Lock, Stock & Trade’09 Regional Round held at SIC campus:
19th November 2009 saw Symbiosis Centre for Management and Human Resource Development(SCMHRD) buzzing with activity for the most exciting entrepreneurship event on campus –the regional round of Lock, Stock & Trade 2009. An initiative of the National Entrepreneurship Network and SP Jain Institute of Management and Research, Lock, Stock & Trade is essentially an initiative to provide a platform for student interaction with entrepreneurs. The game involves selected teams working with entrepreneurs for over a month. After understanding the company’s business and operations, a mock IPO is carried out by the teams. Investors who bid for these companies are the audience, comprising of students and faculty.The winning “investors” are those with the highest value portfolios and the winning company is the one with the highest “market capitalization”.
The event kicked off with keynote address by Ms Ashwini Deshpande, Founder & Director, Elephant Strategy + Design.She urged the youth to be entrepreneurs and accept what comes their way as a challenge.She also emphasized that we should balance learning, earning and excitement. From 1989, starting with a team of six, she has come a long way and now has successfully put India on the world map for design. She left students with Mahatma Gandhi’s “Find purpose, means shall follow” setting everyone thinking.
This was followed by presentations by the five teams who had worked with year’s companies- Knowledge Quest Infotech, Quick Heal Technologies, Twin Engineers, Silver Bright Institute of Management and Deep Blue Technologies with diverse businesses models across domains such as IT, Consulting, Manufacturing, even as bids for these companies were being placed by the audience. It was Dalal Street action played live on campus
The jury members were Mr Dhananjay Bendre, Executive Director & COO, IndiaCo Ventures Ltd, Mr Satish Kataria,Vice President, Religare Venture Capital Limited and Mr Vivek Mannige, Founder CEO, Acceltree.
In two nerve-wracking bidding sessions, nearly 150 investors put in their “bids” into 5 promising businesses. The team of Jaidip Kumar, Ritesh Vaidya and Guruprasad Navada representing Twin Engineers Pvt. Ltd. were adjudged the winners by the jury, and the team of Abhishek Sriram, Dhananjay and Roshan Rebello representing Quick Heal Technologies Pvt. Ltd. emerged as the company with the highest market capitalization.
This was a great experience for us right from meeting the entrepreneurs to understanding the business, how they think and analyse. We got a chance to concentrate on the financial aspect of a business which is crucial for any enterprise. It was exciting experience chalking out growth plans. Kudos to the E-Cell for organizing such a wonderful event!” says Ritesh Vaidya who was working with Mr Pradeep Balwankar- MD of Twin Engineers.
The event would definitely go a long way in stimulating entrepreneurial zest among the students and would encourage potential entrepreneurs to make their dream projects into reality.
Excerpts of Interview with Ashwini Deshpande, Founder Director - Elephant Strategy & Design on 19.11.09 (Lock Stock & Trade)
Corporate Communications: How do you think the events like 'Lock, Stock & Trade' would actually help in promoting the spirit of Entrepreneurship?
Ashwini Deshpande: Basically, seminars like these provide the much needed trigger to young minds - they help the students figure out the passion in themselves. Events of this nature will help the future managers explore and maybe, eventually materialise the hidden aspirations lying within them.
CorpComm: Despite some of the initiatives, very little has been achieved in terms of awareness and willingness as far as entrepreneurship is concerned in India. What do you think still prevails as the inhibitor?
Ashwini Deshpande: To be successful, one must look at his passion and try to remain committed to his goal with conviction. Also, while coming up with their own business, people must be open to change and risk. There is nothing to lose when one starts his own enterprise at a very young age. There is definitely no dearth of ideas, there is only a need to change the mindset of people.
CorpComm: How is Elephant Strategy & Design contributing towards the development of Entrepreneurship?
Ashwini Deshpande: Elephant Strategy & Design promotes entrepreneurial spirit by encouraging the ideas worth 'marching forward' by translating the innovation in them into their designs and other offerings. For instance, Brand Planet and Elephant Varsity - two recently initiated sister concerns for the group - focus on Branding, Advertising and Packaging, respectively.
