Life at IIM Sambalpur: Varada Satvik on Startup Culture, Student-Driven Campus & Career

In this edition of Life@IIM, we spoke to Varada Satvik, MBA Class of 2024-25, a lawyer-turned-entrepreneur who has worked in the startup space building a legal AI product. Varada Satvik shares why he chose IIM Sambalpur, his first-hand experience of campus life, academics, and how the institute is shaping his future.

After beginning our series, Life@IIM with insights from IIM Ahmedabad, we now move to one of India’s third-generation IIMs — IIM Sambalpur, located in Odisha. Established in 2015, IIM Sambalpur has grown rapidly, positioning itself as a hub of innovation and entrepreneurship. The institute is known for its democratically-run student culture, emphasis on experiential learning, and pioneering use of AI-driven classroom simulations. Within this short span of time, IIM Sambalpur is emerging as a promising choice for management aspirants.

In this edition, we spoke to Varada Satvik, MBA Class of 2024-25, a lawyer-turned-entrepreneur who has worked in the startup space building a legal AI product. Varada Satvik shares why he chose IIM Sambalpur, his first-hand experience of campus life, academics, and how the institute is shaping his future. Exceprts of the interview below...

Q. Tell us about yourself and your journey to IIM Sambalpur.

Satvik: I'm a professional lawyer who has been in the start-up space building a legal AI product, Tech-peek. My journey stems from a deep desire to open as many doors as possible such as a strong alumni network, warm intros for investor meetings and a brand that builds my founder ship credibility, for my future endeavours. Hence, I sat for the CAT exam and did holistically well to make it to IIM-Sambalpur.

Q. Why did you choose IIM Sambalpur over others where you got admission offers?

Satvik: I let go of other lucrative admission offers because I know for a fact that hyper growth happens in the new IIMs where the responsibilities are well democratized among the students. I look at IIM-Sambalpur as a start-up. New campus, optimistic people and strong demographic dividends in the future. It also happens to be my home state, Odisha, which I feel will shape the economic future of our country. Hence, the right combination of place, people and culture made me choose IIM-S.

Q. Describe your first week on campus – what stood out the most?

Satvik: First week on campus was Induction which was mostly a strenuous week of back to back activities with barely any sleep. On the flipside, that week led to us knowing our peers better and prepared us to sustain the hectic roller coaster ride ahead. I’d say, the journey of building a network commenced in the first week, since MBA is mostly about sharing 2 years of life working on business cases with diverse set of people from across geographies.

Q. How would you describe the academic culture here – competitive, collaborative, or a mix?

Satvik: A blend of both. The intense yet highly profiled batch details back my argument. The competition is not toxic. By that, I mean, the brightest of business acumen driven minds share the same room with me. Hence, competition is inevitable. In fact, healthy competition is the reason why the most successful companies innovate to sustain. On top of that, there's an element of collaboration in everything that we do as a part of the programme. It begins with case studies in groups and goes through committees that work on ground level issues for the entire campus. The people at the top, in any given industry, are always collaborating. IIM-Sambalpur is giving both the table stakes skills to us right from the very beginning.

Q. What’s one unique academic tradition or teaching style you’ve experienced here?

Satvik: I’d say, Implementation of AI simulations, which is helping us get better prepared for the class discussion so that everyone gets to voice their opinions in small groups of 5 to 8 people. It is impossible for everyone to participate and give in opinions in an offline lecture. By the way, IIM-Sambalpur is the first institution in India to do so.

Q. How do you balance intense academics with extra-curricular activities?

Satvik: All work and no play make jack a dull boy. While the portion is comprehensive and strenuous, the way we study is well-gamified. This exercises our mind to be proactive and flexible for any given circumstances. On top of this, we obviously have a lot of co-curricular activities, both physical and mental, that keep us fit holistically. A few such examples are the council, festing, committees, etc. The whole idea of grinding through 2 years of challenging life triggers all of us to balance our lives to make it till the end. Some of us have hobbies, that the institution leniently endorses, and some of us get to know more about our off-academic personality through initiatives at the campus.

Q. Which events/fests/clubs are absolute must-experiences on your campus?

Satvik: We get to learn table stakes skills of entrepreneurship through an immersive experience with the institution. Since our campus is entirely student driven, clubs and committees play a pivotal role in their own way to add to the functioning of the college internally and externally. We get to learn how to manage huge scale events, interact with CXOs to partner with them, and collaborate amongst ourselves in order to get the ship sailing, something an academics-first classroom can never teach. ETHOS is our annual fest and it’s that 3 days of the year where the entire college is vibrant enough for you to believe in magic.

Q. How is the hostel and social life here? Any interesting rituals or traditions?

Satvik: I say this with sugar rush, I think my hostel is the best right swipe for me. I wish I could be more specific about the fun that happens in the dorm rooms but I don’t want to spoil the party before it begins for you. It's the best part of joining IIM-Sambalpur. I think the idea of surviving 2 years with fellow hostellers is nothing less than what we see in movies like 3 Idiots, Chhichhore, etc. Life happens to you beyond the classrooms and you are a function of what you go through in life. It compounds after a specific age through conviction and proof of work. The thrill and the agony, all of it confined within the four walls of the hostel in the off hours makes the experience worth living for.

Q. How has being at this IIM shaped your career plans and personal growth?

Satvik: Since I'm in my mid-20s, mostly dangling between start-ups, I have always believed motivation and passion plays a role in having a content life but motivation is short lived and the world is filled with so many magical things at the moment that one could have multiple passions to explore. So how do you make sense of it? The answer is consistency and discipline. 90% of what I'm taking back after I pass out from this institution is more than just a degree. It's the sense of discipline, perseverance and flexibility that generally does wonders and moves mountains in our lives. Off lately, I have been looking at every initiative through lenses of consistency and discipline.

Q. One piece of advice for someone preparing to join this IIM.

Satvik: It's a no brainer, it’s an absolute YES. In fact, here's a pitch for the readers. Do you want a sense of how start-ups work? Do you want a campus that is democratically run? And most importantly, do you want the access to doors that take years to open?

Join IIM-S. It's a new IIM, which means it's a start-up and you're probably more like an early employee. The institution and you will probably grow in leaps and bounds pertaining to the demographic as well as economic positioning of the campus.

The campus is being run democratically by different stakeholders, which means, your voice carries weight and the weight of the world in the campus will give you the strength to go.

The idea that you're an IIM pass out could open inaccessible doors for you through networks and portals and it could give you a safety net to fall back on after pursuing a risky career post-graduation. All these things are not because of the orthodox idea of what IIM tag carries, but because the institution respects the work that students put in. Hence, you deserve to be an IIM-Sambalpur graduate because of the work that you have put in so far.

You didn't come this far to only come this far.

Read More: