B-schools encourage setting up of start-ups

Entrepreneurship is the flavour of the season. Premier institutes, including the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), are organising conferences, seminars and lectures on entrepreneurship.

Recently, the entrepreneurship cell of IIM-Lucknow, Abhiyan, organised its annual annual entrepreneurship summit, Nirvaan.

The event was attended by representatives from venture capital firms as well as teams of investors. “Each year, three students choose to start their own ventures. This year, already four students have informed us that they plan to start their ventures right after college,” said a spokersperson from IIM-Lucknow.

Recently, IIM-Ahmedabad’s venture capital and private equity club organised Leverage, a conference for budding entrepreneurs.

Kanwal Rekhi, the co-founder, Inventus Capital, said that recession is the best time to be an entrepreneur. “In the current environment, jobs are scarce, resources are cheap. Money may be difficult to get, but money is not everything. And as it is, it is a misconception that funding is impossible in the current scenario,” Rekhi added at the conference. A business plan contest was the highlight of Leverage. There was also a session on the top 10 mistakes an entrepreneur should be wary of.

Xavier Labour Relations Institute also organised its first national conference on social entrepreneurship at Jamshedpur. The two-day conference included a Blind Opera performance and competitions for students interested in social entrepreneurship.

“At Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, we have an entrepreneurship cell (Ecell) under the faculty. Guest lecturers are also organised on campus by eminent entrepreneurs like Mahesh Murthy. The institute wants to promote the spirit of entrepreneurship through networking with mentors, experts, consultants and advisors.,” said Swapnil Pinjarkar, committee member, Ecell.