Start-up offers interest students at IIM-A

Even as traditional recruiters like investment banks and consulting firms meet the first year students of post graduate programme (PGP) and post graduate programme in agricultural business management (PGP-ABM) at Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, (IIM-A) on day zero slot of summer placements, some students are looking at taking up offers from start-up firms which visited the campus a few days ago.

Encouraged by the response to start-ups during the summer placements last year where a 'start-up fair' was organised for the first time, 8-10 start-ups visited the campus this year as compared to around 5-6 last year.

The 'start-up fair' is held before the week of summer placements which means that students who have got offers from start-ups can hold them and apply to other companies since the final decision is to be made by the end of the six-day placement week.

Similarly, students who receive offers during the coveted 'day zero slot' consisting of two days can apply to companies during the day one and day two slot of two days each as well.

Some 250 students of the PGP batch and 25 students from the PGP-ABM batch are available for summer placements this year.

IIM-A placement representatives said that the number of companies that visited the campus was higher than last time and that day zero offers had started pouring in but the final acceptances would be clear only around November 18.

Last year, there had been a 60 per cent rise in the slot zero offers as compared to 2005 and it resulted in 49 per cent of the 246 students getting placed during slot zero.

Some 110 students had opted for international locations for their summer internships.

Some 25 companies had been allotted slot zero which saw 82 students getting placed in investment banks while 26 students opted for consulting firms.

Summer placement offers often translates into full-time offers which a student can take up during the final placements next year.