Gujarat University Hosts Schools To Collaborate With Its Startups

40+ Schools Discuss Startup Collaborations with Gujarat University

MARCH 3, 2018, AHMEDABAD – Today, Gujarat University hosted a Startup-School Interexchange Forum, to connect University’s education-focussed startups with schools. Trustees and principals of over 40 schools participated in the forum.

Gujarat’s Education Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama chaired the forum, where eight education-focussed startups supported by Gujarat University Startup and Entrepreneurship Council (GUSEC) pitched about their products and services directly to the decision makers of these schools, creating a massive market access opportunity that these startups usually lacked.

The forum was organised as part of GUSEC’s Industry Interexchange Impact Initiative (i4) which is an attempt by the University to directly collaborate with industry and create market opportunities for startups and innovations supported by the University.

“Gujarat created the country’s first student startup policy for universities and colleges, and we want to extend the benefits of the policy to schools as well. Why can’t we, for instance, celebrate a school & innovation day in all schools like we celebrate sports day,” said Bhupendrasinh Chudasama. “I will also encourage schools to send their students to incubation centres and universities so students can start getting exposure to new concepts and innovations early on,” Chudasama added stressing on the need to create graduates who are better problem solvers and prospective job creators.

“Gujarat University is the only University offering zero-cost zero-day startup support and with over 60+ startups, GU has the highest number of startups being supported for any University in India. Through this industry interexchange, we are going a step further in supporting our startups and innovations, and this is only the first of many such interexchanges,” said Himanshu Pandya, Vice-Chancellor of Gujarat University.

“Even though we have some great startups in the education space, we found that it is very difficult for a startup to approach educational institutions. Most of the times, even the schools and institutions want to collaborate and employ services and products of startups, the communication gap always makes collaborations challenging. It thus made sense to organise this interexchange and I’m glad to share that this initiative reduced the outreach efforts of all these startups manifolds,” said Rahul Bhagchandani, Chief Executive Officer of GUSEC.

The presenting startups included SciKnowTech, GeoSafe, WittyBrowns, BrainItOn, PreBoo, Cubic Desk, Bemrr, Lutalica, and AMB Industry.

Gujarat University Startup and Entrepreneurship Council (GUSEC) is a non-profit company promoted by Gujarat University to advance the startup and innovation movement in Gujarat. GUSEC currently supports 60+ startups at the state-of-the-art preincubation centre spread across 30,000 sq. ft. area in the heart of the University campus. GUSEC has supported over 85 startups in the last two years of its inception. In the last year, 17 ideas have been commercialised at GUSEC, where as 20 currently supported startups are product startups. The mission of GUSEC is to empower and enable 1% of Gujarat University graduates to become job creators.

Click here for pictures of the event.