Helping turn dreams into reality

What are the steps to creating a successful start-up? To help young students be innovative and contribute towards the growth of their country the Ministry of Education(MoE) and Ministry of Education Innovation Cell (MIC), Government of India in collaboration with AICTE organised a talk on “From your Ph.D/Masters Thesis to a start-up” on April 23, 2021 from 11 AM. Dr Anand Deshpande (Founder and CMD, Persistent Systems) was the guest speaker for the event.

Dr Deshpande advised young research scholars to make use of their curiosity to ask questions and innovate. “It is our young minds who have to take our country forward. Ask questions, Learn, and innovate. Sometimes you may fail but that will help you progress further,” he advised.

While explaining about the characteristics of what makes a successful entrepreneur, Dr Deshpande said that “viability is the core factor determining a successful business. If your ideas aren’t viable they won’t count for much. So remember the viable ideas are a process and you need to go through the different stages to ensure the end product is of superior quality,” he said.

He also shared valuable tips and strategies for young entrepreneurs to convert their thesis to a business plan. “You should use your degree as a springboard. Take help from supervisors and test the products out amongst peers. See what needs to be changed and implement that. Consider it a test run of sorts,” he advised.

The session ended with Dr Deshpande answering questions from the participants regarding start-up opportunities in India.