Focusing on Innovation as a major milestone in India’s road ahead, fostering innovation in the academic environment, in business & technology, in fine arts and the transition from innovation to entrepreneurship to enterprise are the key topics of Innovation track.

The first day (Dec 19) saw the first session titled ‘Innovation & Entrepreneurship’ – this session dealt with innovation in the context of how it leads to entrepreneurship, and how this can be facilitated.

The session was chaired by Prof L S Ganesh (Deptt of Mgmt Studies at IIT Madras) and moderated by Gunjan Bagla (Managing Director of Amritt, Inc.). Prof Ganesh started the session by welcoming everyone and thanked everyone (the hall was almost full) for choosing it be at this session instead of 5 other parallel sessionsJ.

He then requested Gunjan to take over and give the directions to the group of distinguished speakers.Gunjan Bagla, who is also the next incoming PanIIT USA President welcomed the audience and briefly introduced him before requesting the 1^st Keynote speaker to present his views on Innovation.

Dr M S Krishnan (Professor, Business Information Technology, U Michigan) was the 1^st keynote speaker at the Innovation track. Dr Krishnan is the co-author of his new book ‘The New Age of Innovation’, which he authored with C K Prahalad. As the key part of his book, Dr Krishnan talked about their research on major business trends which are happening across the globe and how they are applicable to any business:

1. Ubiquitous Connectivity – very soon, over 4 billion people are going to be connected through various devices
2. Pervasiveness of digital technologies
3. Convergence of technology – e.g. is iPhone a Phone, PC, Camera or a Music Player?
4. Emergence of Social Networks

He briefly shared his views on how these business trends are demanding new approaches to wealth creation. Talking on the same, he gave two equations on which their booked is revolved around.

·         N (typically used to signify sample space) = 1 (Experience) – it means that “value is based on unique, personalized experiences of consumers.” That is, even companies serving 100 million consumers need to focus on individuals. E.g. Google search allows millions of people to have their own, unique and personalized page.

·         R = G , which means Resources = Global. In other words, companies’ internal focus should be on gaining access to resources, not necessarily owning them. Social networks are example of the same

R. Subramanian (CEO of Subhiksha), the next keynote speaker of the Innovation track started his session by saying that there is too much hype created about Entrepreneurship – people are not present to the real world; they have fancy notions about it. While talking to different opportunities for Innovation, he highlighted the key idea behind the emergence & success of Subhiksha – Grocery Discounting, which didn’t exist earlier. Talking on the same, he shared how relevant and valuable was discounting medicines for the massed in India, especially the old age people, for whom the cost of Medicare was ever increasing.  

For the budding entrepreneurs, he stated that while developing a business idea, they should look at how your product or service is going to add value to the customer – directly or indirectly (e.g. grocery discounting by Subhiksha forced its competitors to follow the same). In his view, in the next 5 – 10 years, India will have an opportunity to export its retailing best practices to the rest of the world.

The distinguished panelists followed the key speakers and presented their views & shared their experiences on Innovation & Entrepreneurship.

Continuing the previous post on Session I of Innovation Track, this one summarizes the views and experiences of various panelists.

Anuradha Acharya (Founder & CEO, Ocimum Biosolutions), was the first panellist, who presented her views on Innovation & Entrepreneurship by sharing a story. She asked the audience to imagine a group of different birds who were trapped – some who can fly fast while others not, some who are smaller while others are large, some who are white while others are coloured. Since all of them were unequal they couldn’t fly and thus continued to be trapped. Their idea at Ocimum Bioslutions, a Global Genomics Outsourcing company, is to create the equality and build an ecosystem among various pharmaceutical, biotechnology companies and academia so that they can get out of the trap and fly together. Essentially, she highlighted the importance of Equality and Collaboration, as the key ingredients for innovation in today’s world.

Murugavel Janakiraman (Founder & CEO, bharatmatrimony.com) was the next panellist, who shared about their innovation at Bharat Matrimony in creating one of India’s successful and multimillion dollar internet oriented property.  According to him, one can:

1. Either wait for the big idea  or
2. Jump in and learn on the ground

In his view, most of the people (he humbly included himself), wait for long time in search of THE big idea before they enter (and most of them never) into entrepreneurial bandwagon. He shared how his idea of starting a Tamil portal, which later shifted its focus on Matrimony, became a world class business. Talking on their innovation he highlighted some of the simple (yet highly valuable) ideas which led to big success:

1. Photo Protection: they saw the need from their customers about privacy
2. Horoscope matching & creation: another important need which created value for their customers
3. Profile verification: to their surprise, people opted for 3^rd party verifications, while searching for their business partner on the net
4. Matrimony reference: their customers became their marketers when reference system was put into place
5. Payment options – through Sify iWay, tie ups with banks, creating local associates (who gets commission) in various cities
6. Going mobile: another trend they spotted and served the needs of their customers
7. Partnerships such as with Tata Sky
8. Outsourcing: their customers (who didn’t have much time to search for their life partner J), opted for this paid and unusual offering

To close his session, he restated his mantra about ‘Jumping in than waiting for the D Day’.

Raj Shah (Engg Director at Google) started his session by giving his framework on how to inculcate Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

While talking on Innovation, he listed 4 types of Innovations:

1. Minor Innovation – cosmetic, incremental change (e.g. airlines offering better experience at the same price)
2. Substantive Innovation – new standard in the market place (e.g. roaming facility by telecom operators
3. Major Innovation – fundamental change which can’t be ignored by customers and competitors (e.g. Just in Time delivery)
4. Radical Innovation – dramatical shift which takes its time before its impact is realized (e.g. computers when arrive were perceived as glorified typewriters before creating its true impact)

According to him, each of the above ways requires different structures and mindsets. Fore.g. radical innovation needs high amount of patience (both time and money) and generally happens in a research environment (Google is a great place for such innovations)

While talking on Entrepreneurship, he gave the definition that Entrepreneurship is an ability to bring a new business into market – may come from a new idea or improving an existing one.  Talking on how IITs can contribute to innovation and entrepreneurial growth, he highlighted the importance of Exposure – students need to be given more exposure through such conferences and practical opportunities (Centre of Innovation at IIT Mumbai is a great example).

Rathindra Roy (Development Consultant at United Nations), followed Raj Shah and shared his views on Innovation in the Social Economy and urged the IIT Alumni to come forward & use their intellect to impact the quality of lives of millions of Indians, who are under privileged. His role at UN is to enable poor people to overcome their poverty.

Areas such as Malaria, Flood, Solid Waste and Agriculture are some of the important areas which need the contribution from the IIT system. While requesting the audience, he said that all of you who would like to face the challenges in the above mentioned areas and who’ve the heart to follow them must come forward.

Rajeev Srinivasan (Prof IIMB and Mgmt Consultant), a semi academician and semi industrialist, shared his views on Innovation and Entrepreneurship. He started his session be defining:

1. Invention – Creating of something new
2. Innovation – Taking the Invention to the market

He brought forth an interesting reality related to the history of India. He said that India has a long history of Invention and Innovation, which ceased to exist, post colonial invasions. For e.g. centuries back, India produced Steel, which due to its intrinsic properties, was considered best in the world. According to him, post that phase, in which India was affluent with all kinds of resources; we’ve not produced any true invention or innovation. The lack of confluence of technology, marketing & finance, according to his view, is one of the key impediments for invention & innovation in India. Some of the sunrise areas which offer numerous opportunities for both invention and innovation are:

1. Food & Agriculture
2. Energy

Talking on what how IITs can contribute to the innovation, he said that IIT system should seriously work on the above mentioned sunrise areas. The curriculum must recognize and include the importance of Innovation & Invention.

Finally, Arun Sharma (COO, L-RAMP; Rural Innovations Network), shared his experience about how a non-profit incubator (L-RAMP) of business ideas for social cause is contributing to the innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem. Like previous speakers, he also pointed out the areas such as Agriculture, Energy, and Water Supply, in which his company is supporting innovation. Talking on the roadmap for entrepreneurship and innovation, he listed 3 steps:

1. How to be an Entrepreneur?
2. What opportunities to focus on?
3. How can we inspire others to execute?

According to him, the Indian mindset that one just needs to create a product (and it will sell on its own), is one of the major obstacles for successful business creation. In his view, most of the budding entrepreneurs in India don’t have sufficient understanding and experience about:

1. How to Price a product/service?
2. What problem are they trying to solve?
3. What are the various financial options?
4. Finally, how to sell?

Speaking on ‘What can IITs do?’, he listed:

1. Courses in Innovation & Social Entrepreneurship are the need of the hour – must have practical exposure and must be supported by avenues such as Business Plan competition
2. Centers for Innovation (e.g. 1981 IITM batch recently initiated the same at IIT Madras) with focus on work-study programs must be created. Opportunities to fail are required for students to create Opportunities to success.
3. Inspiration – The students must be empowered and acknowledged to make a difference in the society

Q & A, the most interesting part of the thematic tracks, followed the presentations by panellists. Gunjan acknowledged Dr Ganesh for putting up the wonderful panel and the structure which truly inspired the IIT Alumni to embrace Entrepreneurship & Innovation.

B Santhanam (Chair, PanIIT 2008 Conference) made a presentation on making of the PanIIT 2008 conference. He started by welcoming the participants including distinguished guests. While talking about the making of the event, he heartedly acknowledged the people who were behind the success of the conference. Attended by over 3000 people across the globe, PanIIT 2008 is truly a mega event and everyone was part of the organizing body really deserves big round of applaud.

Some of the key highlights on the planning and the execution of the PanIIT 2008 conference:

1. 15 months of effort
2. 93 Alumni (including CXOs of large organizations) and 100+ student volunteers
3. A great and lively website – 71,000 visits / 285,000 views
4. 11 Alumni Outreach Programs
5. and..
6. One common Goal …

World Class Experience for All Stakeholders

It truly signifies the spirit of PanIIT body. Million thanks to the people who were directly and directly involved in the making of the PanIIT 2008 conference.

The PanIIT 2008 is designed to be truly a family event. And, yes there is a lot loaded for the kids.

A carnival atmosphere for Kids – that’s what characterizes the PanIIT 2008 Mela. Every effort is made to ensure that the whole family comes away with great memories. Surely, the kids carnival is special. Designer balloons welcome you and the man with the candy floss follows next. The giant tumbling castle awaits the little ones and invites them to take a giant leap. The fun includes pottery, mehendi, tattoos and much more.

However studious you might were while studying at IIT, there is no way you can escape fun @ PanIIT 2008 :). Here is the video on Pottery Making at Kids carnival.

It was a great moment for PanIIT 2008 when Dr. Manmohan Singh, for the first time at PanIIT conference, gave his inaugural speech directly from his residence in Delhi through Video Conferencing.

Mr. Ashank Desai , Chairman PanIIT Alumni India, welcome and thanked Dr. Manmohan Singh. He then urged the prime minister for the continuous support from Govt. Of India through aggressive policies, which are required for PanIIT to fulfil on its mission and vision.

The prime minister started his speech by welcoming everyone. He then acknowledged the contribution of IITs & IIT Alumni in nation building and in speeding India to be the global knowledge superpower over the last 6 decades. Representing the government of India, Dr Manmohan Singh assured everyone of Indian govt’s continued support towards IIT system. He acknowledged and recognized the contribution of over 100,000 strong global IIT alumni body comprising of Academicians, Industry Leaders, and Policy Makers in changing the image of India across the globe.

Going forward, he highlighted the need and importance of expanding the current IIT network. He said that for India to become a true ‘Science & Technology’ global leader, many more IITs are needed. As part of the 11th 5 year plan, 6 new IITs will go live in the current academic year. He also shared the development of numerous other universities, colleges, institutes of science, poly techniques and more. He requested IIT Alumni and IITs to:

a.) Contribute back to their alma mater through intellectual & financial support
b.) Collaborate with and recognize the contribution of various other institutes of the country

He shared his firm belief that PanIIT over years will become stronger & stronger and will continue to rise to its true potential in its contribution to nation building. Finally, he wished everyone (IITs and IIT Alumni body) a great success in achieving their dreams.

IITD & IIMA Alumnus and a Famous Author now, Chetan Bhagat will be part of a panel discussion to explore why business / technology is so logical and regimented in comparison to art fields and why is there no fusion between them. He will be speaking on Dec 19^th (Saturday) in ‘Innovation in Media and Creative Arts’ session from 11:45 AM – 1:45 PM.

Given it’s an IIT alumni (known for logic and analysis) conference, I am sure this session will be very interesting.

[Pradeep]: At your session at PanIIT 2008, what is going to be the theme of your discussion?

[Chetan]: I am part of a panel discussion on creativity and innovation. We will talk about how technology and creativity can be brought together more, especially in the Indian context.

[Pradeep]: You’ve had an interesting, successful and a very unique career. What got you into writing?

[Chetan]: Thank you very much, though I still think I have a long way to go. I wrote as a hobby but never dreamt of my writing getting the kind of popularity it has received. Since the first book did well, I have had a very loving fan base, which has motivated me ever since.

[Pradeep]: How did your education at IIT contributed to your success as an author?

[Chetan]: Well, the first book was about IIT, so you don’t get more direct contribution than that. I think at IIT you learn excellence, which is aiming to be the best in whatever you do and set sights high. I think somewhere that helped me. People also say that my IIT tag builds my persona as an author, so there is contribution there too.

[Pradeep]: What is your message to the Indian youth, especially those who want to venture into creative arts? What lessons can they learn from their western counterpart?

[Chetan]: Well, I now have seen a lot of young people striving to do well in the creative arts, and the struggle is quite different from a regular corporate one. You need talent, patience, self-esteem, people skills, self-motivation and an urge to do it for reasons apart from the fame and money. And in India, you need to have the ability to fight your parents if needed too!

[Pradeep]: If you were to make amendments in the Indian Education System, what changes will you make, including education at IIT?

[Chetan]: Improvements to the indian education system is almost a subject in itself. But broadly, I’d look to make it more creative, more inclusive and oriented towards subjects that help our nation progress. Of course, easier said than done.

[Pradeep]: Imagine if you were to study again at IIT, how would this inning be different?

[Chetan]: That’s a new question. Well, I’ll definitely play more sports as I never utilized the facilities that were so easily available to me. I’d also take as many humanities subjects as possible as it would have helped me in my writing. Also, I’d aim to make a girlfriend as fast as possible as the ladies run out pretty soon.

[Pradeep]: At your session at PanIIT 2008, what can the audience expect to walk away with?

[Chetan]: Just a fun session in which if they are open-minded enough, they may thing differently about how they or their colleagues at work can be more creative.

Here are more details about Chetan’s session:

Innovation is seriously lacking in Indian Education. I thought only I felt that way, but the high connect of my first book “Five Point Someone”, which tackled the same theme tells me a lot of people feel that way. Still, while we create companies like Infosys and Satyam, we cannot create a Google or You-Tube. It could be because we compartmentalize education – Science students do science, while arts students do commerce. It could be because as a society we emphasize conformity – while creativity demands rebellion. Or it could be because we are so poor as a nation and that everyone would rather be secure than take risks. Whatever be the reason, this is going to curtail Indian growth. What can we do as senior management to reverse this would be what I am seeking out of this panel discussion?

In the panel discussion Bhagat would explore why business / technology is so logical and regimented in comparison to art fields and why is there no fusion between them. Is the problem due to the Indian system. Is it due to the system distinguishing people based on whether they are art or science background? (Why can’t it be both)? Also is this all because business demands logic and order more than creativity and innovation makes us uncomfortable as any change is uncomfortable?

PanIIT Conference Program: On Dec 21st (Sunday), at 11:30 am, two noted strategic thinkers - Stephen Cohen of the Brookings Institute and Prof. Kishore Mahbubani from NUS, Singapore - will discuss the strategic challenges and opportunities ahead of India in the next 15 years.

I had the opportunity to interview Prof Cohen and here is what he has to say on his session on ‘Srategic Challenges & Opportunities for India”.

[Pradeep]: At your session at Pandit 2008, what topics will you speak on? Can you give us the highlights for the audience?

[Prof Cohen]: I wanted to address the structural and policy barriers that lie in the way of India, especially security related concerns, where my expertise is greater. Sadly, this becomes even more relevant as a result of the Mumbai event.

[Pradeep]: What are the key challenges ahead of India on its way to become the global superpower?

[Prof Cohen]: India already is a superpower in many ways, it is a cultural superpower, it is a major player in IT, and, to my surprise, it is becoming a manufacturing center. (I remember the days when “Made in India” was a curse word, but then this was true when I was a child and “made in Japan” was a synonym for poor quality).

[Pradeep]: How can India leverage the current global economic downturn to continue its growth over the next 10-15 years?

[Prof Cohen]: Indian growth has always been balanced—some service, some raw materials and some manufacturing, topped by a high-tech frosting. (pardon the mixed metaphor). But there has always been a heavy government hand, one that provides neither a social safety net nor the incentive necessary for investors. Getting the government out of the way is important, but so is getting the government to provide the basic services required of a modern state.

[Pradeep]: What role does relationship between India and Pakistan plays in the future growth of both the countries?

[Prof Cohen]: After Mumbai, the critical importance of each fort the other is more evident, but I’ve always argued that a confused Indian policy towards Pakistan would hold India back (said this back in 1979, as I recall). Indians cant decide whether they want to embrace Pakistan, destroy it, or ignore it. Now, it is clear that this know-nothing and do-nothing policy will not work, and that India needs to work with a coalition of concerned states to free it of this burden. Clearly, there is no military solution.

[Pradeep]: If you were to make amendments in Indian Foreign Policy, what changes will you make?

[Prof Cohen]: Work with other states to form a “rescue Pakistan” coalition. Allowing Pakistan to drift will not work, trying to break it up creates great risks, ignoring it is no solution either.

[Pradeep]: In your view, how will Indo-US nuclear deal contribute to India’s growth over the next decade?

[Prof Cohen]: It will open up some new arenas for economic and technical cooperation, it has removed a terrible shadow that has hung over the relationship for decades, but it also provides India with an opportunity to put its policy where its mouth has been regarding containing the spread of nuclear weapons.

[Pradeep]: At your session at PanIIT 2008, what do you like the attendees of your session to walk away with?

[Prof Cohen]: The privileged elites of India should act responsibly and seek the same degree of competence in governance that it has itself demonstrated in technology, business, and the arts. It should not view politics as dirty, or someone else’s job, but it must enter the political arena as a force for positive change.

Check out the daily program outline for complete details about conference program.

In continuation to my previous post on ‘Research & Technology’ track under 6 thematic tracks, I am taking this opportunity to walk you through the details of Entrepreneurship Track. The key objective of this track is to identify the entrepreneurial opportunities for India and how IITs/IITians can leverage those in the nation building.

This track on entrepreneurship comprises of 3 sessions:

1. IIT’s Role in Nation Building through support of entrepreneurship (Friday, Dec 19th, 2– 4 PM): The underlying theme of this session is ‘What can IIT’s do to promote entrepreneurship?’ Incubation; competitive & market-relevant technology development; network creation; personal stories of entrepreneurs enabled through the IIT system, etc. This session is being chaired by R K Misra

2. Enabling/ launching a million entrepreneurs (Saturday, Dec 20th, 11:45 AM – 1:15 PM): This session’s underlying theme is ‘what is needed to create large scale entrepreneurship at the grassroots level?’ Micro-finance/ micro-equity; Handholding/ mentoring both prior to becoming an entrepreneur & after the plunge; how to bring these to activities together? PLUS personal journey stories. This session is being chaired by Sarath Naru, chair of the program committee.

3. Building global leaders from early & growth stages of a business (Saturday, Dec 20th, 2:15– 4:15 PM): This concluding session under this track will focus on ‘What is needed to build global leaders from India?’ Deep mentorship that focuses on building competitive advantages; the appropriate kind of venture capital; Selection of industrial sectors where India has a competitive advantage. PLUS personal journey stories.

This session is being chaired by Dr. B. V. Phani of IITK

In addition to the above sessions, there are other events relevant to this track:

a. Incubatee Exhibition
Current Incubatees across IITs as well as early stage IITian founded businesses: this event is mainly a networking and showcasing event for the current breed of entrepreneurs within the IIT system as well as by IITians. Run by e-Cell of IIT Madras.

b. IVCA- PANIIT VC Work Shop
“Building the human side of a VC/PE firm - The institutionalizing steps”, a conclave for partners of VC/PE firms, organized jointly by the PanIIT Association and the Indian Venture Capital Association (IVCA). Conducted by Prof. Brophy (U Mich) and Ms. Bywirth (CDC, Ex-Director PE). Focus on building the human side of a VC firm.

c. Creme de la Creme Business Plan Conclave
A joint event by TiE Global and PanIIT. The Purpose of the Crème de la Crème business Plan conclave is to identify the top business Plans and nurture the entrepreneurs through mentoring from IIT Alumni’s vast network, by connecting to successful entrepreneurs/ leading venture Capitalists and enabling development of relationships across India and the rest of the world.

For all of you entrepreneurs (and budding entrepreneurs), be prepared to be surprised and inspired by the entrepreneurial insights & networking opportunities available at PanIIT 2008. Again, not to forget, you have an opportunity to interact personally with the speakers Face2Face.

PanIIT 2008 conference program is designed to enable the participants to extract maximum value out of their participation and at the same time enjoy the conference through various entertainment programs.

Under the banner of overall theme “Innovate, Inspire, Transform”, the main conference program comprises of 6 thematic tracks:

1. Research & Technology
2. Entrepreneurship
3. Rural Transformation
4. Infrastructure
5. Education
6. Innovation

I am taking this opportunity to have you (and myself) delve deeper into each of the above tracks so that we can plan our participation based on our individual interests. Let’s diggin’ deeper into the ‘Research & Technology’ track first. The overall message of this track is how Research & Technology initiatives by IITs (and IITians) are and can help in Nation-building. This track comprises of 3 sessions as briefed below:

1. Leveraging Research & Technology in Rural Development (Friday, Dec 19th, 2 - 4 PM): This session showcases efforts by IIT alumni and others to deploy high-technology solutions in rural environments, and sets the framework for future developments. This session is being chaired by Prof. Ashok Jhunjhunwala of IIT Madras.
2. IIT Research: Inputs & Outputs (Saturday, Dec 20th, 11:45 AM – 1:15 PM): The quality of research and research-scholar output from IIT’s necessarily depends on the quality of the input– students and faculty. This session reviews this key issue, and formulates optimal strategies to upgrade IIT Research quality. This session is being chaired by Dr. Gautam Shroff, VP and Head at Innovation Lab at Tata Consultancy Services.
3. IIT Research Ecosystem (Saturday, Dec 20th, 2:15– 4:15 PM): For IITs to succeed as well in Research as they have in UG education, an appropriate ecosystem must be in place. This session analyzes this from various perspectives, and provides guidelines for implementing such an ecosystem. This session is being chaired by Alok Mittal of Canaan Partners

Moreover, a competition on “IIT Leadership in Research” is also being organized and a rolling trophy is to be awarded.

We would like to thank McKinsey & Company for their support as the Knowledge Partner for this conference.
For all of you technology people, participating in Research track will be your opportunity to listen to, meet and network with India’s global research & technology leaders.

Not to forget, you have an opportunity to interact personally with these leaders Face2Face.

PanIIT in offering Fundu merchandise with “IIT Alumni” logo embossed on them.  Merchandise includes Sweat Shirts, T-shirts, Caps, Pen Drives, Cross Pens, Ceramic Mugs, Key Chains, Laptop bags and stress busters. Although as an alternate option, you can visit your alma mater and get similar stuff from local shop in the campus. But you might not be able to get one with “IIT Alumni” Logo. I was looking for this stuff for a long time. Now, I will have it!

Having these merchandises will definitely remind you of the great institution you are part of and will give you an opportunity to relive the good old memories all of us cherish.

Grey Polo Sweat Shirt (Photo above) is one of my personal favorites. It suits the weather of Delhi. I can use it for semi-formal occasions and also during my workouts.

For those of you who want to feel like a student again, I recommend backpack laptop bag (photo below). It will definitely remind you of your college days. Moreover, everyday you will have an opportunity to remember the Institution you are part of.

Quality Ensured

eYantra is a company behind these merchandise. In the last 7 years, eYantra has catered to1000+ organizations in more than 40 countries. I am sure that quality of the merchandise will exceed everybody expectations. At the same time the cost of the good is also quiet reasonable. You can get a T-shirt at Rs 350/- only. Other goods are also reasonably priced.

Let everyone know that you are proud to be an IITian! Go ahead and wear your pride.

Visit URL: http://paniit.foostor.com/.