Entrepreneurship Dialogue: An Open Forum for discussing all things ‘Entrepreneurship’

Some students of Entrepreneurship started “CfE Open Mic” last semester: an open forum for discussing all things “entrepreneurship.” The Centre decided to revive the series this semester as “Entrepreneurship Dialogue” marked by a significant shift toward a more interactive and engaging format, inviting the first-year students to delve into the entrepreneurial spirit. The two events so far, held on 12 and 26 September (fortnightly), were nothing short of inspiration as they provided a platform for student entrepreneurs to share their personal journeys and insights with a captivated audience.

“Listening to these young innovators recount their stories was both motivating and enlightening. Their experiences, challenges, and triumphs served as valuable lessons for all attendees, showcasing the power of determination and creativity in the world of entrepreneurship,” said Arshia Mittal (UG 25), one of the student organisers of the event.

“What made this edition truly special was the active participation of our peers. They enthusiastically interacted with the speakers, asked insightful questions, and engaged in thought-provoking discussions. This exchange of ideas not only enriched the dialogue but also fostered a sense of camaraderie and collaboration among aspiring entrepreneurs,” recounts Ishani Jhunjhunwala, (UG’24) student organiser of the event.

The two episodes of the Entrepreneurship Dialogue took place on 12th and 26th September 23. Each time the CFE classroom was full of ideas, cheers, and wings of creativity. The first episode witnessed the Nthusiast team take over the stage sharing their journey of trying to solve a common Ashoka problem of keeping all communications organised. They shared their learnings, challenges, and stages of development as a startup. Gokul, a UG25 student, and an Antler Fellow, shared his startup idea ‘Agroconnect’, which connects farmers to mandis. His research and data collection gave a profound perspective into understanding the potential market and realising how important it is to not give up when you see things getting complex. Siddharth Chandak shared his idea ‘GrowthHub’, which focused on achieving feats by tapping into consistency. He runs a reading club, to encourage everyone to commit to reading a small number of pages regularly. It also helped the students understand how startups or entrepreneurship need not be about earning money, but anything that solves a problem for the greater good, and that entrepreneurship is for everyone!

The second episode buzzed with the journey of an alumpreneur-Divasjyoti Parashar, ASP 22, Founder – Quintinno Labs, a physics graduate turned entrepreneur, who shared his startup journey of developing power banks for electric vehicles. Divas is all set to soft launch his product in partnership with a renowned automobile company. Roshan Pathak, UG 25, discussed how he came up with his self-improvement entrepreneurship challenge, focusing on building keystone habits over a period of 100 days. Roshan plans to soon release his e-book along with other add-on services. Siddh Bakshi, UG 24, shared his startup journey of growing ‘TopBar’, a website and service loved by all. The students had fun knowing his motivations, his share of challenges, and hearing stories such as the significance of his startup name.

Both episodes of ‘Entrepreneurship Dialogue’ showcased how the power of community and collective action is essential to entrepreneurship. This forum gives our students a platform to come together and discuss how ideas can be turned into meaningful ventures. It has also proved to be an excellent opportunity for first-year students to network with like-minded peers.

As we look ahead to the future episodes of the Entrepreneurship Dialogue, the Centre is filled with anticipation and excitement. We eagerly await more stories of innovation, resilience, and success that will undoubtedly continue to inspire and shape the budding community of entrepreneurs at Ashoka.

(Impressions by Arshia Mittal, an undergraduate student from the batch of 2025 and Ishani Jhunjhunwala from the batch of 2024 at Ashoka University)