| As many as 65 entries have come for the Social Entrepreneurship Fair, to be organised in September by Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad (IIM-A) and its Centre for Innovation, Incubation and Entrepreneurship (CIIE). |
| The event has bagged a Rs 5 lakh title sponsorship from Dena Bank and has caught the eye of prominent social entrepreneurs and venture capitalists who have shown interest in offering seed funding for interesting projects. Kunal Upadhyay, CEO, CIIE, which offers incubation to start-ups has also said they are open to taking up interesting projects. |
| Business plans have come from students of all the IIMs, the IITs, NITIE, XLRI-Jamshedpur, IMT Ghaziabad, BITS Pilani among others. Close to two or three applications have come from the present batch of PGP students and one is expected from PGPX, the executive management batch. |
| The contest will see a shortlisted 12 teams coming to IIM-A to present their business plan to a board consisting of IIM-A faculty members, venture capitalists, social entrepreneurs and members of CIIE. |
| "A social entrepreneur is able to convert an opportunity into a business venture with primary focus on social welfare rather than profits. The aim of the fair is to provide a meeting point for social entrepreneurs, emerging social entrepreneurs and venture funds," said Vijayendra Haryal, a second year PGP student of IIM-A. |
| The entrepreneurship bug has been biting a growing number of students every year at management schools with as many as 11 students from IIM-A spurning fat pay packets to start their own ventures. |
| Such has been the interest towards starting on their own that IIM-A had announced earlier this year that students who opt out of placements in favour of their own ventures can avail the option of participating in the placement procedure for the next year as well. |
| This was done as a safety net to fall back upon in case the venture does not work out. |
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