Convergenz'09

The annual business fest ‘Convergenz’09’ conducted by the IIMB-PGSEM student fraternity happened on 15th March 2009. The pre-lunch session in the morning saw the finals of the business plan - Alchemy (judges panel consisted of Venture Capitalists and Professors of the NSRCEL, IIMB) and Case presentation competition (on the topic of beating Nokia’s market dominance in the Indian mobile handset market); with the finalists vying for the top slot; the sessions were thoroughly contested and interesting pitches were made. The ‘Turing Test’ business/technology quiz finals were conducted by Prof Rajeev Gowda in the afternoon after the written elimination rounds and Arul Mani the VP of Karnataka Quiz Association was also present for the show.

The panel discussion at the end of the fest, in the late evening was well attended and consisted of panelists of repute from the IT Industry including Srini Rajam, CEO Ittiam Systems and Y V Prakash, Director R&D, Honeywell Technology Solutions and established entrepreneurs from the PGSEM lineage moderated by Professor Sourav Mukherjee. Prof. Pankaj Chandra, Director, IIM Bangalore, started with his inaugural address which was followed by the Keynote by Srini Rajam; on the topic of ‘Innovation: Leading the way’ which was also the overarching theme of Convergenz’09.

The panel discussion centred on the theme of finding the next business model for the Indian IT industry and the unanimous conclusion was that a more collaborative model of interaction and technology development among the various IT industries was the need of the hour. The panelists agreed that the sector would in the next few months successfully counter the recessive storm in the global economy to emerge stronger. The valedictory address and concluding remarks were made by Prof. Shankar Venkatagiri, Chairperson, PGSEM who stressed on the importance of industry-academia interactions and stressed the point that students of the PGSEM through Convergenz were leading this initiative!

The event was sponsored by eLitmus and Samsung and online and media partners included PagalGuy, MBA Universe, YourStory.in, Orkut, Doohm and IndiaEducation.net.

Shortlisted teams for Casez Finals

Finalist Teams:

• Athena - Arpitaa Kharbanda & Manasi Gupta
• B1 Brothers - Varun Raizada & Randheer P
• Blazers - Saiba Kataruka & Anuj Jalote
• Ganjey - Nishant Gupta & Harsh Pradhan
• IIMB-11 - Abhinav Bansal & Anshema Gupta
• Koshish - Rohit Kataria & Vijay Garimella
• Phoenix - Rajan Dahiya & Viquar Hashmi

Sometimes, Opportunity knocks the door second time

On popular request, entries submission date
for Alchemy and Casez extended to
2nd March 2009

More than 1 Lakh cash prizes to be won

Visit http://www.pgsem.net/ for more details

Casez - The Case Analysis Competition

Do you think of yourself as the Chanakya of the Business world? Well, here is your chance to prove yourself. IIMB presents the ultimate game of chess for the businessman. Analyze a company from every conceivable angle. What has made the company successful in the past? What does it need to adopt to chart a course for itself in the future? Analyze the consequences of every decision they may take. Imagine. Strategize. Innovate… Dive into the details. Tackle the devil that lies there. And give us your solutions. This is your chance to play the ultimate consultant. Go ahead and bring out the business thinker in you. For once, someone else's business "is" your busines. Sharpen your minds and get set to exhibit your intelligence as you face a barrage of questions on business,technology and innovation.
For details click here ...

Alchemy- The Business Plan Contest

No scope for Plan Bs!

The IIM Bangalore invites business ideas focused on the topic Technopreneurships “Alchemy: From TechFlux to BigBucks” for the annual business event Convergenz’09 conducted by PGSEM in collaboration with the NSRCEL. Brick and mortar opportunities, e-business, potential research based businesses and any other idea conceivable within the gamut of the chosen sector will be accepted, but with one requirement that it be a technology based plan. Business ideas based on technology would also be considered if a market is identified where there is a scope for execution of an existing business model or a new way of exploiting opportunities.

Important Dates

Feb 15, 2009 - Announcement of the event

Feb 25, 2009 - Submission of Executive Summary

March 3, 2009 - Announcement of shortlist for Phase II

The event is open to both students and corporate and will be held in two phases.

Details about the event........

Innovation - Leading the way

The world is increasingly looking to the emerging economies to drive future growth. The days of seeking jobs and guidance from the developed countries are fast coming to an end. Our moment of reckoning is here. India is poised to take the leap - a leap of courage, conviction, energy and imagination. In villages, towns and cities, small but progressive changes are taking place at every level. India has sprung to life, throbbing with expectation and vibrating with new ideas. Changes in every industry, every sector, are taking place at breakneck speed, revving up the economic engine like never before.

"Innovation" is the new buzzword – to increase efficiency and create new directions for growth. From the farmer in Ujjain who uses the internet to plan his produce, to the fisherman in Chennai who uses satellite data to find his next catch, to the taxi driver in Bangalore who uses the GPS to choose the optimal routes, India is finding homemade solutions to its domestic problems.

But as the recession gets deeper, India is also feeling the heat, as evidenced by the recent downward forecasts of GDP growth and mounting job losses in a few sectors. The world is indeed flat, and no country is completely insulated. However, the good news is that the key drivers of growth in this new golden age – Domain knowledge, technology ownership, flawless execution, creative marketing and charismatic leadership – are all found in abundance in India. We have the tools to beat the recession. Recession can be our opportunity.

What is required, though, is a common focus to streamline our thoughts and synergize our actions. Convergenz '09 provides that focus by bringing together some of the best thought leaders in Indian Business to address the compelling issues of the day at both a macro as well as micro level – how can innovation help us beat the recession? What will the winning strategies look like? How will the world shape up in the coming decade? What are the major changes required for our businesses? Which are the most exciting tech startups in our country? What's the next disruptive idea? Convergenz '09 promises many such fundamental insights that impact the dynamic world of Indian Business.

Come March, the masters of the game descend on the sprawling campus of IIM Bangalore to chart the course of the future as they see it. And if you have seen the future a little differently, you belong here. PGSEM welcomes you to unleash your imagination in all its elegant fury. IIMB dares you to Innovate.
See you there.