embark 2016

embark J a n 2 0 1 6

Bulid Your Empire

N O W

Build Your Empire… Now!

em bark | Jan 2016

Disclaimer

The views & opinions expressed in Embark are personal and do not necessarily reflect those of Team

Embark, Entrepreneurship Development Cell or Department of Management Sciences (PUMBA), University

of Pune. Few images in this magazine are taken from the internet and are used purely for academic

purpose without any intention of copyright infringement.


em bark | Jan 2016

Head of the Department’s Address

First and foremost, I would like to congratulate Team Embark and ED Cell for bringing this edition of

Embark.

Department of Management Sciences, S.P University of Pune (PUMBA) provides students with a

plethora of skill development programs. I firmly believe that self-initiative and dedicated hard work will

bring students close to success. But success can’t be achieved if efforts are not blended with continuously

building and utilizing our very own skill sets. Motivating students to do activities while enriching and

exploring themselves, is something very close to my heart. Embark, a Studentpreneur Magazine, is one

such activity.

In this less explored field of Entrepreneurship, we try to provide a platform where students exhibit

their creativity and bring the real life Entrepreneurs experiences on the table. The students get great deal

of motivation and inspiration while learning and understanding about the entrepreneurs. PUMBA

understands the very importance of Entrepreneurship in this fast changing business scenario and thus it is

our effort to promote entrepreneurship through this magazine. Our motive is to groom students to

consider entrepreneurship as a career option and also guide them in fulfilling their aspirations.

I also appreciate the efforts of Dr. Rajesh Pahurkar – the Faculty Coordinator of ED Cell and

members of ED Cell who have ensured the success of Embark through their co-ordination, contribution and

hard work. I wish the team all the very best for their future endeavors.

Warm Regards,

Dr B.V. Sangvikar

Professor & Head

Department of Management Sciences

Savitribai Phule Pune University


em bark | Jan 2016

Faculty Coordinator’s Address

In Indian environment the basic purpose of educational system is to create the manpower to fit in existing

job market only. The majority of the students passing out of universities and colleges have the tendency to get a safe

salaried job and very few students could take decision to start their own ventures. Basically we cannot blame our

students because of our existing educational system which do not have any major focus on creating more and more

entrepreneurs.

Universities need to be more innovative and entrepreneurial as against traditional way of teaching and

research. Traditional universities focus on transfer of knowledge through education and advancement of knowledge

through basic research. This traditional approach is leading to produce graduates with no any special inclination

towards entrepreneurship. The output of university should not be measured only on the basis of the number of

students enrolled and passed out with degree. The social and economical contribution of universities must be

considered for its evaluation. Universities must emphasize on those activities which will lead to economic and social

development, while doing so there must be synchronization among university–industry–government such university

can be called as an ‘entrepreneurial university’.

Entrepreneurial universities have primary role in developing the human capitals of the nation along with this

it plays vital role in transfer of technology from academics to industry. The research work development may results

into spinoff ventures. It also supports to existing business operations by offering its innovative research solutions to

industrial problems. Entrepreneurial universities can undertake various entrepreneurial activities as bellow-

• Establishing Technology Park

• Protecting Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) through patents

• Contract research

• Executive Education/Industry training courses

• Contract research

• Executive Education/Industry training courses

• Consulting assignments

• Research funding and grants

• Collaborations and networking with other research institution

Arranging and participation in international research exhibitions, conference

All this or may be some in addition to above needs to be develop along with traditional way of teaching to me more

entrepreneurial through education.

I would like to give my best wishes to start the entrepreneurial journey at PUMBA. All the very best!!!

Warm Regards,

Dr. Rajesh Pahurkar,

Faculty Coordinator of ED Cell,

Department of Management Sciences

Savitribai Phule Pune University


em bark | Jan 2016

Foreword

First of all, I congratulate Renuka and Team Embark for bringing this edition of Embark – the biannual

magazine of ED Cell.

MBA has always been considered as a gate pass to enter into the business world. When we get into a

management institute most of us have a crystal clear target of getting a highly paid job in a prestigious

company. It is right though considering the traditional thinking. Earlier business was considered as the last

option from the point of view of career. But with the changing scenario entrepreneurship can be said to be

the new wave. It is the era of start-ups.

ED Cell is the place where we, with the guidance of our teachers focus to develop a sustained platform that

supports students of PUMBA in starting up; showcasing their skills and structuring their thoughts in the less

explored field of entrepreneurship.

ED Cell aims to hone the entrepreneurial skills by not just learning theories but implementing them

practically. We conduct n no of activities such as E-days, Hall of Fame where students present their B-Plans,

speaker sessions, industrial visits, entrepreneurial discussions, treks, Entrepreneur talks and the Flagship

National Level Event YUKTI. Through all this,

we learn we explore

we fall we fail

we dare we fight

we innovate we incubate

we disrupt we play

we built we conquer

All the above activities are carried out by and for the students. We look forward to continue this with your

active participation.

Opportunities are like butterflies. One who catches them becomes a great professional but one who

creates such opportunities becomes a great entrepreneur.

With Best Wishes,

Nikita Chavan

Coordinator

ED Cell, PUMBA


em bark | Jan 2016

From Editor’s Desk…

It gives me immense pleasure to present you with the second edition of EMBARK– a bi annual magazine of

ED cell, Department of Management Sciences (PUMBA), Savitribai Phule Pune university for the academic

year 2016-17.

'Entrepreneurship Development Cell' is an initiative by the students of Department of Management

Sciences, SPPU (PUMBA), Pune. Under the guidance of our esteemed faculty, our prime focus is to develop

a sustainable platform that supports students of PUMBA in starting up; which would give students the

opportunity to come together, to share the ideas, knowledge and experiences. This helps in enriching the

intellect of the students as they learn from each other, acquire various traits, build relationships. Embark,

as a part of ED cell, is a platform where students can express their ideas and thoughts and share their

experiences with others.

I would like to express my gratitude to our HOD Dr. B. V. Sangvikar Sir for giving us the opportunity to bring

out “Embark”. I also thank our faculty coordinator Dr. Rajesh Pahurkar Sir for his valuable feedback and

support that he offered from time to time. Without Embark team, all this would not have been possible. I

thank all the team members and cell members who have contributed in making this process full of learning

and fun, for all the suggestions and help.

I hope this magazine will add to your knowledge and give insights and would make your thoughts linger on

the amazing adventure and excellent learning that is “Entreprenaurship”.

With Best Wishes,

Renuka Karmarkar

Editor,

Embark


em bark | Jan 2016

Company Name: Fizzible Tech PvtLtd

Entrepreneur’s Name: Mr.Rohan Saswadkar

Chase Your Idea….Q. Please elaborate about the

business that you are into.

Fizzible Tech Pvt Ltd is into B2B

and B2C sourcing of all kinds of

core electronic and

semiconductor components. We

are also into product

development. We have our

own in-house Smart Home

automation System too and we

are integrating several innovative

things into the same.

Q. What all you services &

products you provide?

As mentioned above, Fizzible is a

specialized platform for core

electronics and semiconductor

component sourcing all over the

world. It is a marketplace with

more than 5 lakh products

available. Ranging from Passive/

Active products to batteries,

sensors, modules, IC's, motors,

cables, connectors, DIY kits etc.,

Fizzible can source all types of

products through our efficient

supply chain and a swift logistics

and delivery mechanism.

We are also launching our

SMART HOME AUTOMATION

product nationwide within the

coming few weeks. Along with

that we have a couple of exciting

new products

in pipeline too. *stay tuned to

our website for more news on

the same*

Q. How did your journey begin?

We started off when we were

pursuing our graduation. All of

us met through various "meet-

ups" wherein one can contact

people who are of a similar

interests etc

Q. To Start any new business

raising funds is crucial and

equally difficult how did you

manage this?

This is the most difficult task to

achieve for any upcoming

entrepreneur. We have been

completely bootstrapped till

now. However we found out

many sources of income to

manage the funds. Initially we

used to conduct workshops and

training programs for students as

well as faculty. We used to

participate in as many B-plan

competitions as possible

(wherein we used to win most of

them *wink*) and fund through

its prize money. We have our

own e-commerce website where

we sell all kinds of

semiconductor components.

That is where the majority of our

revenue came from.

Q. How do you market your

product?

Our core target segment is SME's

(Small and medium scale

enterprises). The semiconductor

market is an extremely complex

market. There is no one stop

solution for the same. Our team

has done extensive research as

far as marketing is concerned.

Knowing the needs of the target

segment is the most important

thing here.

That is what our team has tried

to find out and thus cater

accordingly. Apart from that

marketing comes from

sponsoring various events,

conducting workshops and

training sessions, word of mouth

publicity, targeted e-mail

marketing, meet-ups, through

extensive contacts gained in the

industry till now etc.

Q. What are your Marketing and

branding strategies you have

used till now?

We have placed a lot of focus on

attractive packaging of our

products. We also provide

attractive discounts on products

via coupon codes etc. We have

separate sections on our website


em bark | Jan 2016

known as "FizzLearn and

FizzStory" wherein under

FizzStory we promote

inspirational stories of young

professionals who have achieved

success in their respective fields.

FizzLearn section of our website

is a huge store house of

innovative projects and ideas

that we have implemented at

our workspace. We have

provided part time and full time

internships to students. We also

introduced our program known

as "FizzLabs" wherein we helped

set up research laboratories in

engineering colleges wherein

students can implement their

ideas which in other cases would

not have been possible. We have

provided title sponsorship to

various technical events in Pune

city and thus increase our brand

value.

We provide special discounts and

features for Robocon teams all

over India and also provide

guidance for the same. We were

part of PuneConnect wherein we

showcased our products held at

WestIn Pune.

Q. Who have you tied up with?

We have tie ups with most

educational institutes in Pune

and Nasik region. We have tied

up with NHK Japan who were the

runners of International Robocon

2014. We have also

tie-ups with most of the biggest

distributors of electronic

components in the world.

Q. What all difficulties did you

face while building up your

customer base?

Like any start-up we faced

innumerable obstacles during

our initial phase. During the

initial phase we did not have a

office of our own to carry out

day to day operations. There

were already established players

in the sector. Not many people

knew what Fizzible was. Lack of

funds was haunting. Had to

create an awareness about

electronics and technology

through tremendous marketing

techniques such as training

sessions, event sponsorships,

social media presence etc. Our

team used to do extensive

ground work to promote Fizzible

as a one stop brand for all

Electronics purposes all over the

country. All this was extremely

resource consuming

Q. What do attribute your

success to?

Currently we are a team of 15

hardworking and extremely

talented professionals all below

the age of 25. Our entire team

attributes our success to

extreme smart work. We have a

technically sound team and have

done an extensive amount of

ground work to reach the stage

we currently are. We at Fizzible

have a vibrant work culture

wherein we promote exchange

of innovative ideas which further

helps in efficient growth of

business.

Q. What are the challenges in

this line of work? How do you

deal with them?

Challenges are going to be faced

at all points. Our team is capable

enough to tackle them.

Q. What are your future

strategies for expansion? Have

you thought about exports?


em bark | Jan 2016

We are working on a

marketplace model. Earlier we

were solely into the B2C

segment. As time passed we

have successfully entered into

the B2B segment.

Our next step is creating

innovative B2B marketplace

wherein we will connect the

sellers to the plethora of buyers

through innovative features

introduced on our website. We

are already into import and

export. Be it any place in the

world. Fizzible aims at

connecting all types of sellers to

their respective buyers in a

hassle-free and transparent way.

Q. Where do you see your

company in 5 years?

Our goal is to be the leading

company in B2B supplies. Apart

from the semiconductor

segment we will be expanding

into other sectors such as

industrial automation, Power

tools,machinery, etc. We aim to

make Fizzible as the unifying

factor to organize the existing

unorganized market.

Q. What is your Mantra for

Success?

This may be done a thousand

times till now but hard work,

hard work and hard work

combined with smart strategies

and efficient execution has

helped us reach where we are.

Along with that building a strong

core team is equally important if

a business has to sustain.

Q What advice would you like

to give to the budding

entrepreneurs?

Always pursue your dream

without paving in to peer

pressure. If you believe your

business idea is ingenius, have

the courage to pursue it. The

government of India

has taken a lot of initiatives for

promoting entrepreneurship

amongst youngsters. Do take

advantages of the same.

Socialize a lot, meet new people,

discuss your

ideas. Chase your idea like there

is no tomorrow.

Interviewer: Ms. Aditi Deodhe


em bark | Jan 2016

Company Name: EL-tech Controls

Entrepreneur’s Name: Mr. Milind Chincholikar

Take Control…

Milind Chincholikar is a sole

proprietor of EL-Tech Controls

which manufactures LBSF (load

break switch and fuse) and CSS

(compact substation). He is a

Mechanical Engineer. He also has

other firm Shree Engineer

Services which does the LT and

HT electrical installation.

Mr. Milind says that when he

was determined to start his

business when he was pursuing

his degree. He never liked the

concept of going to the office

with his Tiffin and working for

somebody else. Hence, he was

always seeking an opportunity of

doing some work on his own.

When asked what capital he had

to start his business, he says "I

didn't even know what a

business requires. All I had in my

mind was to start my own

business". He says that he never

had the capital to start the

business and even now he

doesn't have much. He used to

attend an entrepreneurship

development program when he

was a student and this was

during the 80s. He got most of

his answers only because of

experience.

The journey of his business

started in Pune when he had

clashed with his boss and he

realized that job is not his cup of

tea. So he used all the contacts

he developed during his job in

Bhosri area to start doing small

job work for different parties. He

says that initially he never got

the money in hand, but on

pieces of paper. But he was

successful in this work and he

came to Nashik.

While he was searching for new

business opportunities he tells

"Saying no to any kind of work

was never an option because I

had to earn money on a daily

basis to meet my basic needs".

Most of the job work he used to

get was electrical and hence the

involvement in that field

increased. With mechanical and

electrical experience he gained

confidence for doing big jobs.

Then he came across the

electrical contracting which

includes design to installation.

But this became monotonous

and Mr. Milind started thinking

about developing an electrical

panel, which serves its purpose

in every electrical installation. He

always used to visit and still visits

the electrical exhibitions from

where the inspiration came to

develop this unique product. He

says "I literally purchased a panel

from an exhibition which was

not at all related to my product

concept, but only to use some of

its parts which were required for

my panel". It took around 4 years

to develop this product because

he had to do his regular job work

and then used to concentrate on

this product in his extra time. To

learn more about the product,

visit www.eltechcontrols.com.

He installed his first panel in

Mahindra Sona Ltd. He proudly

says that they trusted in him and

gave him job order. And after six

months he got the first cheque in

his life. He got the boost as his

product was launched in a

reputed big company. Today his

product is installed in L&T, Atlas

Copco and many big industries.

When asked about how and why

does he continue to do his old

and new work which is

contracting and manufacturing

of his own panel he explains that

these both jobs are two sides of

a coin. His soul of panels are the

result of contracting and vice

versa. He believes that saying no

to any work is not professional in

Business.

After asking about the difficulties

in managing both things

simultaneously, he says that

business cannot happen without

difficulties. There is no business

in the world which doesn't have

difficulties and not a single


em bark | Jan 2016

businessman which doesn't face

it.

His future plans for the firm is to

enter in 22KV range from 11KV

range. With more than 8 years of

experience it was not a big deal

for him to enter into this range.

There is an increasing

competition in every field, but

Mr. Milind says that

"Competition must be there. It

makes you increase the standard

of your product with great pace

and it makes you feel alive in the

market".

A thing to observe about his firm

is it had and has a very little

manpower, even though the firm

has grown with extensive. He

tells that too much manpower

reduces output, things just

happened with this little

manpower and he never needed

more and believes in optimum

management of resources rather

than departmentalization with

more manpower.

When asked about the take on

the slow growth of Nashik in

industry compared to Mumbai

and Pune, he says, location really

doesn't matter today if you have

passion. He himself covers

contracts in Pune and today's

strong media and social network

has made possible for taking

business to far places. Talking

about salary and lifestyle, he

says people complain that

Nashik offers less salary but they

forget that this salary is very

sufficient to live a good lifestyle

here because people do not get

to live an even average lifestyle

with high salaries in Pune and

Mumbai. "I love Nashik and I

always will"

The last question I asked him

was about the advice he would

give to the new generation who

are a bit impatient, expecting

high and going for start-ups

rapidly. He says today's

generation concentrates for

higher education for getting high

salary jobs, but they don't realize

that the real education happens

after getting the job. And when

this knowledge and experience

combines, "You don't need to

work for money. Money itself

will work for you. Keep less

expectations and more patience

initially and concentrate on

gaining experience rather than

money. One needs to realize his

competence before expecting

and if he is not, he can always

reach there with knowledge and

experience. Anyone can do a

business if he knows these

things." says Mr. Milind with this

ending note.

Interviewer: Mr. Ameet Jagtap


em bark | Jan 2016

Company Name: Food Funky

Entrepreneur’s Name: Mr. Raviraj Poojary

Entrepreneurship… Food for Soul

Q. Please tell us about the new

venture you are starting.

Raviraj: It’s a food home delivery

venture, where we’ll deliver food

prepared at home as well as at

restaurants. We’re also going to

come up with our own kitchen.

The basic idea is to provide

people with good quality food at

an affordable price. If you visit

any 5 star hotel, you’ll get good

quality food, but at a very high

price. You wouldn’t find that

quality of food at any local

restaurants. Here, we’re trying to

provide that quality of food in a

normal price variant that is

cooked in our kitchen.

Q. How did you come up with

this idea?

Raviraj: I come from a long line

of family that is in hotelier

business, so there was nothing

new about it. This is the industry

that I chose, and I want to carve

a niche for myself in it. Just how

FoodPanda, TinyOwl, Zomato,

started out small and went on

becoming huge ventures, we

also intend to do the same.

In this industry, you’ll be facing

competition from all the start -

ups you mentioned above, how

are you planning to tackle them?

Every business has an edge over

the other business, whether it is

the quality of the product or the

quality of the service. So

‘discounting’ is the parameter

today. This industry has evolved

from going to a restaurant and

ordering food to ordering online.

Our competitors’ Zomato and

FoodPanda have invested in

inculcating that habit in the

customer, so we’ll utilize that to

our benefit. And of course, the

differentiator is going to be the

quality of product, which will be

affordable to middle class and

upper middle class families. In

terms of service, there would be

a differentiator in terms of

packaging and system of

delivery.

Q. When did you decide, that

you wanted to have a business

of your own?

Raviraj: When I came to Pune in

1996, many of my uncles owned

hotels here. So I used to visit

them, watch them minting

money, and that triggered me to

start something of my own. From

that point my interest in

business took a front seat. Soon

after my graduation, I had my

two hotels, but I gave them up,

and asked my uncle to handle

them, while I went on to

complete my MBA since I

wanted corporate exposure.

After working for 4 years at Bajaj

Tempo, I started pitying myself,

and kept questioning why I came

here. At the age of 30, I left my

job and started Wagons Learning

with my partner.

Q. So far, what all challenges did

you face?

Raviraj: It is very difficult to find

the right taste when it comes to

finding chefs. When it comes to

making a website, dependency

on any tech guy is a big

challenge, since I’m not a tech

guy myself. Second, each and

every tool you want to build

keeps changing or improving and

the tech guys always want a

standard process of work. Third

is getting right human capital,

because we are building a team.

And last but not the least is,

working capital to make it big.

Q. How many members does

your team consist of?

Raviraj: Currently, in house we

have 4 people working on this,

while we have outsourced

around 50 people including the

tech team.

Q. How are you planning to

market your product?

Raviraj: Start-ups that have


em bark | Jan 2016

already made it big, have huge

budgets for TV ads, Print media,

social media. We’re trying to

pitch it fundamentally from

social media sites, and on a

secondary note from

promotional activities in

societies, malls, school so that it

attracts kids. If you see our logo,

it’s a character, which will attract

kids. In our soft launch, we’ve

got a very positive response

from kids, hence our idea is to

pitch it to kids, so the parents

automatically get familiar with it.

Q. Apart from this, how are you

planning to build your customer

base?

Raviraj: Today, there are two

types of classes we are planning

to tap, one is family, and another

is the working class. So we’re

planning promotional activities

in offices through their HR and

we’re also going to provide them

lunchbox kind of approach.

Q. What advice would you give

to young entrepreneurs?

Raviraj: Everyone is getting into

the start-up race today, people

are only planning to build an

app, bring in investors and mint

money in a short run, which is a

wrong approach. Getting app

and an investor is fine, but the

next step should be building a

sustainable business. Most folks

wind up the business within one

year since, they have no

customers, but the important

thing is to wait for 2-3 years to

let the business settle in. Also,

there is a need of corporate

culture, which you understand

only when you work in

corporate. So my advice would

be, study well, work in a

corporate for 3-5 year and then

start a business.

Interviewer: Ms. Aditi Deodhe


em bark | Jan 2016

Company Name: ESDS

Entrepreneur’s Name: Piyush Somani

From a Free Electron

Piyush Somani, a first generation

entrepreneur, personifies ESDS's

commitment to customer

satisfaction and high quality of

deliverables. Piyush Somani has

earned a degree in Electronics

Engineering and joined a meter

manufacturing industry in

Mumbai in the year 2002 and

then switched to a Software

company in Nashik in the year

2003. He started 'Web hosting

support' business in the year

2004 with 6 Partners. Piyush

then decided to get on his own

in the year 2005 and registered

"ESDS Software Solution Pvt LTD"

Q. What is ESDS?

Piyush: It is managed cloud

hosting service provider and

data center service provider and

we have a headquarters in

Nashik. We also have an

upcoming corporate office in

Mumbai. Currently we have

branch offices in Delhi,

Bangalore, Pune and Gujarat. We

have Leads in UK, Chicago and

US.

Q. When was your company

established? And how did this

concept come into your mind?

Piyush: Our company got

established in 2005. With a

couple of my friends I started

outsourcing of web hosting jobs

in 2004. We had huge success

because we had customers like

large web hosting companies in

US and UK. They all were getting

their back end and Outsourcing

hosting done from us. This

showed that we were very good

in giving the support services

and that made me realize that

why not become a company

which itself is a Web hosting

service provider! With this level

of support we could reach to

much bigger scale.

Q. Did you have any capital

while starting this business?

Piyush: No, I did not have any

capital at all. I started with just

one computer and my partners

brought their own computers.

Whatever we earned from the

business, we kept investing it

back into it and that's how the

business grows from the self

funding.

Q. What was the biggest

problem that you have faced

while starting this business?

Piyush: The biggest challenge

was that there was no

knowledge of finance, of

operations and of bringing an

inorganic growth by getting

external Investments. I didn't

have that knowledge in those

days. There was a golden period

in storing with the help of which

we could have actually pumped

up the money, invest it back into

the business, earn more money.

The business could have grown

more aggressively with this, but

that didn't happen. There was a

bad patch in the year 2006, for

around 6 months. Customers

were not paying. I also started

cancelling the Outsourcing of

other clients because I had to

focus on my own company.

There was a mismatch in the

revenue incoming and the

revenue outgoing. However,

fortunately the companies which

we acquired in the UK in 2005

and one company in US starting

doing very well for us. At the end

of the year, everything changed!

We made a lot of money in the

next couple of years and from

that money in India we built this

headquarters in Nashik and now


em bark | Jan 2016

the 2nd headquarters in Mumbai

which will be launched in the

second week of Jan 2016.

Q. We all know that Nashik is

lagging behind when it comes to

IT sector. How did you choose

place like Nasik to start IT

company?

Piyush: In Nashik I had good

technical staff and our

requirement was also very low. It

was in just tens and twenties. So,

we had the best talents from this

place and with proper HR

policies that we formed, we got

very good people. We were not

dependant local business

because our business was totally

focused on the UK and US

markets initially.

Q. The work culture in your

company seems to be a little

informal, due to which one

must be feeling relaxed to work.

What is unique about this?

Piyush: It is quite Simple. When

our employees come to the

office, they don't feel like they

are coming to an office at a

specific time and going home at

a specific time. They just come,

enjoy their work and sometimes

even sit for a longer time. There

are some people who work for

24 hours when there are

technical issues with our

network. So, we leave these

decisions regarding work timings

to the employees. The important

thing is people should enjoy

working and that is the reason

we have facilities like swimming

pool, Table Tennis court,

Volleyball court, Gym, Snooker,

Badminton. Employees would

hardly be able to give time for

these spots after going home

from the office.

Q. The growth in Nashik is less

compared to Pune and Mumbai

for an employee for an

employer. What is your take on

this?

Piyush: Yes. People who are

looking for financial growth, for

them Mumbai and Pune are a

better option. But those who are

looking for a career growth, with

happiness as the priority, for

them Nashik is a really nice

place. I started this company in

2005. Right now there are 10

employees in the company who

just completed 10 years and 30

employees in who have

completed 9 years. I think this

was possible only because they

are happy, satisfied and they

don't compare it with the

lifestyles which we find in

Mumbai and Pune. People who

live in Metro cities, often scale

up in terms of money, but not in

terms of quality of the life.

Q. Tell us about your cloud

technology.

Piyush: We have a patented

cloud Technology and auto

scaling Technology. There are so

many clouds available in the

market today, but they all are

designed purely for e-Commerce

platforms or internet companies.

These are not designed for bank,

Telecom operators, Gas

companies, shipping companies,

aviation companies and most of

the SMEs cannot host

themselves on these clouds. The

reason is only horizontal load

balancing in these cloud

Technologies. What we have

done is, we have developed a

cloud platform which can grow

vertically and can also scale itself

as per requirement using

multiple machines. This is our

unique feature and it is only

possible because we are in

Nashik. We have a research team

which has been working on this

since the last 6 years. In cities

like Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore it

is very difficult to retain such

team for 6 years. I believe that

Nashik has helped us to form

such a team and to be more

innovative.

Q. What is your take on work

life balance in a company?

Piyush: Now people in Bangalore

have started taking mid-breaks.

Mid-breaks means they take a

break on Wednesday or

Thursday and then again on the

weekends. That means they are

getting over exhausted and are

not able to live a good quality of

life in Metro cities. But here,

there are employees who come

in 7 days a week to work. There

are no restrictions. They can

work as long as they want and if

someone wants a 15 day break

during the Christmas period,

they can take it. There is always

someone who takes on the

responsibility for another person

who is off for a break. This


em bark | Jan 2016

improves teamwork and creates

bonding which is necessary for a

company to grow. This doesn't

happen most of the IT

companies.

Q. Now-a-days most of the

people are thinking about start-

ups. The first reason is this

generation follows its heart and

secondly, our generation is not

good with patience. They prefer

doing business hoping for fast

money. What is your advice for

these people?

Piyush: My first advice is those

who are in their teenage, is, they

should plan their start-up from

now. There are many students

who are just 14 years, have

already registered their

company, are the CEOs and

directors of their own

companies. This is the new trend

in India now. If you observe the

start-ups in the US, which are

started by young entrepreneurs,

they all have been started In

teenage. There was a culture,

that you cannot start a business

until and unless you complete

your education. Parents never

allowed their kids to start

earning on their own. There was

also a myth that one cannot start

a business without capital. Also

the parents were more

interested in the numbers and

grades their children were

getting in the class. But now

parents are encouraging their

children for starting up their own

business. I think they should be

able to earn, then learn, and

earn again, and this cycle should

continue throughout the life.

Start-up also means doing an

outsourcing job and providing

services to other people. You can

always do a job to get a first-

hand experience in order to gain

knowledge required for your

start-up.

Q. Are you afraid of growing

competition?

Piyush: In our country you have

to be innovative and along with

that you also need discipline and

management. The rising

entrepreneurs are failing in

management skills. They are

impatient and due to that the

chances of failure are more.

Hence, being optimistic and

having a positive thought is very

important. I think the new

generation will phase out the old

generation in the next 10 to 15

years.

Q. How do you see India in the

next 20 years when it comes to

growth?

Piyush: We will be number 1 in

the world in the next 20 to 25

years. We have the youngest

population in the world. Hence

we will likely be the most

developed country in the world.

There are no more sorry politics

like those in the early years.

People are getting aware of

things and our young generation

is helping a lot for it.

Interviewer: Mr. Ameet Jagtap


em bark | Jan 2016

Company Name: SamarthShree

Entrepreneur’s Name: Mr. Shrikrishna Dhobale

Constructing Your Own Future

Mr. Shrikrishna Dhobale, Head of

the SamarthShree Promoters

and Developers a first generation

entrepreneur and a technocrat.

“SamarthShree” believes every

home has a story behind it. A

story of immense struggles,

hopes and dreams a story

unique to each and every one of

us.

“SamarthShree” came into

existence in 1986 with its debut

scheme in Dombivli. Eventually

spreading its wings it has

completed more than 30 housing

development projects in Pune

and many more are lined up in

Pune and upcoming areas

surrounding it.

Mr. Shrikrishna Dhobale was a

meritorious student throughout

his school life. Earned rank in the

merit list in 10th and 12th board

exams. He replicated similar

success in degree education

when he completed B.E. In Civil

engineering, from COEP, with

2nd rank in Pune University.

Q. When did you start your

business and Why?

Shrikrishna: It all happened

when I was in IIT Powai in the

year 1986 pursuing my PhD.

Going for the PhD was my

natural choice after I completed

M. Tech from the same institute.

I always had a penchant for

starting or doing something of

my own. This was because of my

family’s business background.

One day my father said to me

“be an employer rather being an

employee and it will be a noble

thing if you could provide jobs to

other people” a value or a

thought that my father always

believed in.

So, next thing, I left my PhD

study and started ‘SamarthShree

promoters and developers’ in

partnership with my brother-in-

law who is an Architect and my

guiding force.

My education made me

passionate about the field and so

I entered into construction

instead of family business. I

started my office in a small room

in Dombivli. Launched my first

housing scheme in 1987 in

Dombivli.

Q. What were the difficulties

you faced while starting your

business?

Shrikrishna: Capital was the

biggest problem that I had to

face while starting

SamarthShree. In those days it

was very difficult to get finance

from banks. In construction

business, you need a

comparatively larger capital. My

father supported me financially

with Rs. 1 Lakh to start the

business.

Also, I had to fight against the

prejudice which my community

had about this particular

business.

Q. What keeps you going in your

difficult time?

Shrikrishna: There is one

beautiful Marathi proverb

imprinted on a wall of my house,

(This time

also will pass) This keeps me

motivated and grounded at

times.

It appeases me when my

customers say that I helped

them in achieving their dream,

dream of having their own

house.

Q. How do you manage to stay

calm and composed in this

stressful environment?

A. The credit goes to my family.

My wife has always supported

me in difficult times. We plan

family outings, go for movies

such things rejuvenate me. I like

to write poems (Charoli)

sometimes. Listening to classical

music and old melodies are a

major stress buster for me.


em bark | Jan 2016

Q. What are the new challenges

and upcoming trends in the

construction business?

Shrikrishna: The major challenge

is to survive in this business

because of stringent government

policies and rigorous

competition. You have to be

innovative in what you do. For

this, we have come up with new

strategies such as providing the

interiors for flat at the time of

possession itself.

Corporatization is a key factor for

the future of construction

business. We often see that

construction giants such as

Trump, DLF etc. spreading their

roots in India. So in the future, it

is going to be a tough time for

small players to survive and

difficult for new players to enter

the market.

Q. What is your Success Mantra

and Advice for budding

entrepreneurs?

Shrikrishna: Be Reasonable and

Rational. Judge your capabilities

because it’s better to under

commit and over deliver than to

over commit and under deliver.

Business requires 15% of

technical skills and 85% of

people skills. So always maintain

good relations with your

customers and employees, but

make sure you abstain yourself

from people who create a

nuisance in your life. The most

difficult thing we Indian find is to

say “NO”. We must learn to say

NO to activities which do not

contribute to our goals.

Interviewer: Mr. Rahil Parab


em bark | Jan 2016

MANUFACTURING IN DEFENSE SECTOR:

OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES FOR SMEs & START UPS

Genesis of the Defense

Manufacturing:

1. India has the third largest

armed forces in the world. The

defense services account for

nearly Rs 2.29 lakh crore of the

Central Government Budget

which is nearly 2.5 per cent of

the GDP and 13 per cent of the

Central Government

expenditure. As on today, 31.5%

of its budget is spent on capital

acquisitions and a staggering

60% of its requirements are met

by imports.

2. This was the outcome of a

string of policy decisions over a

period of time. The post-

independence industrial policy,

which placed the production of

Defense items in the Reserve List

making it mandatory for

production to be taken up only

by the Public Sector. The policy

of reservation of all defense

equipment manufacture, for the

public sector, was jettisoned in

2001-02. The sector for the first

time was opened to Indian

private sector participation, with

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)

up to 26 percent, both subject to

licensing. Through progressive

amendments to Defense

Procurement Procedure since

2002 and announcement of

Defense Production Policy in

2011, Government enabled

private sector participation and

increased focus on domestic

production. A major amendment

was made in DPP 2013, which

gave a thrust to indigenous

manufacturing. The table below

shows impact of policy changes

in the form of AoNs approved by

the Government in the past five

years. The proportion of “Buy

(Indian)” and “Buy and Make

(Indian)” categories in the AONs

accorded have increased

significantly in 2013-14 and

2014-15 (Table 1).

Opportunities

3. There is an opportunity to

avail defense offset obligations

to the tune of approximately INR

250 Billion during the next 7-8

years. The offset policy (which

stipulates the mandatory offset

requirement of a minimum 30%

for procurement of defense

equipment in excess of INR 3

Billion) introduced in the capital

purchase agreements with

foreign defense players would

ensure that an eco-system of

suppliers is built domestically.

4. The country is

now entering

into the next

phase of

reforms in

Defense

manufacturing

with a more

proactive

industrial policy captured in the

‘Make in India’ call. Several

initiatives have been taken

recently to promote the entry of

private sector into defense

manufacturing. A few highlights

which can be the drivers for start

up eco-system are as under:-

(a) The FDI policy for the defense

sector has been reviewed and as

per the revised policy, the

composite foreign investment

upto 49% is allowed under

automatic route and beyond

49% with the approval of the

FIPB.

(b) The Defense Products List for

the purpose of issuing Industrial

Licenses (ILs) under IDR Act has

been revised and most of the

components, parts, sub-systems,

testing equipments, and

production equipments have

been removed from the List, so

as to reduce the entry barriers

for the industry, particularly

small & medium segment.

(c) The Defense Security Manual


em bark | Jan 2016

for the private sector defense

manufacture units has been

finalized and put in public

domain. It clarifies the security

architecture required to be put

in place by the industry while

manufacturing defense

equipment.

(d) To establish a level-playing

field between Indian private

sector and the public sector, the

anomalies in excise duty/ custom

duty have been removed. As per

the revised policy, all Indian

industries (public and private)

are subjected to the same kind

of excise and custom duty levies.

(e) The list of military stores has

been finalized and put in the

public domain to make the

process transparent and

unambiguous.

(f) The Department has issued a

comprehensive Outsourcing and

Vendor Development Guidelines

to all the DPSUs and OFB in May

2015, so that the private

industries, particularly SMEs are

closely integrated into the supply

chain of defense manufacturing.

Some of the salient features of

the guidelines are:

(i) DPSUs and OFB to have short-

term and long-term outsourcing

and vendor development plans

with emphasis on gradual

increase in quantum of

outsourcing from private sector

including SMEs.

(ii) Involvement of Indian

Industry, including SMEs for

indigenous development of

parts/components/sub-systems,

which are presently being

imported.

iii) Joint or co-development of

systems or sub-systems between

public and private sector.

(g) Under Skill India initiative,

DPSUs have been asked to use

CSR funds for imparting training

to the labor force. They have

also been asked to define

eligibility criteria for all positions

in terms of National Skill

Qualification Framework by

amending the recruitment rules.

This should remove the

disconnect between demand

and supply of skilled manpower.

(h) The Start Up-India, Stand Up-

India initiative is supposed to

encourage entrepreneurship

among the youth. It is envisaged

that creation of a robust

ecosystem will get a boost under

this initiative.

Challenges:

5. Though entry barriers such as

licensing have been removed for

most of the components, parts

and sub-systems, a lot needs to

be done to provide assurance to

the SMEs and Start ups to take

the plunge. Major challenges

envisaged are as enumerated

below:-

(a) Support from the Industry.

While the Government is making

necessary policy changes and is

committed to create an eco-

system for the domestic industry

to grow at the desired pace, such

initiatives would bring results

only with the active support

from industry.

(b) Funding. This remains a key

challenge for any start-up that

plans to raise funding for

their vision. Many hurdles are

encountered even if an

entrepreneur wishes to source

seed capital.

(c) Testing Facilities. Presently,

there is no mechanism available

in the defense sector for testing


em bark | Jan 2016

and evaluation of the products

developed by the industry on its

own. . Majority of facilities like

laboratories and ranges, for such

qualification testing are

presently held by DRDO, DGQA,

DPSUs or Army/Navy/Air Force

and these facilities should be

made available to the private

sector.

Conclusion

6. The initiatives are still in the

nascent stage and if effectively

implemented, this framework

should result in increasing the

indigenous content in the

procurements from the current

level of about 40% to nearly

70%, development, thereby

giving the much needed boost to

the SME and Start up eco

system. This will not only take us

towards the goal of self-reliance

in defense production but will

also create tremendous

entrepreneurship and

employment opportunities. With

the unveiling of the Start up

India Stand up India guidelines in

mid January there is a likelihood

of further encouragement to

start ups in defense

manufacturing.

Bibliography

1. Website of Ministry of

Defense.

2. ‘Make in India’ in Defense

Sector: The Dhirendra Singh

Committee Report (Extracts)

3. Extracts of 'Y.B. Chavan

Memorial Lecture' at IDSA, Delhi

by Shri AK Gupta on "Make in

India: The Way Ahead for

Indigenous Defense Production

in India"

Compiled by: Renuka Karmarkar


em bark | Jan 2016

Where is the RISK?

The first thing that comes in the

mind of everyone while making

the list of the colleges for the

CAP round of MBA or

Engineering is, which college has

got what placement history. The

grade, quality of education and

lifestyle of the crowd coming to

the college is completely

perceived on the companies

visited to that college for campus

interviews last year.

First semester passes, making a

cool dude impression, being a

part of the coolest group in the

batch and scoring the "Na bhuto

na bhavishyati" grades in the

exams... and Last semester in

filling up slam books, sending FB

requests, getting phone numbers

and talking about the companies

in the campus!

This campus placement thing has

hammered such a deep nail in

the minds of young aspirants

that they forget about their last

semester and they might never

be college students again in their

lives...

Thinking about the career and

taking decision wisely is always

essential to draw the road map

of your life. But are we doing it

the best possible way? Is there

any better way to do it?

The human tendency is to find

security in whatever plans they

make by reducing risks from

their lives. Students behave on

the same philosophy and put

their hard efforts to avoid risks

and get placed in any company

coming their way in the campus

interview with luring packages.

But is it really the secured way?

Has it really reduced the risks of

your life?

Prima face it sounds true to be in

a salaried job. The most

important reason for this is the

SMS that you get on 1st date of

every month: "Your account has

been credited by xxx/-"

Getting a fixed salary every

month gives a sense of security

to pay all the fixed bills month to

month. Every week you can

manage visits to the mall,

movies, a long trip at least once

a year and EMIs for your house

and car.

After a few years, you realize

what are you doing sitting in a

cubicle and scrolling the same

mail box 100 times up and down.

The lavishness of the coffee from

the coffee machine fades away

and it becomes just a reason to

be away from your chair and

screen.

The 10-12 hrs shifts feel like 24

hrs a day, Mondays become a

killer and every Tuesday you

start thinking about coming

Weekend. Your dream company

for which you were ready to

work at any salary, becomes

enemy company who's not

appreciating your efforts and

your boss becomes heartless.

These series of consequences

(even without taking risks) turns

the things stressful and you start

thinking about switching to

something better. And the series

continues...

Then one fine day, you meet one

of your old roomies who never

attended lectures in college,

whole night spent playing games

on laptop and whole day

sleeping, now continuing with

his dad's business and calling

himself an entrepreneur. He also

did not take risk, but now so

called running a business. Ask

him whether he is really happy

with what is he doing or just

took that path because it was

the easiest way he had to earn

money for his survival.

Now take another case. You

dreamt to set up something on

your own and now drafting the

plans execute it. Things will be

new and challenging for you, but

you'll get a wide opportunity to

handle all the different areas of

an enterprise and make your

own way the way you want.


em bark | Jan 2016

This will never change the

importance of each mail you

receive and the taste of your

coffee. You'll never feel tired,

every day will become a working

day and every day will turn to be

a holiday. Each and every brick of

your building, witnesses the way

you changed, architect yourself

and created an example in front

of your family, friends and

society. Coming out of your

comfort zone and watching the

things falling in place which you

racked in your mind and dreamt

to see it happening is the most

secure way to keep yourself

going, remaining composed and

satisfied till the end.

The biggest risk in life is not

taking risks in life! Keep taking

risks and make your life worth

living!

Good luck!

Written by: Mr. Digvijay Khairnar


em bark | Jan 2016

If There Is a Will, There Is a Resource!

“Start-up”… The most used word

for Twenty Fifteen!!

From 3100 start-ups in 2014 to a

projection of 11,500 by 2020 -

the numbers are telling this is

certainly not a passing trend, but

a revolution which is going to

change the way business is

working in India.

“Indian Start-up Ecosystem is

very conducive.”

What initiatives are making the

start-up ecosystem conducive?

Purpose of writing this article is

to highlight some of these

initiatives taken by Government

and other organizations so as to

enable our young and

enthusiastic entrepreneurs to

make use of the resources

available.

A lot of young entrepreneurs

who wish to begin business are

held back due to mesh of

regulations. Right now, the

process of compliances comes

under the wide umbrella of 22

diverse laws, hence the process

is quite tedious. The government

is aiming to condense the whole

process into a 2-page start-up

Act, and the single window

clearance system.

Mumbai and Delhi have been

featured in the list of world’s top

30 most powerful, connected,

productive and commercially

attractive cities making India a

prospected Manufacturing Hub.

Many Business tycoons are

showing keen interest in

investing Start-ups. Ratan Tata,

our nation’s most decorated

businessman, has invested in

more than 20 start-ups till the

date.

State Governments are coming

forward to give boost to start-

ups. Recently, Karnataka

government made Start-ups

eligible for Government

Contracts and Government

Procurements. And many more

state governments are in plan to

take such steps.

Government of India Launched

“Indian Aspiration Fund” and

SMILE (SIDBI Make in India loan

for enterprises Scheme) with an

initial corpus of 2000 crores for

the development of micro, small

and medium enterprises sector.

Unfortunately Most of the

people associate start-ups with

E-commerce (all ready a

saturated). But looking at the

switch in view of the global

community towards greener

solutions to businesses, there

are many other areas where

start-ups can be established.

Recently concluded Paris Climate

Conference highlights the

Importance of Environment

Protection and lessen the

Carbon emissions.

There are many Areas other

than E-commerce where

immense of opportunities are

available. Areas like Renewable

Energies where the Government

is looking at potential driver of

the economy are the best places

to invest in. In fact Wind energy

is the field where Many Big

Investors are investing. (Ratan

Tata Invested in Altaeros Energy

this year- a Wind Energy Start-

up).

Start-ups in Waste Management

and Recycling wastes into useful

products through innovations

are fetching good investment for

venture and angel Capitalists.

Almost 25 Such start-ups fetched

near about $1 billion investment

in 2015.

Start-up in Such Categories will

help in reducing the carbon

footprints and fetch huge

investments in near future.

Written by: Mr. Sumit Patil


em bark | Jan 2016

Company Name: Horizon Adventures

Entrepreneur’s Name: Sankalp Shinde

Adventure is out there!!!

Q. Tell us about the venture that

you have started?

Sankalp: Horizon Adventures

started in 2012 by 3 adventure

enthusiasts who converted their

passion into business. The firm

deals in providing equipments

for adventure sports such as

hiking, rock climbing, rappelling,

etc. It was formed with an idea

of sharing the passion for hiking

with like-minded people.

Horizon started with an initial

capital of just Rs. 30,000 and

now it’s net worth is Rs. 7,

00,000. It organizes Group and

corporate Adventure activities

and recreational outings. The

USP of Horizon Adventures is, it’s

founders are professionally

trained and certified from

reputed government

Mountaineering institutions. We

feel proud that our equipments

are used in many Himalayan

Expeditions.

Q. What is your idea of

entrepreneurship?

Sankalp: Entrepreneurship is to

believe in yourself and pursuing

your passion. It is more than

doing just a business. Being an

entrepreneur obviously provides

you a fair chance to work on

your own interests in your own

way. It is a key to become a

proficient person in other

aspects of life too.

Q. What ignited the spark in you

to start a new business venture?

Adventure activities like Hiking,

rock climbing, rappelling are

always been into my passion list.

Whenever I used to get free time

I prefered to pack my bag, get

my gears and enjoy my outings.

All these activities need some

kind of professional equipment.

All such equipments are very

costly and difficult to maintain.

And there was no one providing

these gears on rent . That’s

where I got an idea of providing

such equipment on rent at

affordable cost.

Q. What made you prefer

Entrepreneurship over job?

Sankalp: There are several

reasons that made me prefer

Entrepreneurship to job. I am a

kind of person where I like to

take control and make decisions.

This can be best achieved in

Entrepreneurship. One of the

most oft-cited benefits of

owning a business is the

flexibility that comes with it, be

it working from wherever you

want or setting your own hours.

Thus I can maintain my own

work life balance. I have a

freedom to choose people to

work with. Some people thrive

on the routine of their job –

performing the same tasks day

after day. As an entrepreneur,

you can bet that each day will be

filled with new opportunities to

challenge yourself, be creative

and learn something new. Long

hours I use to invest in growing

my business do not feel like work

because I am actually having fun

in what I am doing.

Q. What was your feeling when

you got your first seed?

Sankalp: I got my first seed 15

days after posting online

advertisements on olx.in and just

dial. It is one of the best feelings

I’ve ever had and will be

cherished throughout my life.

That first seed gave me

motivation to go ahead with my

decision.


industry of your start-up?

Sankalp: The foremost challenge

is it is one of the most

unorganized industries in India.

I find this sector to be

professionally underdeveloped in

India. To get the professionally

trained manpower is still a


em bark | Jan 2016

difficult task to us. The gears are

not manufactured in India. So it

is difficult to get required gears

within time and also servicing

and maintenance of it is an issue.

Q. What keeps you going in

difficult times?

Sankalp: I consider myself very

fortunate to have very

supportive family and friends.

Especially my wife’s constant

support and encouragement

keeps me going through all

troughs and crests. My passion is

the integral quotient that helps

me to sail through difficult times.

Q. What are the key company

milestones for the next 6-12

months that need to be

Achieved?

Sankalp: Along with retaining old

customer we focus on increasing

our customer base by at least

100 %. For this we are

developing various promotional

strategies to attract more and

more IT professionals. We want

to expand our service outside

Maharashtra in areas such as

northern India where we have a

huge scope. We are also in the

process of tying up with ‘PODAR

INTERNATIONAL’ school.

What is that one piece of advice

you would share with other

entrepreneurship enthusiasts?

Sankalp: Listen to your heart.

We want to but we get so scared

of it. We may take the first step,

but to take the second and third

step becomes difficult; continue

to listen to it.

The first step that I would

recommend to an entrepreneur

is to figure out the why. Why are

you doing what you’re doing?

There will be moments as you

grow your business that will

challenge your decisions and if

you have a ‘why’ to go back to as

a foundation, you can overcome

a lot of these challenges on that

basis.”

Make your own future! Create

and be part of something that is

bigger than yourself. Nobody is

going to give it to you; you have

to work for your dreams. There

are no guarantees on success. In

order to win big you have to take

calculated risks. You will find that

nothing great just happens on its

own, you can't sit on the

sidelines and wait for it. Be

ruthlessly persistent and have

razor focus!


em bark | Jan 2016

Company Name: SmarTease

Entrepreneur’s Name: Tanmayee Varpe

Wear Your Smartness with Ease

Q. Tell us about the venture that

you have started.

Tanmayee: Smartease.in is an

online brand for TV serial & Pop

Culture inspired T-shirts, Phone

Covers, Mugs, Key Chains,

Coasters & Mouse Pads. We also

provide customized merchandize

and alumni memorabilia for

schools, colleges and companies.

Q. What is your idea of

entrepreneurship?

Tanmayee: Turning what excites

you in life into capital, so that

you can keep doing more of it

and keep growing with it!

Q. What ignited the spark in you

to start a business venture,

preferring Entrepreneurship

over job?

Tanmayee: You get a job, so you

can afford a life you always

dreamt of, but instead you end

up with no time to live the life

you’re working for. You spend all

your time at work, making

someone else’s dream come

true. Instead why not work for

yourself?! After pondering over

this thought for a few years, I

finally decided to take the

plunge.

What was your feeling when

you got your first seed?

Tanmayee: Absolutely elated!

Motivated me to keep working

hard & gave me the confidence

to dream big.


industry of your start-up?

Tanmayee: Since there are

already many start-ups in similar

line of business, the first

challenge is coming up with new,

attractive and unique designs

that would differentiate us from

others. Second would be, setting

up a channel, considering the

ease of the buyer, through which

we are able to supply our

merchandize at different

locations. The third and the most

ongoing challenge is dealing with

suppliers from different

backgrounds and dealing with

buyers with different

requirements.

Q. What keeps you going in

difficult times?

Tanmayee: There are seven days

in a week; sometimes it’s just

not your day! Knowing it will

pass and make way for better

days keeps me going.

Q. What are the key company

milestones for the next 6-12

months that need to be

achieved?

So far, we’ve been able to

provide delivery services in

Maharashtra. Our next target

would be providing it all over

India and expanding our

customer base.

Q. What is that one piece of

advice you would share with

other entrepreneurship

enthusiasts?

Tanmayee: It's not about the

ideas; it's about making ideas

happen. You need not wait for

any unique idea to strike; you

just need to be good! And there

is nothing wrong with starting

small; you can make it big even

with a small team. Just don't

ever give up on your dream!

Q. How do you define success?

Tanmayee: Doing what you’ve

always loved and being happy

and satisfied!

In Loving Memory…

THE MAN

The Man was a brute,

The Man was unforgiving;

But He gave us such sweet wisdom:

It made our life worth living.

The man worshipped Time,

The man loved Knowledge;

To daily share facts and news with

us,

That was His firm pledge.

How to save your money?

How to make your

business grow?

Gods may not even

know the answer,

But, By God, did He

know!

In the walls, he was

dreadful,

Outside he was a

friend;

In our generation of

things,

He aced in social

media trend.

Never had we

known that we could love and hate

The Man,

We believed it only existed in

romance novel and such stuff;

For a man who didn't believe in

Gods,

He was like one sent from above.

Then one day He said,"Thank You,

This lecture is my last."

We thought the portion was over;

We still don't believe He had

passed.

Time heals wounds but stings us

with memories,

Memories that we had with Anil Sir;

To all those who knew Him very

well,

They'll say," Like Him, there will

never be another."

To honour Him let us work hard

daily,

As His ashes meet the seas;

Dear Prof. Agashe, thank you for

everything.

Sleep well, Forever Rest in Peace!!!

Kenneth Thomas

Agashe Sir was one of the most

influential faculty during my MBA

course. His criticism was the

learning lesson and his praises were

the ultimate trophies one could

achieve. His teachings are not just

restricted to academics but beyond.

#Respect

Harshad Jain

(Alumnus)

_____________________________

_

Every building has its premises on

which it's built up and made firm.

Prof. Anil Agashe,

the master of B-Plan,

with no doubt have

had his part in

shaping our

personality and

showing us

amateurs our path

to ingenuity. I owe

one of my biggest

successes to him. No

one could have ever

imparted wisdom in

knowledge in such a

prodigious manner.

We cherish the aura

Prof. Agashe created in campus

with full of enthusiasm and his

enrapting classes. We shall miss you

Sir, now and forever!

Mansi Sachdev

___________________________

Punctuality, enthusiasm, boldness,

bluntness, evenness and integrity

defined him! Open to criticism,

open to criticise, open to voice his

opinions made him what he was!

He was Professor Agashe! Miss you

Sir!

Punit Thole (Alumnus)

#PUMBATweets

Yukti… Amusement, Enjoyment, Enlightenment!

“I Create. I take Risks. I live my Passion. I am an Entrepreneur.”

Design Credits- Renuka Karmarkar & Soham More

embark 2016

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