B Heard! | Indian Institute of Management Bangalore

Archives: August 2014

Taste life @ IIMB, for a cause!

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To so many of us, Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) represent a source of admiration and curiosity abounds about daily life inside. The avenues for experiencing the same are limited though unless you bell the CAT, the arduous qualifying examination for IIMs. However, the week starting October 2 provides exactly such an opportunity which is open to all. Till September 15, anyone can bid and have a chance of spending one day at IIM Bangalore, complete with all the exciting experiences that make up a typical day in a student’s life inside. What’s even better is that all proceeds from this event are donated to charities making the process more meaningful. Last year top 70 bidders got to be a part of the event.

‘One Day @ IIMB’ is the flagship event of the larger Joy of Giving Week celebrations at IIM Bangalore. To be organised on October 5 by Vikasana, the social service initiative of the institute, it is in a series of events throughout the week from which aim to spread joy while raising funds for social initiatives at charities. One Day @ IIMB saw enthusiastic participation last year and promises to be even better this time around. It is an effort to provide a sneak peek into daily life of students which starts early in morning with a breakfast and sees an incredible range of activities and emotions – from intensive academic sessions to fun cultural and sports events to simply a walk in one of the most beautiful campuses in India.

Selected through an online bidding process with no restrictions on age, educational background or stature, the candidates can expect all the fun and rigour that punctuates life at IIMB. From classroom sessions and case studies with some of the best professors in the country to playing ‘Treasure Hunt’ in a campus overrun with greenery and unique architecture, the day is carefully designed by students of IIM Bangalore themselves  encapsulating the very best of what IIMB has to offer. Informal sessions like dinner with professors, fun events and interactive guest lectures from IIMB alumni round out a memorable day.

What separates it from similar other initiatives is its underlying but primary focus on promotion of social causes driven through public participation. Last year, Vikasana donated the entire amount raised through the event to its partner NGOs – Oasis India and U&I. Other events of Joy of Giving week include Twaran – run for a cause, Raag – a musical concert to raise charity funds and lunch for staff workers at the institute.

For some it can be the chance to fulfil their dream to experience IIM campus and its life. For others, it can satisfy the curiosity of finding ‘what goes inside’ at an IIM. Above all, it represents an opportunity to contribute to social causes while doing the above. To know more, visit: www.iimb-jogw.com

Evernote Session – Where Great Ideas Converge

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Evernote Talk

What does it take for an app to become a billion dollar company? What are the dynamics of the global app ecosystem? In today’s technologically advanced society, there exists a huge market for apps that simplify our lives. How does one build a successful app business?
Mr. Ken Gullicksen and Mr. Troy Malone, Senior Executives at Evernote Corporation addressed the above questions and discussed the start-up journey of Evernote in an interactive session organised by the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Cell at IIM Bangalore on 21st August 2014. Evernote Corporation develops a collection of apps designed for note taking that make it easy for users to stay organised and productive.
The session revolved around the key challenges faced by a start up in the initial years including growth and funding. The guest speakers highlighted the importance of a start-up investing in building a strong product rather than investing in marketing the product. Evernote’s unique marketing through word of mouth, phenomenal growth trends over the last 6 years and current position formed a major part of the discussion. The focus was on analysing the value of the app to the consumer, revenue model of a ‘freemium’ app, consumer retention and valuation of the company.

The speakers went on to discuss several stories associated with Evernote’s logo, the company’s first investor and why the company decided to launch a customised product for executives. They also mentioned the role of luck in any start-up by giving their own example. The unconventional aspects of Evernote such as the high average age of users and the lack of having a niche target group made interesting points of discussion.
The audience, which consisted largely of budding entrepreneurs at IIM Bangalore, discussed topics such as how Evernote tackled its competition, its expansions strategies and how it would approach the Indian market which is Evernote’s next growth opportunity. The hour long session was highly interactive and inspirational and lent an insight into the world of tech-entrepreneurship.
About Evernote

Evernote Corporation is one of the fastest growing internet companies from the Silicon Valley today. The Evernote app was first launched in 2008 is now valued at over 1 billion US dollars with more than 100 million users worldwide.

About Speakers
speaker bio 1
Mr. Ken Gullicksen is the Chief Strategy Officer heading Evernote Business, the company’s SMB and team-focused service. He is also responsible for investor relations, corporate development and the global sales and support teams. Mr. Troy Malone is the General Sales Manager, Asia Pacific Region at Evernote and is responsible for growing the user base in nine different countries and organizing the company infrastructure in South East Asia, South Korea and India.

Juhi Jain

“The campus is like a flowing river…”, BV Doshi

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Prof. BV Doshi, renowned architect who designed IIM Bangalore – its classrooms, ethereal courtyards gave a talk on the architecture of IIMB. The Student Media Cell got an opportunity to interact with the maestro, here are his thoughts…

IIMB

Initial sketches of IIMB by BV Doshi

  1. Hi sir, we at the Student Media Cell would like to thank you for giving us the opportunity to speak to you.  Please tell us how does it feel to be back on campus?

I have come back after almost 30 years and I feel 30 years younger. The sight of the campus takes me back to the old days when we were choosing all the elements of the design and laying out the stones. A lot of time has passed by but nothing much has changed since.

  1. Sir, one thing which strikes the students particularly is the elemental design of the building and immense amount of greenery that surrounds us. Was there a reason for that?

When you do simple things they last very long. When you design for the sake of design, then you may want to change the design. If you design what is obvious then you don’t mind it, but in fact you start loving it as the time goes by. What is applied is changed, what is inherent is not. So one has to search for the inherent, the basic, and the fundamental.

Greenery forms an integral part of the institute’s character. In the beginning we just started off with 1000 saplings. Over time, we added more trees and it was Mr. Moorthy, the director at that time who made the pergolas green. Now when I see the interspersing of stone and greenery, the way this has grown is partly random, but this in fact adds a direction.

3. Sir, Please tell us more about the campus design and its motivation.

The original plan was to not give the campus an organic or a classic design. We wanted the plan to have a certain flow. Imagine a meandering river’s flow. Similarly, the campus plan is also moving in and out. The openings are not regularly spaced. There are sudden vistas, some big, some small and some rhythmic. For example, columns in the pergola go at the same place but the walls don’t. There are a lot of musical rhythms in the campus, organized and random at the same time.

The entire block was designed as one whole part so that students can move around in it without feeling sudden changes. It was designed to give students time to think and reflect continuously. The campus is like a flowing river and one must go deep inside his or her roots to understand him or herself.

4. Sir, over time, there has been some changes in the campus, such as the addition of the new hostels, which have a more contemporary design.  How do you see feel about this manner of evolution of the campus?

There is a bigger issue here. For example, in other campuses, there is a tendency to follow the west like setting up air conditioners, artificial lighting etc when they are not needed. By aping we sometimes feel that we are getting modern when in fact we are not. Similarly, management education right now believes in only western models. However, there are scholars that believe in the Indian model as well.  Over time people change, models change. When you design a building, it must have absorbing capacity so that it eventually comes back to its original form.

Another architect designed the new blocks and their design reflects his beliefs. In India, we have constant diverse positions. The diversity is our strength.

5. One last question Sir.  What advice would you give to the students of IIM Bangalore?

Be simple, innovative and feel free to do what you heart says. Once you step out into the world, carry the message of informality, sustainability and always have a sense of wonder, have unexpected visions and vistas,

Prerna@Eximius – The Road that Made All the Difference

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Entrepreneurs hold the courage to take the road less travelled, to carry on in the face of adversities. This spirit of entrepreneurship is not just restricted to students who are on the verge of taking decisions about their career paths, or to professionals who want to do something on their own; it is present in everyone.I

In the spirit of EXIMIUS’14, Vikasana – the social service club of IIM Bangalore in collaboration with Entrepreneurship & Innovations Cell is organizing Prerna, a workshop dedicated to inspiring marginalized women to take up entrepreneurship. These women have survived hardships, cruelty and humiliation in their lives. They have survived some of the toughest situations and have succeeded in coming out of them. Through this workshop we intend to bring them back to the normal walk of life; to inculcate in them the feeling of independence.

The workshop will see participation of women who have been rescued from domestic violence, physical abuse and trafficking by an NGO called Vidyaranya. Vocational training will be provided to the women in the skills of art & craft making like pen stands, photo frames, and lamps using paper and cardboard. The group would also be exposed to the work done by others in similar fields and made aware of the various opportunities available in terms of funding their ideas into reality.

This workshop will also have the active participation of another NGO called Rang-De. This organization helps other NGOs in finding funding for their inhabitants. It provides them the opportunity to convert their dreams into reality. It inspires in them a sense of independence and helps them fulfil their dreams. Representatives from Rang De would be present at the workshop to share with these women their success stories and to give them a sense of direction which will hopefully set them on the Road Less Travelled.

The products made by the women would also be displayed in an exhibition-cum-sale on IIM Bangalore campus during the festival. This would provide them exposure and bring their talents into the spotlight as thousands of entrepreneurs, corporate and students who will be visiting IIMB during EXIMIUS ’14.

We hope this workshop equips them with the confidence and skills to lay the foundations for their independence and stability. It is our vision to continue to provide such support to the less privileged sections of society in keeping with the spirit of social service that Vikasana stands for.

7th entrepreneurship summit starts at IIMB

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Bangalore Mirror | August 7th 2014

Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore, is offering an opportunity for participants to define whether they have what it takes to stand out in this world with the Eximius 2014 — their annual entrepreneurship summit.

The seventh edition of the two-day summit will be held on August 9-10 at the institute with the theme being The Road Less Travelled that aims at bringing to the fore unconventional forms of entrepreneurship. The summit is being conducted in close association with the NS Raghavan Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning (NSRCEL) at IIMB.
Eximius 2014, in association with Trendin.com, will feature a variety of events and talks by personalities such as Shashi Tharoor, MP and Piyush Pandey, executive chairman, Ogilvy & Mather, South Asia. Tharoor said, “The larger context of individual entrepreneurship in business, political and social sense can change lives, make fortunes and indeed transform the future of our country.” The summit will also feature performances of Piyush Mishra, lyricist, musician and actor as well as Mallika Sarabhai, professional dancer, choreographer, activist and entrepreneur.
Eximius, which will feature around 45 events, will include flagship events such as Ingen, the business-plan competition; Disrupt-It, launchpad for technology startups and Reach, social entrepreneurship event dedicated to finding innovative solutions to real life problems in the social domain. BootCamp will provide a unique platform for startups to showcase their ideas in front of industry veterans.
Vikram Kadam, convenor, Eximius 2014, said, “This year we have laid great emphasis on creating value for early stage entrepreneurs. We envision Eximius’14 to be a crucial milestone for fast growing startup ecosystem at IIM Bangalore.”

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