Eureka! is the International Business plan competition organized by IIT Bombay. It aims to create value in the ecosystem as per its belief that entrepreneurs are the ones who will take India and the world to the next level.

With a total prizes worth INR 2.4 million, legal and financial consultancy services, intensive mentoring and an online platform to provide solutions to participants’ queries, Eureka! promotes the best business ideas through various incentives. It’s not just a business plan competition, wherein people only submit their business plans and take away the prize money. It is an entrepreneur’s journey from an executive summary to an actual start-up. The competition is open to all and sees participants from different strata like working professionals, B-schools, Technological Institutes, IITs, NITs and even Medical & Law schools. » Continue reading “Eureka! Asia’s Largest Business Plan Competition”

This story originally appeared in our May 5, 2011 e-magazine. Click here to subscribe.

Incubators and accelerators can assist start-up social entrepreneurs to make key connections, raise funds and get great advice. We look at five programs that provide these tools.

1. Echoing Green (Global)

An incubator for founders of start-up organizations, this two-year fellowship provides a grant of US$60,000 (INR 2.7m) for individuals and US$90,000 (INR 3.9m) for two-person partnerships that is paid in four equal installments over two years. The fellowship also includes stipends for health insurance and professional development. » Continue reading “How to Incubate the Impact”

By Dipika Prasad

Early on in the first day of UnLtd India’s Social Mashup, opening speaker Sachin Malhan of Inclusive Planet set the tone for the day by saying, “Always remember why you do what you do. Keep beauty as the cornerstone of your motivation.” Beyond Profit caught up with three entrepreneurs: Malhan; Solomon Prakash, country director at Ashoka India; and Gijs Spoor, Zameen Organic.

BP: Taking a cue from Sachin’s opening talk in the morning, why do you do what you do?

Solomon: I am at a place and time in the history of India, which has a very unique set of issues and challenges. I want to be part of that history. I don’t live on an island. I open my eyes, I look around and see an issue, and I want to respond. I want to do something beyond complaining. I want to solve the issue, be an actor. That’s where it all begins. All of us have an innate sense of justice. We look at something and say this is not fair. That sense is different from judging right and wrong. I feel unfairness and I want to respond. All of us search for this equilibrium – and we have to do unnatural things to kill it. People want to be relevant—even animals feel that. » Continue reading “Social Entrepreneur Roundtable: Social Mashup Edition”