Kolkata : Atria University, a novel attempt at redefining higher education in India, today announced the results of India’s first-ever Venture Capital Fund Competition for high-school students. Business ideas Ratish Panda Soham Sen from Kolkata, Shivank Joshi from Jaipur and Ishita Yadav from
Bangalore, were the top 3 winners in the competition. The winning students will receive mentorship
from industry professionals and faculty from MIT. The teams will have access to 30 lacs in venture funds and be inducted into Atria University’s Business Incubation Center (ABiC). Committed to celebrating innovation and entrepreneurial prowess, this unique initiative was aimed at encouraging high-school students to share viable ideas to address complex industry challenges. Atria University received an overwhelming number of submissions from students across India from cities like
Bhilai, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Jaipur, Kolkata, Mumbai, Nagpur, Pune, among others. The ideas were directed to solve a challenge in 5 emerging disciplines - Digital Transformation, Energy Sciences, Interactive Technologies, Mobility, and Sustainable Life Sciences - futuristic majors offered by Atria University.
The competition’s stellar panel included industry stalwarts and academic leaders such as Ajit Kumar,
Country Leader, Deloitte Digital India; Dr. Arjendu Pattanayak, Professor of Physics Former Department Chair, Carleton College; Jose Estabil, Trustee Emeritus (Sc. B., Sc. M.), Brown University, and Former Director, Entrepreneurship and Innovation at MIT, and Sameer Brij Verma, Managing Director, Nexus Venture Partners. The panelists earlier shortlisted 8 business ideas from all received entries across the nation and chose 3 top ideas that will now receive startup support from the Universities’ fully-functional, incubation center. ABiC will help the winning students to build their products further with support in different areas including design, prototype, and market launch.
Top three winning ideas: PrediTech, BloodInsure, and SpaceY PrediTech, a software designed by Ishita Yadav (Bangalore), aims to harness the power of artificial intelligence to reduce human error and improve efficiency in hospitals. Blood Insure, a concept designed by Shivank Joshi (Jaipur), aims to set up a donate blood-from-home service to ensure India’s blood banks have adequate and timely supply amidst the pandemic. SpaceY, a multipurpose online platform designed by Ratish Panda and Soham Sen, both from Kolkata, aims to connect designers, makers, and the market to enable efficient manufacturing practices in India. Commenting on the competition, Shaheem Rahiman, Chief Executive Officer at Atria University said, “We are focused on redefining tech education in India. We want to create future leaders who can address the most complex problems faced by the global industry today. This Venture Capital Fund Competition was an attempt to encourage students to think differently and empower them to transform the world that they see around them. It has been a humbling experience to receive world-class ideas. The jury has had a tough time narrowing down to the top 3 entries. We have always believed that there is a unique talent in India and the world is looking at us to come up with the next big ideas. We congratulate all participants and wish that many of the ideas submitted take the leap into reality soon.” Jose Estabil, Former Director, Entrepreneurship and Innovation at MIT said, “It was a delight to be a part of such an exciting event. Being on many VC funding boards, I am used to seeing exceptional business ideas. But this was different. I did not anticipate the volume and such a high quality of business proposals coming from high-school students. Thrilled to be part of India’s first VC fund competition for high-school students. Atria University has given these students the necessary exposure, and for the first
time, I have witnessed high-school students put forth groundbreaking ideas that have the potential to
solve multiple industry challenges. I am happy that Atria University is providing the winners an
opportunity to further develop the ideas and make them market-ready.” The next generation of learning experience must be created beyond the classic classroom instruction formats. Atria University with its unique approach to experiential learning aims to be the change-maker
in higher education.
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