Mumbai colleges offer lessons and support to help students fulfil their start-up dreams

With a growing number of graduating students moving away from the conventional job sector towards start-ups, colleges too are taking the lead in guiding students the right way.

What colleges are doing to encourage students

At Jai Hind College, the entrepreneurship cell which was initiated in 2007, boasts of 550 student members and offers a huge platform in nurturing and mentoring student entrepreneurs. From idea generation to opportunity evaluation, workshops in different areas and niches of entrepreneurship, interaction with successful entrepreneurs, Business Plan competitions, boot camps, special training in Family managed business and social entrepreneurship--all this is offered by the e-cell.

Bhandup’s NES Ratnam College of Arts, Science and Commerce recently organised a one-day ‘start-up’ festival for college students from across the country. Organised by the entrepreunial cell of the institute, the college allows participating students to set up stalls across the campus and share their ideas with potential investors and successful business owners.

Most colleges also ensure students are made aware of the risk factors while starting their own ventures, so workshops are held to highlight the ups and downs in such cases and make them aware of how to avoid such instances in the future.

With ideas brimming among students, many colleges are busy setting up entrepreneurship cells and organising start-up workshops to make sure that students are abreast with all the information that they need for their personal ventures.

“Entrepreneurship is not as easy as it seems, but over the years, more students are showing interest in it and our career development cell is on it, through the year,” said Dinesh Panjwani, principal, R D National College, Bandra. He added that various sessions including interactive dialogues with those who are doing well in their chosen career path are organised through the year.

“Something as basic as your attire while approaching investors or finding the right partner are things we focus on and students are very appreciative of such programs,” he added.

Millionminds, a start-up support platform has been working with over 500 colleges across the country since 2016 in order to bring students, industry experts and investors under one roof.

“There are innovative young minds across the country who are unable to access the right resources and transform their creativity into viable, marketable products,” said Mamta Sherigar, brand manager, Millionminds.

Recently, HT had highlighted the growing demand for graduate students in various finance and capital organisations with undergraduate students from city colleges bagging as much as ₹13 lakh per annum through campus placements. The placement officers of various colleges have noticed a growing interest amongst students to start their own ventures and seek help with the same.

“There is a considerable rise in the number of students preferring to start their own ventures, and they are very confident with their ideas, especially because they have spent a lot of time zeroing on them. While many are open to taking risks immediately after graduation, a large number of students are also opting to work in the industry for around two years to build their profiles, network and then dive headlong into their own ventures,” said Haseena Sayed, coordinator of the e-cell and placement cell at Jai Hind College, Churchgate.