JAMMU: The Start-Up Cell of Government College of Engineering and Technology, Jammu organized a virtual “Business Pitching Competition” to celebrate Aazadi ka Amrut Mahautsav under the patronage of Dr. Sameru Sharma, Principal, GCET, Jammu.
The event was led by a team of experts from different fields and experiences. Dr. Sanjay Kajal, Chief Project Coordinator, Entrepreneurship Development Cell, UIET Kurukshetra; Anmol Duggal, Digital Marketing Expert and Karamvir Singh Rajpal, Entrepreneur, comprised the team of experts for examining the various business ideas presented from pan India.
The participants from pan India including institutes attended the online event. Business ideas “Saathi” by Mandeep Singh and Sakshi Bhat, GCET, Jammu clinched the first place in the competition, by providing an app that would help students in the region of J&K with the facilities of hostels and books, making student life more comfortable. Judges also appreciated the idea “Waste to Wealth” presented by Ahmer Bashir Shah, SKUAST-Kashmir a novel method for instant conversion of keratinous waste into NPK rich novel organic plant growth regulator liquid, thereby, sharing first rank with “Sathi” business idea.
The second place was bagged by Warda Shah, SKUAST, Kashmir, for business idea titled “Cold Flora Solutions”, an innovative way to provide cold storage spaces to low-income farmers and helping them to protect their flower yield for longer durations.
The business idea not only helps the farmers to protect their yield but also offers an initiative towards sustainable development. Further, in the event, the team of Nandika Mehra and Taranpreet Kour, Hans Raj Mahila Maha Vidyalaya, Jalandhar was won the third position with project titled “Pen” acronym of “protection electronic network, an innovation towards the problem-solving approach in relation to the present situation of Covid-19 pandemic. The business idea aims to build a pen that would detect covid-19 virus from a distance and will help the person to stay away from the deadly virus. The 1st consolation prize was secured by two participants namely, Noureen, SKUAST-K for their idea “Home for Art and the Artist” along with Falak Jan, SKUAST-K, for business idea “Smart Fish”.
The 2nd consolation prize was also shared by two participants for their business ideas “App for Assistance” by Aditi Raina and “Trash it…Cash it” by Jyot Sifat Kaur, both from Hans Raj Mahila Maha Vidyalaya, Jalandhar.
In total, out of numerous business ideas received, best 20 ideas were finalized from different institutes namely, HRMMV Jalandhar, GWC Nawakadal, UIT Shimla, SKUAST-Kashmir and GCET Jammu etc..
In the end, panel members encouraged all the participants to work on their business ideas further and convert their dreams into reality as all of them had great potential. They further encouraged the participants to take this competition more as a review session rather than a competition. Additionally, the panel elucidated that a lot of starters choose to defer the pricing question as they think their product is not ready, but for the successful journey of the business idea it is essential to answer the pricing question transparently. The Culminating event enabled participants to create business plans that explore real-world problems and pitch their ideas to a panel of business experts.
Dr. Sameru Sharma, Principal GCET, Jammu explicated that the goal of conducting such competitions is to provide a platform to the budding minds to present their ideas and seek help from the panel of experts so that their path of entrepreneurial journey is eased out.
She also appreciated the efforts of the organizing team comprising of Dr. Bhawna Sharma, Associate Professor & Chairperson Star- up Cell, Er. Sheetal Gandotra, Convener, Start-Up Cell, Dr. Sanjeev Gupta, Er. Vibha Mahajan, and student coordinators; Mandeep Singh, Mohd. Sami, Jaanvi Sharma, Sakshi Bhat; Shiloka Thusso and Taranjeet Singh for making the virtual competition a valuable session. Also, she acknowledged the panel of experts and emphasized that the valuable feedback would be a guiding force for the participants in the near future.
Dr. Bhawna Sharma expressed her special gratitude towards the participants and the panel members and appreciated the work of other star-up cell members and student coordinators for their consistent support. The meeting ended with vote of thanks by the student coordinator, Shiloka Thusoo, Start-up cell, GCET, Jammu .Overall, the session was very interactive and helped the young minds to strengthen their professional motives. —PTI

Press Trust of India