Sometimes, we might feel that the prospects for startups are bleak due to the covid-19 pandemic.
But, the existing crisis has compelled people to think divergently.
Therefore, to encourage innovative ideas and to foster an entrepreneurial mindset in the community, the Entrepreneurship wing at Inspiria Knowledge Campus conducted the 3rd edition of Startup Weekend Siliguri virtually from 30th July till 1st August 2021.
The 54-hour event witnessed a myriad of ideas with diverse backgrounds and age categories from across India.
The youngest participant was an 11th standard student, and the most qualified participant turned out to be an IIT alumni.
What’s more is, contrary to the common perception, the virtual Techstars Startup Weekend Siliguri 2021 witnessed massive participation from across the country this year.
The surprising number of participants with resourceful ideas explicitly revealed our country’s potential as a vibrant powerhouse of ideas, skill, and talent.
Friday 30th July 2021
On Friday, the event started with registrations and a welcome speech by Drashti Shah and Jatin Kataria, Global Facilitator from Startup Weekend, followed by inspiring talks, pitching ideas, voting, and the formation of teams.
With hundreds of aspiring entrepreneurs, 30 participants pitched the concepts.
Afterward, the top 8 teams were nominated after the voting round.
- Team Backbenchers
- Team Metaminds
- Team The Food Truck
- Team Doxmile
- Team Esports Nation India
- Team Cyberhackz
- Team CS Mock
- Team Espression
Saturday 31st July 2021
At 9:30 A.M, the participants were instructed for the day’s activities. The workshops were designed and scheduled for all the teams by mentors from diverse backgrounds. The expertise of the mentors included Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Technology, Design, Product Management, and more.
Mentors at the event coaching the teams
The industry wizards with multi-dimensional skills counseled the aspiring entrepreneurs to understand, innovate and efficiently build the startup models.
The event indulged the power-packed sessions by prominent coaches:
- Aditya Sharma
- Amol Mundhra
- Dr. Kruti Patel
- Harsh Agarwal
- Parvez Gupta
- Piyush Garg
- Pradeep Yuvaraj
- Rahul Saria
- Shreya Goyal
- Snjog Datta
- Tanuj More
The passionately driven teams hustled till late on Saturday night along with the 1:1 guidance and support from the organizers throughout their undertaking to the final stage.
Sunday 1st August 2021
On Sunday (the final day), teams gathered at the virtual conference at 10 AM to endorse their ideas, compose their presentations, and rehearse their pitches.
Final Pitching session ion Day 3
The final presentations and judging started at noon. Pitches were 5 minutes each, with a 3 minute Q&A from the judges.
The Startup Weekend judging criteria were divided into three categories and the teams were evaluated accordingly:
1. Business Model
2. Customer Validation
3. Execution & Design
The teams and their ideas were analyzed by our powerful set of jury members:
- 1. Anand Sandil
- 2. Himanshu Khanna
- 3. Shyam Raichura
Winners
The Team Espressions was announced the Winner and Team CS Mock stood 1st Runners Up.
Team E Sports Nation & Team Food Truck were declared 2nd Runners Up.
The startup concepts pitched were not only evaluated but each also received realistic guidance from the evaluators and industry experts.
As a result, the many raw ideas received credible refinement. Therefore, some of them turned out successful within just 54 hours.
Conclusion: While we strive to nurture entrepreneurship education and culture in Siliguri and Northeast, helping and watching these young minds convert their ideas into startups in just 54 hours gives us more reason and motivation to go on!
Acknowledgement: The organizers and the team from Startup Weekend Siliguri would like to extend a huge and sincere “Thank you” to everyone who participated, coached, and supported this event.
Special mentions to our ecosystem partners Nasscom TiE Kolkata and Young Indians Siliguri, and global partner Google for Startups.
We shall soon announce new events throughout the year.
Please let us know if you’d like to be involved in any way, as we are always open to fresh perspectives and enthusiasm.
Thanks again and see you next time!
