From a Brave Gene Pool: Startups, E Commerce and Tech Companies 

20-21 January, 2017

Entrepreneurs, Startup Founders, CEOs and Techies, as well as Faculty and students from B Schools in the region were present in large numbers at the Inauguration of the 3rd International Conference at SVIMS, Pune. The two-day conference had academics, professionals and entrepreneurs coming together for panel discussions, paper presentations and interactions on the emerging ecosystem for new age companies which are both global and Indian.

The Conference opened with a message from Rev. Dada J.P. Vaswani who emphasised the unchanging nature of core values even in a fast changing ecosystem like the present. The Director, Dr. B.H. Nanwani gave a bird’s eye view of the scenario for start-ups and tech corps with its ups and downs, pros and cons, pointing out that technology will be both the differentiator and the destroyer for emerging companies.

In a riveting Inaugural address, Ms. Nabomita Mazumdar, felicitated by the President and the WCD Ministry of the GOI as one of the top 100 women Influencers in India, described the current scenario of changing work environment, attitudes to work and the way emerging technology and social media were contributing to the work culture of the present. Her prognosis for India was very positive, based on research conducted by Adobe and her own startup, SHeroes.

Mr. Daanish Suhail- ( Co-founder and VP Marketing –PLAYO  Bengaluru ) held the audience spell bound as he took them through the ‘highs and lows’ in the journey of his start up – Playo.  He compared the journey to the thrills and scares of a motorcycle ride.

Ms. Jincy Samuel- ( COO & Center Head-Coinsecure  Bengaluru ) – simplified the otherwise complex terminology around crypto currency and also gave insights about the ecosystem  for Bitcoins.

Panel Discussion-1 (Young Startups ):Ms. Priyanka Agarwal ( Connect2teach) Ms. Siya Nitin Rajore (Green Carrot ), Ms. Rashika Chanchlani ( Jugni ), Mr. Chirag Sabunani (Only Great Foods) mesmerized the audience with their zest and commitment to their businesses. Their stories, their attitudes and approach to business clearly brought out the fact….they are from a brave gene pool.

Panel Discussion-2 (Well established Businessmen): Mr. Rajan Navani- (MD Jetline Group of Companies, India Jetline), Mr.Aniruddha Gupte (CEO Layer 3 ), Mr.Prakash Dhoka (Chairman, Deccan Chamber of Commerce,  Industry and Agriculture),  Mr.Rahul Pandey ( CEO & Co-Founder Bonzai, Pune) addressed a wide spectrum of issues on startups, e-commerce and tech corps with élan. They impressed with their repartee and wisdom.

The second day of the conference started with paper reading session followed by a talk by Mr. Chetan  Krishnaswamy –( Director Public Policy at ‘Google’ Gurgaon Haryana ). He spoke about the incredible journey of Google and the platforms Google offers to startups,  e-commerce and tech corps to materialize their dreams.

Mr. Hitesh Sahijwaala- (Director Sales- Red Hat India Pvt. Ltd.) made the audience aware of the fast changing landscape of business today, the newly emerging business models and the race for providing unique customer experiences.

Mr. Karthik Anand- (Founder & President at XDBS Corporation, San Francisco Bay Area) presented an enlightening overview of Indian Startup ecosystem.

Mr. Praveen Sinha- (Former Co-Founder and Managing Director of Jabong, Gurgaon Haryana) shared his experiences and journey of Jabong over a video conference.

The Conference organised by SVIMS had MCCIA and Rotary Club of Poona Airport as its Knowledge Partners, and Yourstory as Media Partner.