New Delhi: The motto of education at Parul University, the renowned Vadodara-based centre for higher learning, has always been to move beyond the confines of the classroom and academia and to strive to make a real-world impact, be it via research, an industry position or commerce. As a result, in addition to the stellar track record of placements or research, Parul University has, over the years, witnessed several entrepreneurial success stories, wherein students with little to no experience have blossomed into high-performing individuals leading first-rate ventures during their course of education at the university.
What makes the enterprising Parul cohort so unique is that it not only carries the university legacy with its success story but also exemplifies the implementation of best notions, practices, and research-oriented thoroughness into the commercial ring. At the forefront of the entrepreneurial spirit at Parul University lies the continual efforts of one of the most robust Academic Support Pillars, the Entrepreneurship Development Cell. The university entity has insofar exhibited a trailblazing record of success with 180+ incubates, which have secured 8.6+ crores received for start-up funds while generating an impressive 30+ crores of revenue. As a result, the initiatives incepted at the Entrepreneurship Development Cell have generated 1100+ jobs while also being responsible for the educational enhancement and engagement of 40,000+ candidates, lending them a feel-how of the industry they will eventually be part of.
About the vision and mission of the Entrepreneurship Development Cell, Dr. Devanshu Patel, President Parul University, says, “Over a decade, we have nurtured the entrepreneurial bug at Parul University. In 2013, we began focusing on the growing aspiration of candidates to lead the world via innovation and enterprise. We reckoned that candidates were teeming with potential and only required the slightest impetus to grow into full-blown disruptors. And thus, Entrepreneurship Development Cell was founded. Later, in 2015, the institution formed the Parul Innovation and Entrepreneurship Research Centre (PIERC), an incubator for the growth of novel business ideas, and ever since then, we have been witness to the growth of some rather unique start-ups. With this university body, we strive to not only push the ambit of what a business looks like or offers but as well as promote the idea that our country needs more and more job creators who will be the agents of change with their research-backed initiatives and innovations.”
For the mammoth task that innovation fostering is, some of the features of the Entrepreneurship Development Cell are the forum for startup counselling, Start-up Programs that help students execute an actionable plan for their ideas, Product Development facilities, access to grants, mentors, and co-working spaces, and allied resources. Aside from the herculean job of assisting in fine-tuning business ideas, the cell strives to offer sought-after Product Development facilities that include essentials such as access to the FABLAB ( Fabrication Laboratory) and prototyping setups, etc.
Similarly, Entrepreneurship Development Cell is the driving force behind novel ideas at Parul University getting the requisite funding. With its assistance, budding businessfolks can tap into several government schemes and grants, secure short or long-term loans, or seek out VC or Angle investments, the chances of which would be further amplified through the wide industry connections. In fact, the industry network, particularly, is the catalyst of innovative ideas on campus with the visits of several leading business leaders, thinkers, and other industry experts. Also, owing to the web of industry connections, candidates can find much-needed mentorship among experts.
Further, the Entrepreneurship Development Cell is responsible for organising 100+ events that have brought together the best minds in the industry for the purpose of business development and innovation. Notable among such power-packed events are the Vadodara Start-up Festival, Women Start-up Meet, and Vadodara Hackathon.
Some of the foremost success stories powered by the Entrepreneurship Development Cell are that of Vishal Makhwana and Jaimin Shah, the Founders of My Info Pie and Hem Marketing Services, respectively. Vishal’s venture seeks to ride the Digital Marketing wave that has been sweeping the industry with its array of first-rate services, while Jaimin’s Hem Marketing Services revolves around offering innovative solutions to businesses using design and manufacturing.
Similarly, attesting to the varied range of ideas stands the growth trajectory of Vatsalya Bakery, a thriving confectionery business to come out of Parul University. Another noteworthy venture that was conceived of at the institution as well as nurtured by the Entrepreneurship Development Cell is My Design, an art initiative by Siddharth Singh which focuses on making portraits using various artistic mediums.
Other successful Entrepreneurship Development Cell-backed ventures are Secours Equipments by Sanket Panchal, Prasann Deshmukh’s Sky Pixels, Surajprakash Gupta’s Indostyle, Dab Technologies by Darshil Bhatt, Darkfractal by Aditya Kumar Singh, My Custom Motorcycle by Arpit Saxena, Fiveota by Anniruddha Saxena, and Brijen Patel’s IBN marketing, among others.
To conclude, it is only evident that Parul University has long endeavoured to be not only the premium hub of learning and academics but also a space of real-world progress. The Entrepreneurship Development Cell’s track record only validates the real-world success the university has successfully brought about.
To know more, visit Parul University
