See your start-up ideas take off with UPES School of Business and Runway incubator

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UPES School of Business and Runway incubator have come together to organise a start-up idea competition called ‘Take Off’. Aspiring start-up founders are required to submit their original business pitches and ideas by May 16, 2022. The winning candidate will receive a cash prize of INR 2,50,000 while the runner-up will get a prize of INR 1,00,000

So, here is a million-dollar question. What does it take for a start-up to take off and succeed?

Is it that ‘aha’ moment when the unique idea of a start-up first strikes? Or the team that executes the idea? Is it the business plan, the funding, or the timing? What if the idea is too early and the world is not ready to embrace it? Or too late and the market is filled with competitors? Do you still go ahead with it?

Or does it all begin with a brilliant pitch?

When aspiring entrepreneurs pitch their ideas to investors who have experience in leading thriving businesses, they get valuable insights about their start-ups. A novel, scalable idea that solves a problem, a clean, well-prepared pitch, a negotiation strategy, and the ability to answer every question regarding the ins and outs of the product/service, can be the perfect recipe to land an investment.

For such innovators, there is no time like the present to embark on their entrepreneurial journey. And here is their chance to get started. UPES School of Business and Runway incubator have come together to organise a start-up idea competition called ‘Take Off’. Ambitious start-up founders are required to submit their original business pitches and ideas by May 16, 2022. Of these, 15 entries will be shortlisted. The competition will culminate with a workshop on May 27 at India Habitat Centre, New Delhi. It will be an exciting opportunity for promising entrepreneurs to learn to pitch their ideas and grow their businesses.

They shall be presented before a jury that will then select two winners. The jury consists of Rahul Narvekar, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, The India Network; Dr. Githa Heggde, Dean, UPES School of Business; Ayush Bansal, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, iDreamCareer; and Kanta Singh, Deputy Country Representative, UN Women India.

The winning candidate will receive cash prize of INR 2,50,000 while the runner-up will get a prize of INR 1,00,000.

The categories for business ideas are:

• Digital and Emerging Technologies
• Urban Mobility
• Direct to Consumer
• Social Impact

Be a part of the booming start-up ecosystem

According to Economic Survey 2022, India has become the third-largest start-up ecosystem in the world after US and China. The government recognised over 14,000 new start-ups in 2021-22 against 733 in 2016-17. This booming business environment, coupled with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s campaign for ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’, have led academic institutions to play a key role in helping nurture a new generation of entrepreneurs and business leaders.

UPES School of Business, with its focus on fostering digital transformation and entrepreneurial mindset, has introduced new programs such as MBA in Start-Up and Entrepreneurship, which seek to prepare students to be job-creators, rather than job-seekers. This program provides a distinctive platform for students to pursue their management education and start their own venture through the newly-established start-up incubation cell at UPES – Runway. The MBA in Start-Up & Entrepreneurship program inculcates new-age skills to the students, preparing them to navigate in the digital-driven volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (EVUCA) world, also, helping them to start their venture, meet potential investors to raise funds, and to make their start-up dreams come true.

The endeavour at UPES School of Business is to provide a transformative education to prepare the next generation of leaders for a global digital economy. The school’s curriculum focuses on new technologies, which are rapidly transforming the nature of business, consumer experiences, and dynamics between the stakeholders. School of Business, ranked among top 50 institutions in Management by NIRF, prepares students to adapt to disruption and the rapidly-changing workplaces.

For details, please refer https://www.runwayincubator.com/take-off