty from the Production and Operations, Management area at IIMB spoke about inspirational leadership. He said that the Bhagavad Gita is helpful for budding entrepreneurs. He said that entrepreneurship was about charting the uncharted path. He said that the passion to make a difference to the world and the joy of solving unaddressed problems is what should drive entrepreneurs.

This is an era of EPIC (Exponential, Pervasive, Intelligent, Continuous) disruption and innovation is the only way to survive it. Start-ups are the harbingers of innovation in India, Avnish Sabharwal, MD, Accenture Ventures said.

EXIMIUS 2019:

This year, EXIMIUS got even bigger with the launch of the first edition of events/programs such as the Budding Entrepreneur Programme - a one-of-a-kind accelerator program in addition to the flagship events such as Pitcher Perfect - IIMB's version of Shark Tank , Start-up Expo - an opportunity for start-ups to showcase their offering to a diverse crowd of investors, entrepreneurs and customers.

Another flagship event of EXIMIUS, Bzzwings, observed teams from all over the country, pitching their ideas. The best idea will be incubated at N S Raghavan Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning (NSRCEL), the incubation centre of IIM Bangalore.

In addition to this, one of India's most popular bands, 'The Local Train' performed at the event.