A final-year postgraduate student from IIM Bangalore (IIM-B), Abhijeet Bhatt, who studies software enterprise management at the institute, has been selected to participate in the Singapore International Foundation Young Social Entrepreneurs Workshop 2016. The workshop will take place between March 16 and 19.
Bhatt will present his venture MySportsCard, which he describes as ‘a launch pad for talent in sports’ during the event. MySportsCard is an online platform for scholarships and opportunities for young sportspersons and is incubated at IIM-B’s NS Raghavan Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning (NSRCEL) as a student-run venture.
During his tenure as an exchange student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the US, Bhatt was inspired by the importance given to sports in school and college.
With six years of web and application development experience, Bhatt decided to take the entrepreneurial path and set up MySportsCard. He wants to set up sports development programmes at the grassroot level across the country and hopes that sports will provide opportunities to the youth in rural India.
In 2015, MySportsCard was selected as a finalist entry at the National Student Start-up Challenge YuStart, organised by the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII). Bhatt's venture has also been selected as a top 500 idea at the national-level Power of Ideas Challenge, organised by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India.
Outstanding participants of the YSE Workshop 2016 will be selected to take part in an ongoing mentorship scheme, overseas YSE study visit, and a Pitching for Change session to obtain funding to launch or develop their social enterprises. All participants will also join the institute’s alumni network, where they benefit from business clinics and networking sessions.