TECHNOPRENEUR - THE EVENT

Event Partners for Sociopreneur 2011

2011-02-12T08:50:00.001-08:00

Sociopreneur 2011 just keeps getting BIGGER and BIGGER! In our quest to build upon the success of the inaugural edition in 2010, several sponsors have come forward to join in our ambitious venture. Without further ado,

Our partners for Sociopreneur 2011 are as follows :

Title Sponsor : Bank of India

Sponsor : IGS

Online Media Partners : KnowAFest and Cochinsquare

Sociopreneur 2011 Update

2011-02-12T08:31:00.000-08:00

Update on Sociopreneur 2011 : The timeline of the event has been altered to accommodate entries a large number of requests from teams who came to know of the competition a little late. In the interest of fairness, and given the level of response, the organizing team of Sociopreneur have altered the timeline of the event as follows :

February 19, 2011 00:00 am	Deadline for participants to submit their Executive Summaries
February 22, 2011	Intimation to the selected teams.
February 24, 2011	Confirmation of attendance of the selected teams
March 4, 2011	On-site Business Presentation at Model Engineering College, Cochin

Get cracking and rush in your entries to sociopreneur@technopreneur.in at the earliest to stand a chance of walking away from Model Engineering College on the 4th of March with a grand prize of Rs. 30,000 and the tag of the ultimate 'SOCIOPRENEUR' !

Think Different for a Change!

2011-01-21T06:18:00.000-08:00

What is it about India that truly inspires us? The mere coincidence that we are born within the geographical boundaries of this nation? The fact that we as a people share a common love of movies and cricket? Or the fact that our rich culture and heritage are the envy of the world? We at Sociopreneur believe that it is our history as a nation of overcoming adversity to attain our rightful place in the world which inspires us to dream big!

As a nation, we have fought battles together against many a different foe: against empires, against slavery, and against discrimination! Our dramatic rise post-independence has been characterized by stories of people who have triumphed against the incredible odds placed against them: those who have inspired a generation to follow in their footsteps. But at a time when the political classes project dreamy visions of a rising, dominant India on the world stage, our greatest battles live on: those against disease, hunger, corruption, ignorance and poverty! Who then must answer the call of the working classes, when the stalwarts of politics and big business play deaf to their demands for their day in the sun? Who will be the foot-soldiers driving the social revolution steering India to a TRULY bright future? At Sociopreneur 2011, we challenge you to rise to the occasion for your fellow man as your conscience must have pleaded you to so often before.

WELCOME TO SOCIOPRENEUR 2011!

SOCIOPRENEUR is an annual event conducted by Model Engineering College, Thrikkakara. True to its tag “Think Different for A Change”, Sociopreneur recognizes the potential of budding young entrepreneurs in moulding the future of this country, and inspires them to utilize their creative and business acumen to create social ventures targeting any one or more of the several shortcomings of modern society. The event requires you to create a Business plan, which when executed can and will create a social change/impact for the good. Participants from across Kerala, and indeed, across the whole of South India and beyond shall present their blueprints for the India they envision, and the work to be done to attain it! The winning idea takes upto Rs. 15000/- as cash prize as an incentive to bring their ideas to fruition and help Be the Change!

India awaits its next generation of visionaries: Will YOU answer its call?

Venue : Model Engineering College, Kochi

Date : March 4th, 2011

For more information regarding competition format, timeline, stay tuned to the following sources:

Website: http://www.technopreneur.in/technopreneur/socio

Blog: http://technopreneur-the-event.blogspot.com

Facebook Account: Socio Preneur

Facebook Page: Sociopreneur-MEC

Twitter Account: @sociopreneur

A MUST ATTEND EVENT!!!

2010-02-15T21:29:00.000-08:00

Technopreneur, the Annual Flagship event of Yi net at Model Engineering College, Kochi: Into its 5th year: What started as a "seemingly impossible" dream for a couple of students 4 years ago, has culminated into the most looked forward Yi Net event by students and members across the entry, with attendance growing dramatically, and the quality of speakers astonishing year after year!
For the 1st time this year, Technopreneur is also introducing Sociopreneur: Entrepreneurship with a social cause!
Most Exciting, Rewarding, and an excellent learning experience!
I would recommend all to attend, and make the most of the day on Feb 20th'2010!

Mala Patodia,
Yi National Student Nets Chair, 2009/2010

A Promise Well Kept !

2010-02-03T10:47:00.000-08:00

Technopreneur 2010 is living up to its promise! In the quest for creating a smarter, brighter India and awakening minds across the country, we have taken our first giant step! We can now confirm that Mr. Sam Pitroda will be one of the many speakers who will lead you down the journey of self-discovery on the landmark day of February 20th!

SAM PITRODA (Satyanarayan Gangaram Pitroda) is one of India's most celebrated entrepreneurs. He has been an advisor to three union governments on various issues and is widely credited with having engineered the communications revolution in the country. He is also the founder and CEO of C-SAM Inc., which has offices in London, Tokyo, Mumbai and Vadodara and its headquarters in Chicago.

Born in Titlagarh, Orissa, he graduated from Maharaja Savajirao University in Vadodara before completing his Masters in Electrical Engineering from Illinois University. His research in telecommunications and hand-held computing led to the invention of the electronic diary.

Having founded his first company, Wescom Switching, he went on to develop the 580 DSS switch, which rose to become one of the most successful in the market.

His fame has grown in his role as advisor to three Union governments. He first pioneered the growth of the telecom industry in the country, introducing the Public Call Offices(PCOs) which allowed people to make easy and affordable phone calls, both domestic and international, through a wide network of public telephones spread out across the country. This succesful stint was followed by an appointment as the head of the Knowledge Commission in 2004. His recommendations are in part, considered to have driven the modernisation drive in our education system today! In July 2009, he was appointed as Advisor to the Prime Minister of India on Public Infrastructure and Innovations, with the rank of Cabinet Minister.

Already a Padma Bhushan Awardee and a recipient of the Rajiv Gandhi Global Indian award, he is one of the most sought-after public speakers in the world!

We, the organising committee of Technopreneur, are proud to announce that Mr. Pitroda has agreed to grace our prestigious event through a 40 minute video conference, with the hope of inspiring our audience to reach the same heights as he has in both his professional and public life!

To get an additional glimpse of Mr. Pitroda's accomplishments, and why we at Technopreneur are so excited to have him on board, visit the following links :

SAM PITRODA : WIKIPEDIA ARTICLE
SAM PITRODA : KNOWLEDGE COMMISSON PROFILE
SAM PITRODA'S TAKE ON INDIA'S FUTURE

SOCIOPRENEUR : Catalysts for Change!

2010-02-03T10:34:00.000-08:00

India is a country of great diversity, but as much as we may admire its varied heritage and culture, so too must we recognize the great complexity of the problems it faces. We live in a world riddled with contradictions : the wealth and prosperity of a few accompanies the destitution of many others. With poverty, unemployment, illiteracy and other social ails still staining our nation's report sheet of the past 60 years of independence, the time is ripe for society as a whole to heal its own wounds rather than merely implore local governments to tend to our every need.

Each of us has their conscience pricked by the articles in our daily newspaper! News of declining sex ratios, reports of farmers forced to take their own lives owing to the debts they are ultimately ensnared in, tales of young children brimming with immeasurable potential which remains forever untapped thanks to a state machinery incapable of supporting them : the outpouring of sympathy is inherently natural! We dream of leaders and stalwarts who share our own sense of outrage and dismay at the issues we see plague our nation, but with the power and gumption to make a difference! Though our own moral base and skill set projected on another seem sufficient to help pioneer the social revolution we seek, why do so few of us listen to our own hearts to help realize the visions we often wax lyrical about? Why do we shrug them off as our dreams, rather than our responsibilities? Why are organisations such as Make a Difference and Help Age India the exception rather than the norm?

At Sociopreneur 2010, we challenge you to rise to the occasion for your fellow man as your conscience must have pleaded you to so often before. At IMA Hall on the 20th of February, 2010, will be conducted a social entrepreneurship competition unlike any other event held before in Kerala! Participants from across Kerala, and indeed, across the whole of South India shall present their blueprints for the India they envision, and the work to be done to attain it! IMA Hall shall be the breeding ground where participants nurture their plans for a sustainable social venture targetting a core problem whose solution, they feel, at hand! On the line will not only be the tag of being the ultimate "SOCIOPRENEUR", but also a cash prize of Rs. 10,000.

Participation is open to all Indian citizens, and participants may register in groups of upto 5 persons. Participants are expected to prepare a summary of their proposed social venture (not exceeding 600 words) and mail it to sociopreneur@technopreneur.in on or before the 10th of February, 2010 . Innovation as well as the social impact that the venture creates shall earn most points, while the financial sustainability of the project proposed will also be a factor in the final evaluation! An eminent panel of judges shall then shortlist the many entries received to obtain a list of 6 finalists, who will then participate in the final round at IMA Hall, Kochi, on the 20th of February. Each team will be allotted a sum total of 20 minutes to present their idea before the judges in the quest to earn the tag of the very first 'SOCIOPRENEUR(S)' !

For further details, readers are encouraged to visit the Sociopreneur home website. Participants can also contact the in-charges for the event :

Samir Madhavan - +919995116815
Joel Mathew - +919048546746

The official poster for the event

2010-01-30T22:07:00.000-08:00

Kick Off !

2010-01-22T20:57:00.000-08:00

Another year and another edition of 'Technopreneur' hurtles towards us! The challenges for the organising committee as always, are immense, but as the weight of expectations grows each year, so does the motivation which drives us.

Welcome to the inaugural post of the official Technopreneur blog : your one destination for anything and everything TECHNOPRENEUR.

To the unenlightened few, here's a brief description of the event known as Technopreneur : The name Technopreneur was coined by joining the words ‘Technology’ and ‘Entrepreneur’. As the name suggests, this event set out to accomplish at the very outset two fundamental goals :

1) To generate interest among the youth of India in entrepreneurship as a means of job creation and overall economic growth.

2) To spread awareness of not only the advantages of being your own boss, but also the discipline and the challenges you must face in the process.

It was felt that having eminent speakers speak through their own experiences in this regard would help open the minds of budding young engineers across the state to the possibilities of entrepreneurship, as well as giving them a fair view of the difficulties every start-up would undoubtedly face!

Keeping this basic theme in mind, the Technopreneur first edition brought leading entrepreneurs from and across the country such as the likes of Mr. S.Gopalakrishnan (CEO Infosys), Mr. Suhas Gopinath (CEO, Globals Inc. Worlds’ Youngest Entrepreneur) etc. This event bagged the Yi-net best event at CII members’ summit at Mumbai.

Following up on the success of the first edition, each successive edition has raised the bar higher, with the quality of speakers and the audience response moving from strength to strength with each edition. With each passing edition, it is not only the scale but also the scope of the event that have widened appreciably. From "Being an Entrepreneur and Creating Jobs" in 2006, to "Victory Begins with We" in 2009, the focus of the events have shifted from a sole focus on entrepreneurship to a much more holistic view of inspiring students to success in their professional lives, be it in any field! Simultaneously, the speakers who have attended these editions have come from an increasingly diverse range of fields, from industry, to sports, to the mass media. There can hardly be a better example of this than the rags-to-riches story of Sarath Babu, owner of the FoodKing catering chain and MTV Pepsi Youth Icon of the Year, whose simplicity and refreshingly honest, sincere speech earned him a standing ovation from the 1500+ in attendance.

The audience in attendance has also grown from a few hundred in the inaugural edition to over 1500 in the 2009 edition, with participants from not only Kerala, but from across all of South India!

With the growing reputation of Technopreneur in mind, the 2010 edition will feature two parallel events : Technopreneur 2010, with the central theme being "Technology for Social Progress", and the inaugural Sociopreneur, a one-of-a-kind competition promoting social entrepreneurship to solve this nation's many social challenges! With the success of previous years as evidence, the 2010 edition should be a must-attend event for students across South India and even beyond!

Watch this space for more on Technopreneur, as we keep you updated on all the latest developments, including sponsorship approvals, speaker confirmations, and event details! Also be sure to visit the TECHNOPRENEUR official website for more details!