The Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS) Pilani has conducted a Young Entrepreneurs' Bootcamp (YEB) for the students of Class 9 to Class 12. The BITS Pilani YEB is an intensive six-day immersion programme for school students to help them experience technology-driven innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem and understand the mindset of an entrepreneur through interactions with successful start-up founders at its campus in Pilani, an institute statement said.
As many as 51 students who were selected from a pool of applicants across the country had to go through a vigorous selection process. During the Bootcamp, students interacted with eminent industry veterans, start-up founders, and alumni from BITS Pilani. The Class 9 to 12 students also had the opportunity to interact with the BITS Pilani Chancellor and Chairman of the Aditya Birla Group, Kumar Mangalam Birla who stressed on the importance of programs such as YEB.
During the interaction with the students, Mr Birla said: “For an entrepreneur, it is important to operate at the intersection of passion, purpose, and a problem. An entrepreneur can create magic if they operate at this intersection. That means it is important to have clarity on what your purpose is, what you are passionate about, and what is the problem you are out to solve. There is no better time than now to be young and well qualified in India that's bursting with entrepreneurial energy, and Institutions like BITS Pilani are at the epicenter of this entrepreneurial movement in India'
Sonam Wangchuk, an eminent social entrepreneur and innovator, was the Chief Guest of the Bootcamp. Mr Wangchuk spoke about his journey with the students and encouraged them to find contextualized solutions to problems. He said: “Importance of education, especially innovation, should be all about solving other people's problems.”
Students also learned about the emerging opportunities in drone theory and innovations in biotechnology, and disruptive trends in technology such as the Internet of things (IoT) and its applications, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML), and design thinking tools, the official statement said.
The students visited the famous BITS science museum, library, labs, and were taken for a sky-gazing session. On the last day of the Bootcamp, creative problem-solving skills of students were tested in an innovation pitch competition. On the completion of the six-day Bootcamp, the students received certificates recognising their participation and contribution.
The next edition of the Young Entrepreneurs' Bootcamp is being planned at BITS Hyderabad campus in December 2022.