In an effort to recognise start-up entrepreneurs in Gujarat, and strengthen connect with the local entrepreneurs and community, Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIMA) and Centre for Innovation Incubation and Entrepreneurship (CIIE) presented the Grow Gujarat Startup Awards in four entrepreneurs in different categories on Saturday.
The awards
The awards were given in four categories
Startup of the Year : The finalists for this category were EzySolare, Gingercrush, Indian TTS, Lendingkart and Trukky. The award was shared by EzySolare and Lendingkart. Impact, traction, team quality and experience, and relevance of the problem solving were top criteria on which jury based its decision. The awards were handed out by prominent academicians from the state.
Bootstrapped Champ : MyByk, Dhwani, Zipbooks, Gwaal and Allevents.in fought to stay at the top, but in the end, MyByk walked away with the prize.
Campus Star : The finalists for the Campus Star 2015 category were Foodella, Wimwi Foods, CollegeBol, and Think4Dea Technologies. This category saw a tie between Wimwi Foods from IIM Ahmedabad and Think4Dea Technologies from IIT Gandhinagar.
Woman Trailblazer : Shivani Dhar of Gaatha, Kanan Dhru of LawForMe, Pooja Gupta of PurpleDocs, Binal Doshi of PlexusMD and Saumya Nidhi of Gingercrush were the finalists of this category. But it was Shivani Dhar of Gaatha who took the trophy home.
Each application received went through a rigorous evaluation process, and the winners were chosen by an eminent jury comprising of Sunil Parekh, Vishal Mehta of Infibeam, Professor Rakesh Basant of IIMA, and Samir Shah of Sattva Capital.
Why is it held?
CIIE and IIMA instituted the Grow Gujarat Startup Awards to publicly felicitate entrepreneurs, thus bringing their achievements to the fore and inspiring future generations of businessmen. “IIMA, through CIIE, has been a pioneer in nurturing and supporting entrepreneurs and their ideas,” said Prof Arvind Sahay, Dean (Alumni and External Relations). “Through its latest initiative, CIIE strives to achieve the same objective with a more focused impact in Gujarat. The ecosystem activities by CIIE, in form of workshops, mentoring and advisory support, and seed funding, is the first step in a long journey.”
Prof Amit Karna, Chairperson, CIIE, added, “Through the first edition of Grow Gujarat Startup Awards, we hope to provide a platform to promising entrepreneurs for not only showcasing their achievements, but also providing an inspiration for the next generation of entrepreneurs.”
Gala dinner
The awards evening also showcased interesting start-up teams through live product exhibits. The night ended with a Grow Gujarat Gala Dinner, that was aimed at creating a platform for interaction among entrepreneurs in Gujarat. Top business leaders, entrepreneurs, investors, senior representatives from the government, heads of premier academic institutions in Gujarat, media, and IIMA faculty and students attended the do.