A startup-investor meet organized by The Lets Rise Up Foundation and MetKonnect

The entire startup ecosystem has gotten a lot of boost in the past couple of years. Platforms where startups, investors, and entrepreneurs get to connect and share their knowledge ultimately build successful businesses.

The Foundation in association with Metkonnect organized an event for social entrepreneurs and startups to connect and strategize on making our society and businesses better. Titled ‘Empowering Social Entrepreneurs and Startups of the New Age’, the event is powered by Touchwood Incubation and Innovation Platform for Startups (TIIPS). The chief guest of this event was Mr. Rohit Pawar, MLA and CEO of Barmati Agro.

It was initiated by the Lets Rise Up Foundation, in association with Bombay Industries Association (BIA) and Indian Chambers of International Business (ICIB). This event was held at The Club, Mumbai on 17th June 2022 and supported by eRoyal, Nobel Hygiene, Khushi Axis World, and HashTech Ventures. The event was covered by the Free Press Journal as the official Media Partner.

The event promoted and encouraged entrepreneurs and personalities that are helping the world become a better place. It also helped in recognizing potential startups and giving them access to the right resources at the right time.

Motivating Keynote Speakers

The event began with Mr. Vedang Dongare addressing the audience and offering a warm welcome to the honorable guests, investors, entrepreneurs, startups, and attendees. It was proceeded by the lighting of the lamp by, Dr. Srinivasan .R Iyengar, Director of Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies (JBIMS), Mr. Sushil Vaishya, Founder Of MetKonnect, Mr. Vedang Dongre, Co-Founder Of MetKonnect, Mr. Bhagwan Gawai and Mr. Peshwa Aacharya .

Dr. Srinivasan .R Iyengar also addressed everyone as the keynote speaker in the crowd and motivated the startups before the commencement of their pitches. Each startup was allotted 12 minutes to present its pitches and was then questioned by the panel of investors. Mr. Nayan Bheda, a BIA member and a Startup Advisor and Investor also spoke about how startups can better manage the funding that they secure.

Startups and Investors at the Event

14 startups from different industries presented themselves at the event, this included De Vagabond, TeachUs, WE The Recycling Company, Aliste Technologies, Opportune Technologies, Connect Club, Echoboom Management & Entrepreneurial Solutions Pvt. Ltd., E-Bike Go, Woofit Pvt. Ltd, Tvashtra, PetChef, Filicious, Hobby Tribe, and Influenxing.

The investors panel included investors from, Venture Catalysts, Fiery Ventures, and 100XVC. It also included personalities like, Mr. Aaditya Sheksharia, Mr. Peshwa Aacharya, Mr. Rajesh Modi, Mr, Ignite Dave, Mr. Narendra Ruia, Mr. Ajaykant Ruia, Mr. Aditya Pathak, Mr. Rajesh Mishra, Mr. Prasanna Dongre, Mr. Anil Goyal, Mr. Nevil Sanghvi, and Mr. Kartik Johari.

Networking Session and Award Ceremony

The event also included a power networking session in between the pitches and after the end of the event. Networking sessions played a vital role in creating valuable connections that can lead to growth in the long term. It also consisted of the ‘5 Minutes to 5 Lacs’ program, where students from Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management (JBIMS) and Welingkar Institute of Management presented exemplary pitches in five minutes, and investors present from Vodafone Idea Foundation offered to fund the most brilliant idea. Prince Chaudhary from Welingkar Institute of Management won this program.

After energetic and innovative pitches by the startup, Dr. Radhakrishnan Pillai addressed the crowd by highlighting the importance of an R&D budget while formulating your business model. This was followed by a pitch by the youngest entrepreneur, Krivi Nandurkar. Everyone present at the event took a look at the heartwarming journey of Nobel Hygiene, which is striving to eradicate the taboo about adult diapers.

The event concluded with an award ceremony where the platform appreciated prominent personalities like Mr. Satyajit Hange- From Two brothers organic farm who won the title of ”MetKonnect Emerging Startup” , Kartik Johari- Vice President of Nobel Hygiene was awarded as the “MetKonnect Social Entrepreneur”. The “MetKonnect Global Social Entrpreneur” in the men’s category was awarded to Mr. Darasing, and the women’s category was won by Dr. Rekha Chaudhari. The “MetKonnect Social Entrepreneur of Maharashtra” male and female award was titled to Mr. Mansoor Ali and Savita Tai Vora, respectively. Mr. Anil Valiv, the founder of Positivesaathi.com, a matrimonial site for HIV Positive people, won “Maharashtra’s Lifetime Achievers Award”. Mr. Bhagwan Gawai won the “MetKonnect Global Citizen” award. Mr. Gnaesh Gokhale and Mr. Shubh Bansal, Founders of Touchwood Inubation and Innovation Platform for Startups (TIIPS) also won the title of “Support for The Event” and “Esteemed Guest”.

This event helped create an engaging atmosphere between the startups, investors, and all the other prominent personalities. The ideas pitched by the startups also helped us realize what can be done to ease our everyday lives in the modern world.