GITAM Bengaluru Hosts AICTE Innovation, Design and Entrepreneurship Bootcamp

• Witnessed participation from over 200 students across 10 states
• Hosted in collaboration with the Wadhwani Foundation and SBI Foundation
• Students worked on challenges in med tech, sustainable tech, agri tech, and wellness technology
• Participating teams will continue to receive support from the Venture Development Centre at GITAM
  

GITAM Bengaluru recently hosted the AICTE Innovation, Design and Entrepreneurship Bootcamp Edition 3, Phase 1 as a nodal centre under the Ministry of Education and AICTE, in collaboration with the Wadhwani Foundation and SBI Foundation. The programme drew more than 200 registrations from over 10 states and brought together more than 60 teams. The program brought together startup founders, alumni, and industry practitioners as mentors for the teams. 

The programme opened with lake restoration expert Anand Malligavad, who addressed participants at the inaugural session.

 Participants worked on problem statements across med tech, sustainable tech, agri tech, and technology for wellness. Each team spoke to users, documented responses, and defined a clear problem before moving to development.

The work followed a clear progression. Teams defined a value proposition, mapped a business model using Lean Canvas, built a basic prototype, and refined it through iteration and peer feedback.

Learning sessions were led by experts from the Wadhwani Foundation. Participants also interacted with startup founders, alumni, and industry practitioners, including professionals from Samsung Semiconductor India Research and AICTE, through panel discussions and expert engagements.

“Most student ideas change after early user interaction, because direct feedback forces clarity on both the problem and the product,” said Santosh Tripathi, Information Security, Virsec

Participants also visited an incubator, where they observed how early-stage ideas are reviewed, refined, and advanced within a working environment. The programme concluded with pitch presentations, in which teams presented their problem statements, prototypes, and business models to reviewers.

“The process starts with a clear problem and a basic prototype, after which the work shifts to refinement through user feedback and continued development,” said Mahesh Varier, Deputy Director, Venture Development Centre, GITAM 

GITAM runs similar programmes through its Venture Development Centre, including SmartIDEAthon, which has received more than 6,000 applications across editions and includes bootcamps, mentoring, and pitch rounds. The Centre also runs venture-building bootcamps where student teams work on problem statements, develop prototypes, and present ideas for further development.

All teams from the bootcamp have been offered continued support from the Venture Development Centre at GITAM to further develop their ideas into ventures.