Grooming Young Entrepreneurs

In a bid to identify the innovation gene in children, the Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) Kerala has begun a programme, the Young Entrepreneurs (TYE) to groom students. The programme was held from September 2016 to June 2017. Highlighting the need to guide more students to take up entrepreneurship, Rajesh Nair, president TiE Kerala said, “Schools should start identifying the talent to innovate and business acumen in children just like other skills. Students should be given an opportunity to translate their ideas into small entrepreneurship ventures.”

He was addressing the student entrepreneurs meet and Business Plan Competition held at Rotary Balbhavan, Panampilly Nagar as a part of TYE.
In the first phase students were introduced to entrepreneurship, ideation and basics of business through classroom sessions. In the second phase the students, who came up with outstanding plans were selected to form five member teams to start working on their Original Business Ideas.

TiE conducted several pitching sessions and mentoring clinics for the students to transform their idea into a proper business plan and prototype or working model. Anisha Cherian, charter member, TiE Kerala spearheaded the implementation of the TYE program. In Phase three, the Kerala Chapter level business plan competition was held. Seven teams from Choice, Bhavans School and Global Public School participated. The business plans were evaluated by a panel of three judges.

Campus Communique from Choice School won the first prize for the School Ecosystem App which incorporated all school activities in one mobile application. The team Magna Painter from the Global Public School bagged second prize for their robotic spray painter, designed to paint the precarious heights with enhanced efficiency. Online Digital Tutor made by the team Practizo from Bhavans Vidya Mandir bagged the third prize.

“In the new world of artificial intelligence, advanced robotics, internet and giant leaps made in materials science, quantum computing, cloud computing, wearable technologies, nanotechnology, health technologies, 3D printing and many more, the technologies transcend without borders,” he said. TiE is extending the programme to include more schools across Kerala.