Above & Beyond: A Decade of Entrepreneurial Excellence++

A decade ago while India was undertaking its maiden interplanetary mission to claim a spot in the Martian orbit, an entrepreneurial mission in the field of education was hatching up in the historic land of Sonipat, a place whose reference exists in the Mahabharata.

The latter was the establishment of a true Liberal Arts University in India with a Centre for Entrepreneurship (CFE) in it. This was a game changer in a country where entrepreneurship has usually been viewed as the dominion of the techies and science grads. Our visionary institution builders have been like master chefs in believing that entrepreneurship is like the much needed salt in the gourmet meal of the Humanities and Sciences offerings that would be served to the future of our great nation.

The Centre had its mission clearly cut out from day one. The undergraduate students and fellows (read Young India Fellows) that came in to get a Liberal Arts education, how could we:

• Inspire them to be entrepreneurial, not think of themselves to be just job seekers but instill the confidence in them to be job creators
• Inculcate an entrepreneurial mindset and equip them with the right tools to become intrapreneurs (in whichever organisation or sector they join in, be it consultancy, social impact, or even education) and entrepreneurs (whenever they decide to become one)
• Incubate any entrepreneurial idea and help them validate, grow, and become a venture founders

As the Centre turns a decade younger this year, it has also started taking small steps in Inquire – entrepreneurial research.

The tribe of 250+ Ashokapreneurs (that’s what we call our Ashoka Entrepreneurs) is growing with each passing quarter. Few of them have already pledged support to their alma mater which proves the significance of Entrepreneurship in the new global order. The patronage and guidance from Info Edge, a Champion of the Indian entrepreneurial ecosystem has been instrumental in putting wind in our sails.

During my stint here at the Centre, I have had the opportunity to witness the scale up in the number of students and alums that we interact with through our diverse range of offerings like the Entrepreneurship Minor (courses cutting across Strategy, Marketing, Finance & Accounting, Information Systems & Decision Sciences, and Public Policy), incubation programs, workshops, guest speaker sessions, etc.; and thereby catalysing their life journeys. There is no greater satisfaction than receiving a communication of gratitude from a student or alum acknowledging how the Centre helped them in getting a grant for their startup or cracking an interview. One of the most heartwarming experiences for me was when a student with visual disability thanked us for making them feel comfortable and cared for during an entrepreneurship course related field trip in Purani Dilli (visualise the narrow and congested Old Delhi lanes). It turned out that it was their first field trip from Ashoka and the credit here goes to the amazing Teaching Assistants of that course. I also get to work with some amazing, smart, creative, and humane human beings in the age of AI. Even though our truly inspirational Mars Orbiter Mission came to an end two years ago, Entrepreneurship at Ashoka and the Entrepreneurial Mindset and Ventures of Ashokans are here to stay till Mars is visible through the naked eyes from the Ashoka University campus. Feel free to use the telescope from the Physics Lab for a closer view of Mars. Drop by at CFE for anything Entrepreneurial.