The Entrepreneurship and Incubation Cell (EIC) has organized an "Interactive Session" with Mr. Girish Kulkarni, an alumnus of PEC University of Technology on 18.12.2015 (Friday) at 10:30am at TPO Seminar Room.
Mr. Girish Kulkarni is a postdoctoral research fellow at University of Michigan. He has founded a start-up called Arborsense Inc. in 2015 which has been incubated at the University of Michigan. The start-up is based on his Ph.D. research on Nano Electronic Vapor Sensors for Wearable Healthcare Applications and the market research conducted during NSF Innovation Corps Program. His start-up has also received a Small Business Innovation Research Grant from NSF to develop a minimum viable product.
The main focus of the interaction was about the Development and Functioning of Start-up. Mr. Girish talked about various important aspects of startup. He emphasized that elevator pitch, team building and consumer base are very essential attributes for raising funds from venture capitalists.
The elevator pitch comprises of assessing the value proposition or the need which the startup is going to focus on. He pointed that building a good team is very essential for a successful startup and all the team members should be equally passionate about the idea and should believe in it. The trust of venture capitalists can be gained with a strong team. He also shared some valuable tips like how to interact with potential consumers to get an insight about their requirements and expectations. He highlighted the significance of consumer base in quantification of idea, examination of market scenario and assessment of credibility of product etc. which is a requisite while approaching the venture capitalists. He also discussed about the importance of patents for a start-up and shared his experience of getting a patent.
During the interaction, students asked questions about the development of startups like how to build a team, how to pitch ideas, important tips for starting start-up etc. In the end, he suggested students to attend various entrepreneurship events across India to gain more knowledge for development of start-ups and efficient functioning of support systems (like e-cells, incubators etc.) in the institutions which will help students in turning their dreams into reality.