To bridge the wide gap between the rural and the urban areas, Connecting Dreams Foundation along with AIC-RMP and Keshav Srushti had organized the 2 days Ideation to Action (I2A) Workshop on December 8-9, 2018. The workshop was attended by over 70 participants from both rural and urban areas. The objective was to familiarize the participants with the issues ailing different talukas of the Palghar district, 87 km off Mumbai, Maharashtra and to inculcate leadership skills and attributes by assisting them in the solutions for the problems identified
AIC-RMP’ 2nd Experts’ Meet was held on 4th May 2019 at Uttan. Eight startups from Education, Agriculture, Healthcare and ICT (Information, Communication & Technology) fields presented their ideas to the panel of thirteen experts. The Meet provided an opportunity for the startups to connect with other entrepreneurs and the experts and the deliberations paved the way for the startup conclave to be held in the near future.
The first edition of New India Startup Conclave was held on 22nd June, 2019 at RMP- Knowledge Excellence Centre, Bhayander. Parshottam Rupala (Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Govt. of India) was the Chief Guest and Ramanan Ramanathan (Mission Director of Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog), Dimple Mehta (Mayor of Mira Bhayander Municipal Corporation) and Padmashri Milind Kamble (Founder Chairman of Dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry- DICCI) were the Guests of Honour present at the event. The theme of the Conclave was ‘Connect… Share… GROW’. There were three parallel tracks of presentations by startups from Agriculture, Information, Communication & Technology (Education, Healthcare) and Social Enterprises. The event received an overwhelming response with more than 250 participants attending the conclave as startups, experts, delegates, students as well as representatives of the press.
AIC-RMP had organised a visit to Saguna Baug as a part of कृषी संवेदना – Series १, an Agro Tourism Farm located at Neral in Maharashtra. Twelve agripreneurs, startps, farmers and changemakers from Mumbai, Jawhar, Pune, Navi Mumbai involved in rural livelihood were invited and got the opportunity to interact with Chandrashekhar Bhadsavle, the pioneer in Agrotourism.
Under ‘Social Impact Challenge’, Connecting Dreams Foundation (CDF) in collaboration with AIC-RMP had organized two-days Bootcamp at RMP, Bhayandar. 75 college students and entrepreneurs from 15 rural enterprises had participated in this flagship program to collaborate for the growth of these micro-enterprises from Palghar district.
AIC-RMP had organized two-day residential Bootcamp at the launch of the Incubation Programme for the 1st Cohort of Startups on 4th-5th October, 2019. Dr. Ravindra Kulkarni (Pro Vice Chancellor, University of Mumbai) was the Chief Guest and Prof. Kannan from IIT-Bombay & Suresh Bhageria (Chairman, Bhageria Industries Ltd.) were the Guest of Honour at the occasion. The august gathering of 70+ included mentors, experts, partners (academic, eco-system, corporate, programme), special invitees, guests and startups. R. Ramanan (Mission Director, Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog) virtually addressed & welcomed AIC-RMP startups into the first cohort. The bootcamp had three learning sessions- ‘HappyPreneur’ by Arun Sehgal (Chairman & Managing Director, Chempro Pharma), ‘Basics of Finance’ by Dr. CA Sapna Malya and a session on Legal & Compliances by Anita Nair (Company Secretary, Lawyer, Regional Head- R & A Associates, Samisti Legal).
Vibhor Garg (Co-Founder, Supermark Agency) conducted a workshop on Social Media for the 1st Cohort of AIC-RMP incubatees on 20th January, 2020 at Millennial Pod - The Work Lounge, Andheri. The occasion also marked the 1st Anniversary of the Incubator. Jai Mrug (Director, AIC-RMP) and Shashank Randev (Founder VC, 100X.VC & AIC-RMP Mentor) also joined the Anniversary Celebration along with the startup incubatees.
AIC-RMP had organized New India Startup Conclave 2.0 on 8th February, 2020 at Club W Ballroom, The World Towers, Lower Parel, Mumbai themed around ‘Transformation Aspirational Districts’ by Grassroot Technology Startups. The conclave was graced by Dr. Mahendra Nath Pandey (Hon'ble Minister of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Govt. of India) as the Chief Guest along with Amit Raje (Managing Director, Goldman Sachs) and Santosh Mandlecha (President, Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce, Industry & Agriculture- MACCIA) as the Guest of honour. The Conclave 2.0 had a Panel Discussion chaired by Rama Kamaraju (Senior Consultant, NITI Aayog) where R. Vimala (I.A.S), CEO - Maharashtra State Rural Livelihoods Mission, Abhay Mahajan (I.A.S), Deputy Secretary & Project Director, Water Supply and Sanitation Department, Govt. of Maharashtra, Dr. Vijay Kandewad, Joint Director (Tech), National Health Mission, Maharashtra State shared their work & encouraged the Startups. Deependra Singh Kushwah (I.A.S), Commissioner, Skill development, Employment & Entrepreneurship, Maharashtra State also addressed the startups.
The Orientation on SolidWorks was held on 2nd April 2020 with the aim of making startups aware of SolidWorks software & partnership for a year with AIC-RMP. In this workshop Abhishek Chaudhary gave Orientation about the software & guidance on how to use it.
AIC-RMP organized an online workshop on Business Communication on 4th April 2020. V C Karthic (Founder, BuzzWorks Business Services) was the resource person & 12 startups participated in this workshop.
Smartup- A smart solution for startup, in this online session Pallavi Parab (Deputy VC, Startup Division, HDFC), & Plazee Dubey (Startup Analyst, HDFC) addressed the participants.
Workshop on Tech support for Startups conducted by Anand Joshi (Co-Founder, DashaKrit Technologies d10x), Nitin Bhide (Co-Founder, DashaKrit Technologies d10x), & Surendra Bardia (Co-founders, D10x). 9 startups participated in this online session.
AIC – RMP launched Foundation Programme (online) for Budding Entrepreneurs. Over 25 applications were received from across 9 states of India. Total of 15 applicants were shortlisted & given the opportunity to participate in this Programme. Dr. Kaustubh Dhargalkar (Founder, Potentials & Possibilities), Dr. Prasanth Nair (Co-Founder, Asynithis (Indus Partner), Dr. Aakash Ganju (Founder & CEO, Saathealth), Dr. Sapna Malya (Faculty, SPJIMR), Prashant Jain (Co – Founder & Managing Partner legal Samisti), Pankaj Prakash (Founder & CEO Happa Foods), Uday Wankawala (CEO, AIC – RMP) & Bhushan Gajaria (Founder, Beehive Capital Advisors Ltd.) were the facilitators of this online Programme.
After the successful completion of Inaugural Batch I in June 2020, AIC-RMP launched the 2nd Batch of "Foundation Programme (Online) for budding entrepreneurs” A total of 20 participants attended this programme. This Programme was conducted by Dr. Kaustubh Dhargalkar (Founder, Potentials & Possibilities), Dr. Prasanth Nair (Co-Founder, Asynithis (Indus Partner), Dr. Aakash Ganju (Founder, Saathealth), Dr. Sapna Malya (Faculty, SPJIMR) & Uday Wankawala (CEO, AIC - RMP)
A 3 – days virtual Biz – Tech Bootcamp for AL, ML startups from 30th July – 1st August 2020 was conducted by AIC-RMP in collaboration with MathWorks, the U.S- based developer of software for scientists & engineers. The bootcamp was aimed at equipping young entrepreneurs with the fundamentals of business & technical tools to lead successful startups during challenging times. Biz – Tech Bootcamp received 25 registration from 15 cities across 8 states.
AIC - RMP conducted a series of 2 sessions on HR & Team Building on 25th August & 5th September 2020. In both of these sessions Dr. Prasanth Nair (Co-Founder, Asynithis (Indus Partner) & Prasad Rajappan (CEO, ZingHR) addressed AIC-RMP 1st Cohort Incubatees.
Faculty Development Programme was organized with active participation of Senior Faculties from over 5 states & 12 cities of India. Dr. Radha Iyer (Professor, K. J. Somaiya Institute of Management Studies & Research), Dr. Rushi Anandan (Faculty, Strategy & Entrepreneurship, K. J. Somaiya Institute of Management Studies & Research), Dr. Sapna Malya (Faculty, S. P. Jain Institute of Management & Research), Vikrant Potnis (Director, Fortemogna Advisors & Founder, Fundenable), Dr. Hasina Sayed (Assoc. Prof & HOD- Commerce at Jai Hind College) were the facilitators & Dr. Mohit Gambhir (Innovation Director, Ministry of Education Innovation Cell, Govt. of India) was invited as the Guest of Honor.
Conducted a series of 5 sessions by Wadhwani VFT team, the 1st & 2nd sessions were held on 14th October & 11th November 2020, 3rd, 4th & 5th session was held on 13th January, 31st March 2021 & 28th April 2021 resp. Rishabh Gill (Fellow VFT, Wadhwani Foundation) & Naved A. (Programme Lead, VFT Launch Programme) were the facilitators for these sessions.
A series of Four (4) sessions on Demystifying Entrepreneurial Finance were organized. In the first three sessions, Farzan Ghadially (Senator India, World Business Angels Investment Forum) gave detailed guidance to the participants. In the last session, a fire-side chat was arranged with Hiren Ghelani (Director, Prime Fresh Ltd).
A course on 'Creative Entrepreneurship' was organized for the students of NMIMS School of Design Students. 23 students participated in this course. Uday Wankawala (CEO,AIC – RMP) was the Lead facilitator. Dr. Akash Ganju (Founder, Saathealth),Radha Iyer (Professor, K. J. Somaiya Institute of Management Studies & Research), Dr. Haseena Sayed (Assistant Professor & HOD at Jai Hind College), Dr. Kaustubh Dhargalkar (Founder, Potentials & Possibilities), Farzan Ghadially (Senator India, World Business Angels Investment Forum) , Chhaya Sehgal (Founder & CEO, The Winning Edge), V C Karthic (Investor & Founder of Buzzworks Business Services), Prof.Omkar (Founder, BHyve), Dr.Prasanth Nair (Co-Founder, Asynithis- Indus Partner), Bhushan Gajaria (Founder, Beehive Capital Advisors Ltd.) were the resource persons / facilitators for this interactive & unique course.
Building a strong Community is AIC-RMP’s motto & it was wonderful to host a Residential Programme with the theme growing together as a Community wherein startups from Cohort 1 & 2 participated enthusiastically. Thanks to Vikas Bhatia (Managing Director, RIECO Industries Limited) for being the lead facilitator during these two days. We also invited few of the experts, mentors & partners from our network on the 2nd day as it was a great networking opportunity for all. 24 startups were involved in this residential programme.
Design thinking enables organizations to create lasting value for customers & the stakeholders. Surendra Vaidya (Founder & CEO the Digital Wisdom) guided Cohort-1 & Cohort-2 startups on the design thinking process along with few tools, tips & tricks. 7 startups from both the cohorts participated in this exclusive session.
Saarathi- Enabling Startup Mentors online Programme equipped the mentors with the requisite listening, questioning & guiding skills for effective & impactful mentoring. Over 20 applications were received from across India & 12 applicants participated in this programme. The programme had one panel discussion & 3 sessions conceptualized by entrepreneurship educators, mentors & practicing entrepreneurs from the start – up ecosystem. Knowledge Partner- Bhushan Gajaria (Founder, Beehive Capital Advisors) & Samkit Shah (Founder, Aligned Pillars)
18 Incubatees participated from both the Cohorts attended this session. AIC-RMP mentors Vivek Tikoo (Co – Founder, Director, Cnergyis Infotech India), Dr. Prasanth Nair (Co – Founder, Asynithis – Indus Partner), Sameer Joshi (Founding Partner, Sam & Andy) & Anindya Ghosh (Founding Partner, Sam & Andy) guided the participants.
AIC – RMP organized a Three Days (Five hours of live sessions) workshop “On- track: Guided Sessions for Startup Founders”. The start – up founders & entrepreneurs got the guidance to take their businesses to the next level. Applications were received from 33 cities covering 14 states. Bhushan Gajaria (Founder, Beehive Capital Advisors) & Samkit Shah (Founder, Aligned Pillars) were the knowledge partners & resource persons.
Shri Guru Gobind Singhji Institute of Engineering & Technology, Nanded, Maharashtra & MAGIC, Aurangabad, Jointly organized a seminar on "Faculty Role as a Mentor & the Steps for Setting up Innovation & Incubation Centres at Academic Institutions" on 20th July 2021. More than 100 participants attended this online session. Uday Wankawala (CEO, AIC - RMP) guided the participants in this programme.
An Induction Ceremony for the Incubatees in Cohort 2 was held on 8th August, 2020. AIC-RMP’s Incubation Programme was launched for the Start-Ups of the 2nd Cohort. The Induction Ceremony was graced by Shri R. Ramanan (Mission Director, AIM – NITI Aayog) & the Governing Board of AIC-RMP – Shri Arvind Rege (Member, Managing Committee, RMP), Shri Ravindra Sathe (Director, AIC – RMP Foundation & Director General, RMP), Shri Jai Mrug (Director, AIC – RMP Foundation & Founder, CEO, M76 Analytics) & Shri Kirit Bhansali (Director, AIC – RMP Foundation & Chairman, Indian Institute of Gems & Jewelry).
An Online Panel Discussion was conducted on the 13th of August, 2020 on the topic ‘Faculty Role in Introducing Entrepreneurship Curriculum at Academic Campuses’. The Online Panel Discussion received an overwhelming response with participants from 22 States in India & 3 Countries. Dr. Haseena Sayed (Assoc. Professor & HOD- Commerce at Jai Hind College), Prof. Manisha Phadke (Founding Director, School of Design, NMIMS) & Prof. Satyajit Mujumdar (Professor at Tata Institute of Social Sciences) were on the panel for this discussion. They talked about how faculty should play the role of mentors & facilitators to motivate students & introduce a structured curriculum with experiential approach which would work well with the student community.
A special ‘Meet & Greet Session’ was organized for the Incubatees of the 2nd Cohort. A total of 50 Participants including 28 Start-Up Founders from Cohorts 1 & 2, along with mentors & partners, attended this session. Prof. Milind Atrey, Dean (Research and Development) at IIT Bombay shared his insights on the ‘Importance of Mentoring’.
AIC-RMP & Origiin IP Solutions LLP jointly organized a Panel Discussion on ‘Insights into Innovation & IP Strategies’. There were 25 participants in this event which was held on the 22nd of September, 2020. Bindu Sharma (Founder – CEO, Origiin IP Solutions LLP) was the moderator for this discussion while V Raghu Ram (Senior Advisor, Origiin IP Solution LLP), Shivakumar Nagarajan (Founder, Bionic Yantra), Dr. Murali Mohan (Founder, Radarc Medical Innovations) & Arun Iyer (Innovation Evangelist & Consultant) were the panelists.
A lecture on ‘Sustainable MSME’s through Capacity Building’ was organized on the 22nd of October, 2020. 10 Participants took part in this online event. Satish Marathe (Founder Member of Sahakar Bharati & Director of Central Board, Reserve Bank of India) was the keynote speaker.
A Roundtable on ‘The Evolving Role of Incubators / Accelerators in Fostering Start-Up Ecosystem’ was jointly organized by AIC-RMP & Mathworks on the 18th of December, 2020. A total of 35 Participants attended the Roundtable. Uday Wankawala (CEO, AIC-RMP) was the moderator for the roundtable. The panel included Ramanan Ramanathan (Mission Director, Atal Innovation Mission), Ashok Chandavarkar (Director, Strategic Initiatives, Intel), Kritika Murugesan (Director, NASSCOM 10,000 Start-Ups), Nikhil Agarwal (CEO, Innovation & Incubation Centre, IIT Kanpur), Souad Tenfiche-Ancelle (CEO, NUMA) and Sanjay Gopinath (Head of Marketing & Communications, Accelerator Program, MathWorks India).
The Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce, Industry & Agriculture (MACCIA) along with AIC-RMP, jointly organized the MACCIA ‘Inspire’ Series on the 8th of January, 2021. ‘Interaction with Entrepreneurs Solving REAL Problems’ was the theme for this session. A total of 35 entrepreneurs registered for this programme. Santosh Mandlecha (President, Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce, Industry & Agriculture), Uday Wankawala (CEO, AIC-RMP) & Krishikesh Khairnair (2nd Cohort Incubatee, AIC-RMP) were the speakers for this session.
The COVID Pandemic affected all businesses around the globe, especially the small and emerging businesses & Start-Ups in particular. To guide them through these tough times, AIC-RMP organized a Panel Discussion on ‘How to Navigate Your Business During Challenging Times’. Bhushan Gajaria (Founder, Beehive Capital Advisors) & Samkit Shah (Founder – CEO, Aligned Pillars) were the panelists for this session moderated by Uday Wankawala (CEO, AIC-RMP).
The E-Inauguration Programme of AgriGate India by Global Parli, powered by AIC-RMP was held on 2nd July, 2021. It was a privilege to have Dr. Rajiv Kumar (Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog) as the Chief Guest for this event along with Dr. Chintan Vaishnav (Mission Director, Atal Innovation Mission). Other Honored Guests included Sushil Jiwarajka (Chairman – Advisory Board, Global Parli) and Mayank Gandhi (Founder, Global Parli).
An Orientation Session for the AGRIgate Accelerator Programme and an Open House with the core team was held on the 15 th of August, 2021. Jinesh Shah (Co-Founder & Managing Parnter, Omnivore), Mayank Gandhi (Founder, Global Parli), Sushil Jiwarajka (Chairman – Advisory Board, Global Parli) & Uday Wankawala (CEO, AIC-RMP) were the keynote speakers at this event. There were 42 Participants in this Orientation Session.
Omkar Pandharkame & Ketaki Ogale, the Founders of BHyve, an Incubatee from Cohort 2 conducted a session on the 21 st & 28 th of August, 2021. They shared their experiences on Fund Raising & gave guidance to the Participants. 21 Start-Ups from Cohorts 1 & 2 participated in this session.
An introductory session for the Start-Ups of Cohort-3, was organised in the 4 th of September, 2021. 40 Participants from 13 Start-Ups attended this session. Uday Wankawala (CEO, AIC- RMP) & Farzan Ghadially (Senator India, World Business Angels Investment Forum) guided the participants.
Prof. Arun Sehgal (Chairman & Managing Director, Chempro Pharma Pvt. Ltd.) was invited to take a Workshop on Business Model Canvas for the Incubatees of Cohort 3 on the 24th of September, 2021. 17 Participants attended this Workshop.
A Mentor Development Programme was jointly organised the ‘Bharatiya Yuva Shakti Trust (BYST)’ and AIC-RMP on the 29th of September, 2021. 22 Participants attended this programme. They were guided by Uday Wankawala (CEO, AIC-RMP) & Ramesh C Khadanga (Senior Mentor, BYST).
A session on ‘Social Lean Canvas Model with Major Focus on Strategic Social Impact by Social Enterprises’ was organized on the 14th of October, 2021. Prof. Satyajit Majumdar guided a total of 17 Participants from the Start-Ups of Cohort-3.
A session on the ‘Business Importance of Website & Application Monitoring for Start-Ups’ was taken by Rajalakshmi Srinivasan (Director – Product Management, ZOHO Corp) on the 22nd of October, 2021. The session was attended by 21 Participants.
Surendra Vaidya (Director, The Digital Wisdom) conducted an informative & interactive session on ‘Adopt Just This 1 Practice to Increase the Chances of Your Success' for Incubatees of the 3rd Cohort on the 29th of October, 2021. He spoke about the ‘Importance of Assumptions for a Start-Up’ & how crucial it is to get them right. This session was attended by 15 participants.
A Workshop Series on ‘Product Market Fit’ was organized for the Cohort 3 Incubatees. On 29th October, 2021, Surendra Vaidya (Director, The Digital Wisdom) conducted the session. The workshop was continued on 17th November, 2021 where he was joined by Omkar Pandharkame (Founder, BHyve) where both of them guided the 12 Participants that took part in this virtual session
A Two-Day Residential Workshop on Financial Modelling was organized for the Start-Ups of Cohort 2 & 3. 18 Participants took part in this session. Farzan Ghadially (Senator India, World Business Angels Investment Forum) was the lead facilitator for the session. Topics like Accounting Basics, Valuation, Ratios & Analysis were covered in this interactive session. We also had Anita Nair (Branch Head, Mumbai at Samisti Legal, R & A Associates) who gave an orientation on Basic Legal Compliances for Start-Ups.
A Two Part Session on ‘Orientation to Entrepreneurship’ was organized for the Creative Entrepreneurs of NMIMS School of Design on 29th November & 1st December, 2021. 24 Students participate in this session. They were guided by Uday Wankawala (CEO, AIC-RMP).
The NMIMS School of Design, Vile Parle, Mumbai launched a Creative Entrepreneurship Module for 24 of their Students which would be conducted between November 28th, 2021 - January 22nd, 2022. Uday Wankawala (CEO, AIC-RMP) conducted an ‘Orientation to Entrepreneurship’ Session on 29th November & 1st December. 2021. He is the lead faculty along with other prominent AIC-RMP mentors who will be facilitating various sessions on topics like Business Model, Entrepreneurial Finance, pitching etc.
AIC- RMP has successfully concluded a two day residential bootcamp on - “Entrepreneurship & Value Proposition”, facilitated by Vivek Tikoo - Director – Strategy & Business, ZingHR. The workshop was attended by 15 Founders representing 10 Startups. It was a reflection session for the incubatees to revamp and focus the offering on the customer & more specifically on the unique value proposition.
AIC- RMP conducted ‘Mentors Meet- Roundtable for Startup Mentors’ at The Lodha Park, on, 25th March 2022. We witnessed active participation from 35 esteemed delegates consisting of mentors from AIC-RMP mentor pool & few special invitees. We also had the privilege of having AIC-RMP Governing Board members- Mangal Prabhat Lodha & Jai Mrug along with senior mentor & RMP Managing Committee member, Arvind Rege during this Roundtable. The objective of the Roundtable was to share AIC-RMP Report card (2019 till date) & its impact in order to receive critical feedback from the mentors.