By Our Reporter
Shillong, July 6: Curtain came down on the Business Builder Bootcamp, a three-day intensive session aimed at nurturing entrepreneurial talent and transforming innovative ideas into viable business ventures, at St. Anthony’s College on Saturday.
Organised by SACEII, a college initiative supported by PRIME since 2021, the event has been hailed as a major success in promoting entrepreneurship among students in Meghalaya.
The bootcamp was attended by Founder and Managing Director of The Entrepreneur Zone (TEZ), Nandita Sethi, and Co-founder and Director of Navikarna Ventures, Sandip Poddar, as resource persons.
The bootcamp, which began on July 4, helped students validate their business ideas, assess market feasibility and master the necessary planning and resource mobilisation to advance their concepts to the startup stage.
Organiser and coordinator of SSACEII, Rajani K. Chettri, emphasised the importance of mentorship over funding. “Students do not want the fund but mentorship on a proper entrepreneurship structure,” Chettri said.
She noted that SACEII has emerged as the best-performing entrepreneurship cell among all colleges in the region.
Poddar, on the other hand, praised the number of practical ideas implemented during the bootcamp, describing it as an unprecedented experience in his mentoring career. He called for increased government support to uplift the spirit of entrepreneurship through the establishment of incubation centres in the state capital.
Meanwhile, Sethi commended the entrepreneurial mindset of students in Meghalaya, highlighting their interest in traditional businesses and the potential for growth in sectors such as tourism and traditional arts.
She acknowledged the local government’s incentives and the abundance of business opportunities in Meghalaya. “There is a lot of opportunity to do business, especially because of traditional art and the increase in tourism here,” Sethi said.
The bootcamp underscored the significance of entrepreneurial cells in fostering a culture of entrepreneurship among students. By providing grants and mentorship, these cells play a crucial role in helping students navigate the challenges of starting their own businesses.
