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Miscellaneous

This isn’t all… We have events to cater to all your interests.

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

Jenny & Robert go India!

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During the exchange semester offered by our home university in Jönköping/Sweden we had Asia in mind from the start. It differs a lot from our home countries and has a great variety of cultural aspects to offer – and so, India here we come!

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And here we are: Jenny – German, 26 years old, studies International Management, most prejudice thought about India: That there would be cows everywhere! (And it is true!) – and Robert – Swedish, 31 years old and studies Logistics & Supply Chain Management, most prejudice thought about India: That all food would be made with Curry! (Not so true.J)

As a Western European citizen one may have a certain, prejudiced picture of India and to be honest, so did we before we came here. We imagined India as a country characterized by an unconceivable mass of people, unbearable noises and smells, poverty, the people´s strong commitment to religion, yoga, guru’s and, not to forget, the omnipresence of cows.

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Since early June we are enjoying our time at IIM Bangalore, but of course we flee the scene as often as we can to explore the country itself with its many different facets, with one clear lesson: Many things are similar, but also oh so different. For instance, the amount of people – you are never alone!; queues – there are none!; traffic rules – there are none except one: hoooonk!; food – spicy three times per day!; noise level – deafening!; waste attitude – throw it wherever!; cows – they are everywhere and you better move!; religion – shrines, temples, mosques and churches in every corner!; and rickshaw drivers – let’s call them opportunists, but other words come to mind J. Many of our expectations regarding India were true but we have also learned that the country consists of so much more. For instance, what we really like is the vibrant explosion of all colours one can imagine be it clothes, houses or on the markets.

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Unfortunately, time is passing by so quickly and our semester abroad is almost over. We will remember India for all the great and helpful people we have met, especially in school (At that point: thanks guys for everything!), for all the breath-taking places and nature we have seen as well as for the very diverse and good food. But, we will also remember the grievances we have seen outside campus and we truly hope that India can step up towards a brighter future for its people and the country. India is truly and absolutely incredible. There is a saying that goes: “There’s the world, and then there is India”. Our stay in India was definitely an experience we do not want to give away.

Record turnout at Vikasana’s Blood Donation drive

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Vikasana, the Social Service Club of the students of IIM Bangalore has been taking on initiatives to provide service to the needy and underprivileged sections of society. One such step was the blood donation camp which was held at EB Dining Hall on the 19th of July, 2014 at IIM Bangalore. The camp, held in association with Prayaas, the social service initiative of EPGP and Red Cross Society, saw a total turnout of 223 people willing to donate blood. It recorded a total of 173 successful blood donations, the highest ever in the history of Vikasana’s bi-annual blood donation camps.

Blood Donation

The camp started at 10:00 AM and extended till 5.00 PM. Professor Sourav Mukherji, the PGP Chairperson, was the first to arrive at the camp. This was followed by a stream of students, faculty and staff members. The camp also witnessed active participation from the EPGP, PGSEM and FPM programmes. After a basic checkup the donors were taken to a room where they each donated 450 ml of blood to save someone’s life.  Refreshments consisting of juice, fruits and biscuits were provided to the donors. Huge diversity was noticed among the donors. Some, who had been donating on a regular basis; while others who were first timers, got rid of their apprehensions. One commonality was the smile on everyone’s face after giving blood.

Blood Donation

This year, Vikasana also associated with the Student Alumni Committee by inviting Datri, an organization which works to create a database of Blood Stem Cell donor profiles, to be a part of the Blood Donation Camp.  Prof. Janaki Anant, a PGSM alumnus from IIMB and associated with Datri helped facilitate this event. More than 70 people registered as donors with Datri and we hope the number of registration increases as the awareness spreads.

The camp was a success thanks to the tireless efforts of Vikasana coordinators, Prayaas Coordinators, Red Cross Society, Datri and the Hostel Staff. The enthusiasm of donors was a key ingredient in enabling a smooth progress throughout the day. As the years go by, the turnout of donors and awareness of the camp increases. The next Blood Donation Camp will again be held in February where an even greater turnout is expected.

The money man at IIM Bangalore

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SMC’s Senior Correspondent Vidhi Bhardwaj reports the guest lecture delivered by former RBI Governer Mr. D Subbarao at IIMB

The former Governor of RBI, Mr. D Subbarao, addressed the students of IIM Bangalore on 9th July, 2014, where he spoke about the dilemmas in central banking and gave a perspective for the same from the angle of emerging markets. It included concerns like curbing the exchange rate volatility and striking the right balance between growth and inflation. He pointed out that communications by the RBI to the public play a huge role in setting positive or negative public sentiments which in turn impact the economy. Hence, during his tenure as the RBI Governor, Mr. Subbarao endeavored to demystify the RBI and enhance its transparency. In addition, he also gave few insights into the challenges faced by rural India and the obstacles encountered in addressing them.

The talk received an overwhelming response from both the students and the faculty and was followed by a plethora of questions by inquisitive minds of the institution. Mr. Subbarao left an inspirational message for the students saying, “Success is important, but values are more important”.

When the wise men spoke

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SMC’s Special Correspondents Aman Goel & Padmavathi report the Panel Discussion on Budget 2014-15 at IIMB

Panel Discussion at IIMB

For the first time in 3 decades, a government was handed a clear mandate of ushering in economic recovery. A billion people eagerly watched as the Modi government presented its first Union Budget on 10th July. We at IIM Bangalore had the privilege of attending a panel discussion reviewing the budget within hours of its announcement.

Devoid of any loud or prescriptive rhetoric, the panel discussion was an objective and insightful take on one of the most awaited events of the year.

A packed auditorium greeted the expert panel consisting of Mr. S. Raghavan, Director, Larsen & Toubro Finance Limited; Mr. B.P. Rao, Founder & Senior Partner of B.P. Rao & Co., Chartered Accountants in Bangalore, Chennai and Mysore; Mr. V. Ramu Sharma, Chairman of Bangalore Commodities Ltd & Founder of Rasratha Securities; and Mr. V.K. Viswanathan, Chairman, Bosch Ltd. Our in house economic expert, Dr. Charan Singh, conducted the panel discussion.

Dr Charan Singh began by providing us with the backdrop to the budget and an overview of the Indian economic scenario.  He then proceeded to list the highlights of the budget and set the tone for the next hour of discussion, covering various aspects right from domestic and foreign industry, to taxation and stock markets.

The speakers detailed the various provisions of the budget pertaining to each area. Some measures were appreciated by all the panelists such as the focus on fiscal management through monitoring subsidies, plugging leakages in public distribution systems, increase in FDI cap in insurance and defense etc. The panelists also lauded the government for innovative schemes such as the setting up of 100 “Smart Cities”, the National Rural Internet and Technology Mission and the setting up of a 10,000 Cr innovation fund. IIM B entrepreneurs, are you listening?

However, there was a consensus that certain areas such as implementation of a sanitation program, schemes for aging people and a focus on strategic think tanks were all conspicuous in by their absence.

The overall sentiment was that, in the words of Dr. Charan Singh, “No evil was done”. While the budget contained tremendous scope for creation of employment, it did not distinguish itself as anything more than a continuation to the UPA’s interim budget. The panel was optimistic about a more substantial budget after the government completed a year in office.

The event concluded with an enthusiastic Q&A session with the students and the hope that this engaging and informative event would reach more students each year.

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