NITK Surathkal Promotes Innovation and Entrepreneurship

On Monday, September 23, at the National Institute of Technology-Karnataka (NITK) in Surathkal, the second iteration of the five-day Innovation, Design, and Entrepreneurship (IDE) Bootcamp organized by the All India Council for Technical Education got underway. Contributing to the flourishing start-up ecosystem of the nation, NITK is the sole institution from Karnataka among the nine esteemed host institutions across the nation. According to a release, the five-day event seeks to encourage student's entrepreneurship, creativity, and innovation.

AICTE Chairman T.G. Sitharam said, "These bootcamps prepare students to tackle problems, develop solutions, and cultivate design thinking, product development, and entrepreneurship skills." Sitharam virtually inaugurated the central launch in New Delhi. India's startup ecosystem is ranked third in the world, and the government of India, the AICTE, and the Ministry of Education encourage and promote young people to be innovative and creative.

The program was officially opened locally by NITK Director B. Ravi, who declared, "NITK Surathkal is committed to nurturing innovative minds." This bootcamp will provide a platform for students to transform their ideas into reality. I urge participants to leverage this opportunity, collaborate, and create impactful solutions.” The 1980 batch NITK graduate Rahm Shastry, the founder and CEO of DriveU, gave a keynote presentation that highlighted the opportunities and challenges in the startup ecosystem while also sharing priceless lessons from his entrepreneurial path.

Chief Innovation Officer and Vice-Chairman of AICTE Abhay Jere stated, "We are confident that the entire ecosystem will benefit greatly from this 5-day bootcamp, which was designed in partnership with the Wadhwani Foundation." These participants have the potential to advance innovation and entrepreneurship by acting as our grassroots change agents. During the bootcamp, over 300 participants from each host school will participate in practical training, idea pitching, and idea marketing.