On November 16 & 17, a small group of Gujarat’s established and emerging entrepreneurs, as well as those with the entrepreneurial spirit, took a break from their hectic lives and went on a weekend retreat to the Dangs forest, located near the Gujarat-Maharashtra border. The ‘eChai Campfires’ trip was organised by Jatin Chaudhary and Kunal Chaudhari, co-founders of Point10 Ventures and their team. The Ahmedabad-based company runs various initiatives targeted at creating rural livelihoods in disadvantaged areas of south Gujarat and stimulating entrepreneurship amongst youths. This was just one of the 160 events that are currently being held across India as part of Global Entrepreneurship Week.
It was the classic road trip. Up before first light and armed with a guitar that no one really knew how to play, with many roadside chais along the way, the travellers journeyed down the state’s highways for hours before suddenly finding themselves going up steep, winding, lonely roads that had the Purna River on one side, and dense forests on the other. It was a most refreshing scene given that the group members typically spend their time in their offices staring at screens.
After wandering through the forests and enjoying the waters of Gira Falls, huddled around a small campfire and wrapped in as many shawls and jackets they could lay their hands on, the group spent the evening under the full moon exchanging stories about their personal and professional lives. They learned about one another’s business endeavors, achievements, struggles, and future aspirations. Hardik Manwani spoke about how he had the option of going into his family’s business but instead decided to found his own web solutions company, Hmmbiz Web Solutions, which is now being incubated at Mudra Institute of Communications, Ahmedabad. Bharuch-based Nitin Tailor told the group about he could have continued pursuing an extremely promising career in academia or in multinational corporations, but decided to channel his energies into social entrepreneurship and establish ‘Serve Happiness’, an online platform which enables individuals to use their leisure time to serve underprivileged members of the community. Jenny Chawla shared her story of how she started her working life at quite a young age and, following stints in many different industries, has decided to forge a career in social media. A believer in practical, experiential learning, she is now reconsidering her decision to pursue an MBA.
The next morning, the group visited Sajupada village where they got to meet with local craftswomen who produce handmade jewelry for overseas markets. They are employed by Sweetly Designs, a social enterprise founded by Jatin Chaudhary, Kunal Chaudhari, Emily Cunnigham and Parth Shah, whose aim it is to create jobs for rural women in the Dangs district, one of the most disadvantaged areas of Gujarat.
Though the trip was over all too soon – many of the members wished that they could have stayed in the forests longer. The trip proved to be the beginning of new, long-lasting friendships and support networks for the group members. Just being in the wilderness for a short moment, and being able to exchange thoughts and ideas, reinvigorated the travellers, cleared their minds, and made them ready to return to the rigors of their professional and personal lives.
About eChai: eChai is a platform for young entrepreneurs of Gujarat who get a chance to engage with each other through various events like conferences, summits, challenges, competitions. To learn more about eChai, visit their website: http://echai.co/.
About CIIE Initiatives: CIIE Initiatives is the host of GEW in India this year. CIIE Initiatives, a non-profit, is a technology business incubator of Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA) and supports early stage innovation based technology entrepreneurs. CIIE Initiatives supports early stage entrepreneurs through both capacity building programs as well as by extending seed funding to selected entrepreneurs. These programs have both breadth and depth in order to reach out to a large pool of talented individuals and to add significant value to a selected few.
Since 2007, CIIE Initiatives has motivated entrepreneurship, helped 15,000 plus people in realizing their ideas, and supported in excess of 2000 entrepreneurs from across the country. GEW India 2013 enhances CIIE Initiatives' mission of discovering talented individuals and young companies across the nation and by providing them with a platform to reach out to mentors, investors, and enablers who support such innovative companies.