Announcing BITS Pilani Entrepreneurship Conclave, APOGEE 2022

Pilani Innovation & Entrepreneurship Development Society, in collaboration with YourStory Media, brings to you BITS Pilani Entrepreneurship Conclave as part of APOGEE 2022. This is an opportunity for budding entrepreneurs to showcase innovative products and services that can transform the startup ecosystem.

The largest summit of its kind in North India, the conclave will take place on March 26-27, 2022, as a part of APOGEE 2022, the 40th edition of BITS Pilani’s annual technical festival.

Entrepreneurship Conclave 2022 aims to bring together India’s finest minds on one platform. This would include a conglomeration of a diverse set of events, including keynote talks, workshops, panel discussions, and networking sessions.

Entrepreneurship Conclave presents a unique opportunity for budding entrepreneurs to showcase their innovative products, pitch to the right set of candidates, and find the right investors, mentors, potential co-workers, and other services that can transform the startup ecosystem.

The conclave is also an opportunity for one-on-one engagements with mentors, experts, investors, and professional service providers in a private online networking space. This time, with partners like Social Alpha, AIC Banasthali, IIM Udaipur Incubation Center, PIEDS, among others, we also bring to you the opportunity to get incubated by some of the top incubators of the country.

Previous speakers and judges include Shradha Sharma (Founder and CEO, YourStory), Hari Menon (Founder, Bigbasket), Anirvan Chowdhury (Investment Team, Blume Ventures), Abhishek Humbad (Founder and CEO, Goodera), and Kailash Katkar (Founder and CEO, Quickheal), among others.

Boasting the participation of 300+ startups in previous editions, the conclave has played host to workshops on how to build an MVP, term sheets and fundraising, startup terminologies, and pitch training.

Previous investment panels have had the likes of Rahul Gupta (Times Internet), Abhay Tandon (Lowe’s Innovation), Neeraj Tyagi (Venture Capitalist), and Aakash Goyal (Fundamentum). Following the roaring success of the previous editions, the conclave is back with exciting prizes and rewards for winners and is an ideal platform for ambitious entrepreneurs to showcase their vision and business acumen.

Save the date: March 26-27, 2022

BITS Pilani Entrepreneurship Conclave 2022 is a conglomerate of a diverse set of events, including:

1. Keynote talks and panel discussions

2. Fundraising and workshops by SMEs

3. Networking opportunities with investors, VCs, and top incubators

In addition to being a part of this platform, you will also have a chance to:

1. Present your startup to India’s top investors and founders

2. Chance for Incubation in the top incubators of the country including Social Alpha, AIC Banasthali, IIM Udaipur Incubation Center, PIEDS and more

3. Build associations and connections with some of the top professionals in the country

4. Get exclusive mentorship sessions

5. Get access to resources worth $100,000

What are the selection criteria?

This year, Entrepreneurship Conclave 2022 has been revamped and we have introduced 4 tracks. -

1. Agriculture/Agro-Industry

2. Women entrepreneurship

3. Cleantech/UN SDG (United Nations Sustainable Development Goals)

4. SaaS/App-based/Miscellaneous

The top 15 startups from each track will be announced and shall undergo mentoring from industry experts, after which the top five startups from each track will get the chance to showcase their products and services to top incubators and investors of the country. These top startups will also get the opportunity to access exclusive mentorship, sessions and resources. Startups selected for the Demo Day will be judged on the following criteria:

1. The extent of product innovation

2. Market potential

3. Team strength

4. Revenue model

5. Stage in the lifecycle of a product or company

For the competition -

1. Top 5 teams from each track selected will appear for the final pitching round in front of top investors

2. Top 5 from each track get incubation opportunities

3. Top 15 participants from each track to get direct access to a premium pool of investors and mentors

4. Best team from each track will win a grand cash prize worth lakhs

“What do you need to start a business? Three simple things: know your product better than anyone, know your customer, and have a burning desire to succeed.”

– Dave Thomas, Founder, Wendy’s