Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Kashmir (SKUAST-K) in collaboration with Lemon School of Entrepreneurship, Mumbai is conducting a four-day start-up idea pitching contest titled, ‘What an Idea’, for the students of the university.
The objective of the online contest is to encourage aspiring entrepreneurs and provide them with a mentoring platform and incubation facilities.
The inaugural event was chaired by Director Planning & Monitoring and PI NAHEP, SKUAST-K, Prof Nazir Ahmad Ganai in presence of Director Lemon School of Entrepreneurship, Mukesh Ashar. HRM Consultant for NAHEP IDP Prof Farooq Ahmad Zaki, Dr Farahanaz Rasool and Dr Naveed Bhat of Innovation & Entrepreneurship Cell of IDP SKUAST-K also attended the event.
For the first two days, the jury panel included Prof Hamid Rather, HOD, Food Sciences – SKUAST-K, Anshal Gulati, CEO, Peer Oil Pvt Ltd, Khurshid Dar, in-charge, CII (J&K chapter), Dr Farahanaz Rasool SKUAST-K, Mukesh Ashar Director (LSE), Girish Raju, Lead Catalyst Business acceleration (Lemon Ideas), Saurabh Shah, Partner -West India (Lemon Ideas).
Seven teams of students presented their ideas in front of the jury on the first day of the contest.
The ideas put forward in the contest were Functional Chicken Bite – Ready to eat chicken nuggets incorporated with pectin, designed in the shape of ice-cream; High-density walnut and apple plantation; Organic Lavender cultivation; Production of Functional Dairy Products; e-Mandi – Agricultural digital revolution; Instant conversion of human hair wastes and Poultry wastes completely into 100 percent novel organic liquid fertilizer ‘Kera-GroW’; and breeding of ornamental fishes in cold water conditions of Kashmir.
The Lemon School of Entrepreneurship (LSE) is also conducting a three-month online programme for the SKUAST-K students on Entrepreneurship Development and Skill Building.
The program is designed to train and develop entrepreneurial skills in the students to enable them to take up entrepreneurship as a career.
SKUAST-K is conducting a number of programmes under World Bank-ICAR funded National Agricultural Higher Education Project for boosting innovation and entrepreneurship in the university.