Competition – Entrepreneurs in Life Sciences

15/02/201015/02/2010 yazdi

Can you Germinate a Biotech Idea Others Can’t ?

BEST INDIA is a nationwide competition to encourage entrepreneurship for senior level students in the Life Sciences. This is an initiative of Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India and Association of Biotechnology led Enterprises (ABLE).

What you have to do

If you are a Student pursuing Master’s, doctoral degree or BE/B,Tech course in the area of Life Sciences from a recognised Indian University / Institute, form a team of 5 members, identify a team leader and prepare your Concept Note based on an idea in the area of biotechnology that has commercialization potential. Upload your Concept Note on www.ableindia.org.

Last Date for uploading applications – 31 March 2010

Only online submissions will be accepted.

No other form of submission will be considered.

What BEST does for you

A jury examines your idea for scientific merit, innovation and commercial potential and selects 20 teams.

The selected teams get to attend a high quality Entrepreneurship Workshop that addresses commercialization issues such as Business Plans, IP & Patenting Strategies, Raising Finance, etc.

At the end of the workshop, your team will develop a Business Plan and make a PowerPoint presentation to the Jury. From the 20 teams, 3 top teams will be selected.

The 3 winning teams will get an opportunity to present their ideas to Venture Capitalists, Private Equity Fund Managers and other institutional investors, at ABLE’s Biolnvest Conference – India’s largest and most exclusive Life Sciences Investment Forum.

The 3 winning teams will be awarded Prize Monies of Rs. 500,000/-, Rs. 300,000/- and Rs. 200,000/- respectively.

For format and guidelines, visit

www.ableindia.org or e-mail best@ablendia.org.

ABLE –

Association of Biotechnology Led Enterprises – The collective face of the Indian Biotech Industry

Department of Biotechnology Ministry of Science & Technology

ABLE Secretariat
Biotechnology Entrepreneurship Student Teams
123/C, 16th Main ·Road, 5th Cross, 4th Block, Koramangala, Bangalore – 560 034 INDIA Telefax: +91-80-2563 3853/4163 6853 E-mail: info@ableindia.org www.ableindia.org

Education, Motivations

“Have Breakfast… or… Be Breakfast!”

05/02/201011/02/2010 Support

“Have Breakfast… or… Be Breakfast!”

By Y. L. R. MOORTHI

[Management Views from IIMB is an exclusive column written every two weeks for india.wsj.com by faculty members of the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore.]

Who sells the largest number of cameras in India?

Your guess is likely to be Sony, Canon or Nikon. Answer is none of the above. The winner is Nokia whose main line of business in India is not cameras but cell phones.

Reason being cameras bundled with cellphones are outselling stand alone cameras. Now, what prevents the cellphone from replacing the camera outright? Nothing at all. One can only hope the Sonys and Canons are taking note.

Try this. Who is the biggest in music business in India? You think it is HMV Sa-Re-Ga-Ma? Sorry. The answer is Airtel. By selling caller tunes (that play for 30 seconds) Airtel makes more than what music companies make by selling music albums (that run for hours).

Continue reading →

Motivations, People / Stories, Startups

Startup Advice in 3 Words

26/01/2010 yazdi

Dharmesh Shah is the co-founder and CTO of Hubspot. Dharmesh has held a number of technology management and development positions. In this very interesting piece, he gives brief, focused and extremely valuable advice to startups which can be practically used in all situations. He calls them triplets ! Some Samples :

1. Watch your cash.

2. Pick founders carefully.

3. Hire generalists early.

10. Never fudge numbers.

11. Encourage diverse thinking.

Click Here for the full article

Motivations, Networking, News

NASSCOM India Leadership Forum

18/01/2010 yazdi

Conference

The conference would offer a bouquet of tracks to choose from. There would be sessions dedicated to leadership and vision; emerging economies and segments; smart use of technology to further growth; aligning strategies to match customer expectations; importance of marketing and its role in tough times. You wouldn’t want to miss on the chance to be in the company of luminaries who would act as catalysts of change. Register now!

Motivations, News

National Tourism Awards 2008-09

07/01/201007/01/2010 yazdi

Entries are invited for different categories – Hotels, Travel Agents, Tour Operators, States/UTs, National Monuments / Parks, Publications, Website, Film Makers and many more …

Nominations are also invited from stakeholders for the award “Pride of India – Atithi Devo Bhava” which was instituted last year.

In addition to the award introduced this year for “Best Civic Management of A Tourist Destination in India”, another new category “Best Wellness Centre” has been introduced.

Additional sub-categories for in-bound tour operators / travel agents and tourist transport operators are also introduced .

For more details please visit our website.

LAST DATE FOR RECEIVING ENTRIES EXTENDED TILL 18th JANUARY, 2010.

For detailed guidelines, log on to www.incredibleindia.org or www.tourism.gov.in

Motivations, News

Bharti Airtel Innovation Fund

25/12/2009 yazdi

Bharti Airtel Innovation Fund (BAIF or the Fund) is aimed at promoting entrepreneurship and innovation in the field of telecommunication services. The objective of the Fund is to give opportunities to budding entrepreneurs with a vision to build businesses based on innovation . The Fund has an initial corpus of Rs 200 crores. BAIF provides seed money to entrepreneurs who may not otherwise be able to access funds to realize their dreams.

Click Here for More…..

Finance, Motivations, Networking, News

Goldman Sachs pledges $500m. to develop entrepreneurs

14/12/200914/12/2009 yazdi

THE CHRONICLE OF PHILANTROPHY

By Ian Wilhelm 17 November 2009 – The investment bank Goldman Sachs has pledged $500-million to help develop small businesses and train entrepreneurs across the country. In addition, the New York company has recruited a high-profile team of advisers, including financier Warren Buffett, to guide the philanthropic effort. …….. the company says the small-business program has been in development for almost a year and is modeled after its 10,000 Women Initiative, which helps educate female entrepreneurs in 18 countries. As part of the new effort, Goldman will provide $300-million in grants and loans to nonprofit groups, known as community-development financial institutions, that provide capital and noncash-assistance to businesses in neighborhoods often not served by banks. (…) The rest of the massive commitment will support scholarships for small-business owners to attend classes at community colleges, universities, and other educational institutions. http://philanthropy.com/news/updates/index.php?id=10199

For more details on the program – Click Here

Motivations, News, People / Stories, Social Entrepreneurship

SAARC YOUTH AWARD – 2009

28/11/200928/11/2009 yazdi

Outstanding contribution to humanitarian works in the aftennath of Natural Disasters

APPLICATIONS INVITED FOR “SAARC YOUTH AWARD – 2009”

SAARC invites applications from the youth of the region of participate in the “SAARC Youth Award – 2009”. The aim of the Scheme is to provide suitable recognition to extra-ordinary young talents encourage the overall development of the youth in the region.

Objectives:

i. to give recognition to the outstanding work done by young persons;

ii. to provide youth the incentive to achieve excellence in the various fields;

iii. to improve educational and technical skills of youth and to encourage them in creative activities; and

iv. to encourage in the youth the development of personality through positive social attitudes and values.

Theme of the Award:

The theme of the Award – 2009 has been decided as “Outstanding contribution to humanitarian works in the aftermath of Natural Disasters”.

Eligibility:

The Award is open to nationals of SAARC Member States who are within the age group of 20-35 years at the time of nomination. The work or achievement, which has been submitted for or received an international or regional award, will not be eligible for consideration.

Description of Award:

i. A citation in English;

ii. A SAARC Gold Medal;

iii. A cash prize of US$ 3000.00 (Three Thousand US Dollars)

iv. Per diem and return air ticket for travel to the venue of the presentation of the award.

Last Date:

The last date for receipt of applications on the prescribed format published herewith is 15″ December 2009. Neat and typed applications alongwith necessary documents should be sent by Registered / Speed Post at the following address:

Joint Secretary (SAARC) Ministry of External Affairs

Room No. 807, Akbar Shawan, Chanakya Puri, New Delhi-11 0021.

Note: Incomplete applications and entries received after the deadline will not be entertained. Continue reading “SAARC YOUTH AWARD – 2009” →

Motivations, Networking, News

World SME Conference

27/11/200927/11/2009 yazdi

MENTORING WORKSHOPS:

“Grassroots to Global – Resurgence and the Growth Story”
“Preparedness of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises to face the Challenges in the Globalized World”
“East or West, Growth for SMEs is the Real Test”
“Initiatives of Ministry of MSME in 2009-10 in Relation to 11th Five Year Plan”
“The Vision of the Ministry of MSME and the Challenges in the Near Term”
“Technology as a Big Leveler” – How technology can help beat Giant Corporations, Lessons from USA
“Happier Employees, Happiest Company”
“How the Hidden Jewels of India Became the Visible Powerhouse of the Indian Economy during the Slowdown”
“Creating an Industry – My Secret”
“From Brands to Super Brands”
“Mobile as a Magic Lamp for Your Employees and Clients”
“Effective Media Buying for SMEs”

PANEL DISCUSSIONS:

Workshop on “IT solutions for MSMEs: Lip Service or Real Solutions”
“Role of Management and Technical Institutions in Developing the Entrepreneurial Eco-System”
“Marketing on a Shoestring”
“Collaborating with MSMEs from Developed Countries to enhance the Competitiveness of MSMEs in Developing Countries”
Workshop on “Alternative Sources of Funding for MSMEs”
“Organizations Which Used the Slowdown as an Opportunity to Create Fresh Success”

SKILL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS:

“20 tips to build high performance teams in small businesses”
“Out of the Box – A look into New and Innovative Ways to Reach your Target Audience”

Click Here for More Information