Season 1 - MASTERPRENEUR INDIA

THE TALENTED AND AMBITIOUS
ENTREPRENEUR’S DREAM PLATFORM
A Revolution called Masterpreneur
“Through Masterpreneur India, we are specifically seeking out entrepreneurs who drive
small businesses; in effect, we are seeking out the bottom-of-the-pyramid entrepreneurs. I would like to call them ‘Master keys’ as they are the true drivers of the Indian
economy and the true heroes of the Indian growth story.”
- Sanjay Pugalia, Editor-in-chief, CNBC AWAAZ
CNBC AWAAZ set out on a journey across the country looking for entrepreneurs who will lead the change and
coined this exercise as Masterpreneur. It was a six month effort that culminated in December 2013. To me, it
was an attempt to get the pulse of new businesses in India. Masterpreneur, in its debut season, was about
focusing on growth stage companies—companies that have been in business for a minimum of two years,
earning a turnover between ` 25 lakh to ` 10 crore. We chose to restrict ourselves to this bracket for a simple
reason; companies in this stage usually overcome teething trouble, have established their business a bit and
now need another push to accelerate further growth. That acceleration might not necessarily be limited only
to funding.
Overwhelming response
When the call for nominations went out, I wasn’t sure about the response we would receive. At the end of the
first two months of nominations being open, an overwhelming 800 plus entries poured in which we pared
down to 100 entrepreneurs and met up with 50 entrepreneurs in our zonal rounds.
Pan-India participation
In its conceptualizing phase, my conversations with our title sponsor, Sona group and our knowledge partner,
Friends of Ambition, was primarily on whether this would be limited to becoming only a metro story. But the
entries had another story to tell. Of course there was a large representation from the usual suspects from
metros like Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru. We also got responses from cities like Jaipur, Jodhpur, Nanital, Ranchi,
Rajkot, Dhanbad, Kolkata and even Tanjore.
Bearing the torch
My experience has been quite humbling. To be a part of such a large scale effort not
only as a host, but also as an observer who had the opportunity to interact with 50
inspiring businesses. Meeting people who have taken the plunge ‘to do or die’ and set
up a business themselves. Many were without much help from the formal avenues of
VC’s and angel investors. But, most who had come had done so with an intention to
bring about a social change and with the drive to excel in their fields. I can’t wait for
Season 2 to kick off.
Harshada Sawant, CNBC AWAAZ
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The Making of a Masterpreneur
The small Indian entrepreneur often goes unnoticed. It has been my endeavor to recognize and enable
her/him in every way possible. A little over a year ago, together with CNBC Awaaz, we created the
platform of Masterpreneur to unleash the potential of entrepreneurship in India. Unlike the regular reality
TV show format, which usually encourages concept stage entrepreneurs, we wanted to do something
different. We wanted to get to the entrepreneur who had moved past the concept stage and grown his/
her business to a certain level.
Valuable Words of Wisdom - for
Entrepreneurs of the Future
From Sunil Munjal, Joint Managing
Director, Hero MotoCorp
Entrepreneurship is truly the life blood of any enterprise as it is of any nation.
Masterpreneur was created to be that one definitive platform for recognizing and promoting the ultimate
entrepreneurs in the country. With over 800 applicants vying to occupy the top five positions, we spent a
lot of time and effort identifying our finalists. Rigorous sessions, interviews, counselling and evaluation,
led us to shortlist the most promising entrepreneurs from various corners of the country through regional
and semi final rounds.
If you see the progress of our country over the past 200-250 years and then since
independence, i.e. over the past 60-65 years and then again when we entered
the early 1990s, you will notice that the big difference comes about because of
enterprise and entrepreneurs. The good thing for us is that young India presents
absolutely outstanding opportunities for entrepreneurs.
This concept, which later materialized into one large national movement, touched me very deeply. For
me, it was all about the stark reality of how entrepreneurs today, despite their disadvantages, have been
able to build their businesses through sheer hard work, faith, determination and unmatched conviction
and emerged as winners. After all the sessions I have conducted and been through, I have learnt lessons
in entrepreneurship that I couldn’t possibly learn in any school of management
Entrepreneurship is about taking a dive into the unknown. At the beginning of the journey, no entrepreneur
actually knows where they will end up. My only advice here is that you have to allow yourself to make mistakes.
But the biggest drawback is that in our country, we find it difficult to accept failure. It’s a societal thing. We need
to recognise that failure is also a great experience. It is a fantastic teacher. And we can turn failures around.
Business and models that ranged between ` 25 lakh and ` 10 crore may be perceived as small in terms
of revenue or capital but the potential they have to grow to mammoth proportions is what interested me.
Through this platform we hope to mentor entrepreneurs and give them the tools and resources to take
their businesses to the next level. We also look forward to introducing them to the financial community
so that they have the opportunity to raise the required monies to fuel growth.
Our filtration process started with businesses that were not easy to duplicate and innovative. In the
end, what we saw was more than just that. It is a victory that I will collectively own with these unsung
heroes of India’s entrepreneurship community that I am jubilant about. While Mastepreneur Season 1
has ended, I am looking forward to the next season already… So, we are ready; Is India ready for us?
Building the small Indian entrepreneur community one step at a time!
I would highly recommend that all the young people who are looking to become entrepreneurs must put
their fears away. You must feel it in your heart and in your mind together that you can and will build your
enterprise!
From Dr. Surinder Kapur, Founder Chairman,
Sona Group
Entrepreneurs are the peddlers of hope…
As an entrepreneur myself, I have travelled those roads and with the right mix of
hard work, determination and calculated foresight, I have been able to create what
Sona is today. This, however, was not a ‘one man job’. I had the entire Sona family
to back me up on this and this success is collective.
India is a growing market and has great potential for budding entrepreneurs who
have fire in their bellies but challenges exist in terms of technology and know-how, financial assistance
and counsel, and most of all, market conditions in an economy like India, where today global uncertainty
is affecting us all in the local context.
Sunjay Kapur, Vice Chairman & Managing Director,
Sona Koyo Steering Systems Ltd.
A true entrepreneur becomes a Masterpreneur when he makes it through the rain of challenges and
earns his/her position in the business community. This, however, can only fructify if corporations today
recognize the need for inclusive growth in the economy and fuel the potential of India’s budding talent to
drive this engine of entrepreneurship.
The Sona Group has always been committed to this purpose and Masterpreneur has become our mission
to identify, groom and nurture the next generation of India’s growth engine through entrepreneurship.
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Ravi Kiran, Co-founder and Managing
Partner, Friends of Ambition
“Our experience working with the CNBC Awaaz and Sona Koyo team as Knowledge
Partners to the Masterpreneur show was delightful. We believe Masterpreneur is
an excellent opportunity for young businesses to showcase themselves and be
seen by the amazing pan India audience of CNBC Awaaz. Quite distinct from
many other entrepreneurship showcases, Masterpreneur’s focus on building
sustainable businesses and, therefore, its emphasis on right mentoring and
guidance to the young entrepreneurs is laudable. We believe the inaugural
season in 2013 was the beginning of a high impact contribution CNBC Awaaz, Sona Koyo and
others involved with the show would be making to the Indian entrepreneurial ecosystem.”
Bikky Khosla, CEO, tradeindia.com
(Infocom Network Ltd.)
“Masterprenuer has made a good beginning but has a long way to go towards facilitating
the best of the best in terms of entrepreneurial talent and spirit. As the word spreads, I am
sure the next editions it will only get better, heightening the challenge for participants as
well as the judges and jury...”
The selection process
A first of its kind talent hunt reality show, Masterpreneur India explored the length and breadth of the country
to find an entrepreneur who could be crowned the Masterpreneur of the year. It followed the meticulous
elimination process described below:
1. Step 1: Contestants submitted their applications
2. Step 2: Scrutiny of applications based on
• Legal concern with a fair track record of ‘success’
• Turnover in the range ` 25 lakh to ` 10 crore in the last financial year
• Healthy financial ratios
• Regional and Industrial Representation
3. From a total of 800 applicants, the Jury shortlisted 48 companies, 12 from each zone.
4.The shortlisted participants made pitches in zonal rounds to a jury of eminent entrepreneurs and
professionals.
5.The top 14 participants from all four zones were chosen. These semi-finalists travelled to Delhi and were
exposed to workshops and grilled by a jury consisting of Industry leaders and Venture Capitalists, in
preparation for the final pitch.
6. The finalists comprised of five entrepreneurs who competed in the final round
7. One winner was chosen by a high powered jury.
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After discussion with the CNBC team, its knowledge partner – Friends
of Ambition - and sponsor Sanjay Kapur, founder of Sona Koyo, the Jury
shortlisted 48 companies from four zones, from a total of 800 applicants...
NORTH ZONAL ROUND:
Venue: Delhi
Jury
• Sunjay Kapur - Vice Chairman & Managing Director - Sona Koyo Steering Systems Ltd.
• Harshada Sawant - CNBC Awaaz
• Anil Sinha - Regional Director ,IFC
• Bharat Kaushal - MD & CEO. Sumitomo Mitsui Banking. Corporation
• Bikky Khosla - MD, TradeIndia.com
Participants Selected
rpit Jain started EngineersGarage, a platform to connect electronics engineers by means
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of knowledge, to share their creations and inspire them to craft further creations.
hiraj Dolwani started B2R(Business-To-Rural), a rural BPO, operating in the villages of
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Uttarakhand with multiple goals of financial success, rural employment and development.
Aakash Kasundhan started Designo Media Works (I) Pvt. Ltd, a company which specializes
in technology enabled education.
mit Pabuwal founded Amit Pabuwal Designerware Pvt. Ltd/Arun International, a company
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which designs and manufactures tableware, cutlery and sports trophies.
shmeet Kapoor founded ‘I Say Organic’, a social enterprise that believes safe food should
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be easily accessible, and those growing it should be rewarded and recognized.
ajesh Kumar is the founder of Alleviate Technologies Pvt Ltd., a company which builds IT
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products & services using latest technologies.
ahil Jain is the co-founder and COO of Dineout, a table reservation platform which
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enables customers to book a table, at their favourite restaurants in town and enjoy fantastic
discounts too.
andeep Singh Sandhar started RLT, a company that brings offbeat and niche holiday
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packages to urban travellers who are bored of the usual choices.
aurav Chauhan started Radio Design India Private Limited, a market leader in the
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provision of wireless infrastructure sharing solutions.
loke Bajpai launched ixigo.com, a travel planning and search engine that aggregates
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and curates travel information, to simplify the search and planning experience of Indian
travellers.
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anmay Pandya started Bridgedots Techservices Pvt. Ltd., a technology Research &
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Development company which develops new technologies in the fields of polymers and
advance materials and industrial waste.
SOUTH ZONAL ROUND:
Venue : Bangalore
Jury
• Sunjay Kapur - Vice Chairman & Managing Director - Sona Koyo Steering Systems Ltd.
• Harshada Sawant - CNBC Awaaz
• J Crasta - CEO and Dy Chairman ASSOCHAM
• Parag Dhol - MD - Inventus
• Kanwaljit singh - MD - Helion
Participants Selected
aumil Majmudar started SV EduSports Pvt. Ltd. (“EduSports”), Company that focuses on
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outsourced school sports and physical education programs.
huvarahan Tirumalai started Aspiration Energy, a company which offers solar solutions for
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industrial process heating and solar powering of telecom towers using a unique charging
model.
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arunjeet Rattan is the founder of Nucleus, a clean energy technology firm that seeks
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to change and merge the best of both traditional and new age media for more effective
communication campaigns.
shutosh Khadria is the founder of SSK White Collar, a professional Door to Door Dry
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Cleaning and Laundry Service in the cleaning segment.
anoj Patel started MobiTrack, a company that helps large companies and SMB companies
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to track their sales force and field force and daily activity system via mobile.
mit K. Saran started SPT Sports Management Pvt. Ltd., a company which offers football
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academics across India, sports event management with sports infrastructure development
and tourism.
ajeev Pathak established eDreams, the inventor of the world’s first intelligent and
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adaptive personal tutor “Funtoot” for K-12 education.
Mr. Vikram Dileepan established SolarTown Energy Solutions Pvt. Ltd. It is the system
integrators who have an active involvement with the end customer and this enables us to
develop products / services at the frontline and change the company towards growth.
kash Raman started SnapChai Productions Pvt. Ltd. (Oodio), a photography
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services outsourcing firm that offers digital media post-production services to wedding
photographers across India and the United States.
EAST ZONAL ROUND:
Venue: Kolkata
Jury
• Sunjay Kapur - Vice Chairman & Managing Director - Sona Koyo Steering Systems Ltd.
• Harshada Sawant - CNBC Awaaz
• Prahlad Rai Agarwala - Chairman - Rupa & Co
• Raghav Kanoria - Founder, Calcutta Angels
• Harsh Modi - Director, Eden Group
Participants Selected
ravesh Dudani started Medhavi Foundation Education services, a company which offers
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career and education assessments and counseling services for K12 schools.
asina Kharbhih started Impulse Social Enterprises, an organisation which focuses on
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providing services that end poverty and empower women artisan entrepreneurs.
wapnil Kothari started the Kautilya Chandra Gupt Education Society (Renaissance Indira
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Group of Institutes) which offers programmes in the field of Commerce, Management,
Science and Law.
hashank Kumar founded Green Agrevolution Pvt. Ltd. (GAPL), a company that aims to
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maximize the profit per unit area of farmers by improving efficiencies in the supply chain.
rijit Bhattacharyya started a company Virtualinfo.com, one of India’s first game development
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training and game production unit.
anmejay Mohapatra founded Ajatus Software Infrastructure Development, a company with
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a marquee product, Agile School, which is open sourced and being developed keeping
technology and advancements in mind.
Anabil Goswami founder of Arohan Foods Private Limited, a company that conducts
dedicated R&D in the piggery sector and uses local indigenous produce.
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Saswat
Kumar
Panda
established
Learnitude
Technologies
Pvt.
Ltd.,
a
pioneering company in the field of IT solutions, consulting, outsourcing
and digital marketing.
run Goel is the founder of My Kids’, a company that developed a system of preschool
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education which is a blend of Montessori, multiple intelligence and activity based
learning.
WEST ZONAL ROUND:
Venue: Mumbai
Jury
• Sunjay Kapur - Vice Chairman & Managing Director - Sona Koyo Steering Systems Ltd.
• Harshada Sawant - CNBC Awaaz
• Sunjay Pugalia - Editor – In – Chief – CNBC Awaaz
• Aditya Gahlaut - Head of Business banking, HSBC India
• Alok Kejriwal - Angel Investor
• Superna Motwane - Chief Editor – L’Officiel
Participants Selected
Neha Juneja started Greenway Grameen Infra., a company that designs and distributes
household utility products.
itin Puruswami started Zepo.in (Zepo Technologies Pvt. Ltd.) a venture that offers its clients
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the opportunity to open their online store and start selling by creating their own sites.
evendra Gupta is the director and co-founded Ecozen Solutions, a renewable energy
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company that focuses on the applications of distributed power generation for agriculture and
rural communities.
ameer Gautam set up Rank Junction an online ranking platform for competitive tests to
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enable students to take a test from any coaching class or curriculum anywhere in the country
and test their potential ranking at an all-India level.
ripalsingh Jadeja is a co-founder of Roger Motors, a company involved in servicing cars
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and supplying auto parts that ensure safety and comfort.
runa Balkrishna established The Content Company, primarily to address the need for
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quality content in India, with the conviction that with its differentiation in USP and strong
communication skills it would succeed.
Alok Chordia is the founder of ValuConnex Telecom Services Pvt. Ltd, company that
creates processes for the measurement of end-user experiences of mobile customers.
Abhijeet Gan is the founder of Rite Water Solutions (India) Pvt. Ltd., a company working in
the space of providing potable water solutions to rural India using simple and sustainable
technologies.
asser Ali started Gourmet Gelato Co. Pvt. Ltd. a company that manufactures, distributes
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and retails gourmet Italian gelato (ice cream).
riya Parab started Vihaan Natural Pvt. Ltd., a company that manufactures natural, multiP
grain health-shake mixes.
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meet the semi-finalists
Ashmeet Kapoor - I Say Organic
Ashmeet Kapoor, a graduate from Brown University, USA, who majored in Innovation Management and
Entrepreneurship, started his company ‘I Say Organic’ in 2012. The company is a social enterprise that
believes safe food should be easily accessible and those growing it should be rewarded and recognized.
It promotes organic farming as a holistic solution to address environmental, socio-economic and health
issues associated with industrial agriculture.
The company, comprising 20 permanent employees and extending to a whole network of people along the
farm to fork supply chain, follows a model which connects organic farmers and conscious consumers. It
ensures that farmers are paid fair prices and customers, who place orders online or over the phone, receive
the product they order, at their doorstep, the same day! So far it is the only company in Delhi (and among
very few in India) that offers everyday delivery of fresh organic produce and groceries.
Tanmay Pandya - Bridgedots Techservices Pvt. Ltd.
Tanmay Pandya, a chemical engineer with a B.Tech from IIT, BHU, ventured into setting up his technology
research & development company - Bridgedots Techservices Pvt. Ltd., around two and a half years ago.
With a close knit staff of 5, it develops new technologies in the field of polymer & advance materials and
industrial waste, based on in-house R&D.
With major competitors in the form of technical institutes such as IITs and NITs and research organizations such
as CSIR labs, improvised by sourcing mentors from various IITs and other research institutes. Faced with the
need for a laboratory, which would require a substantial investment, the firm found an incubation centre where
these facilities were available until adequate funds became available. To address the challenge of gaining industry
trust, as companies don’t usually outsource R&D projects to a new start up, the firm changed its model.
Dhiraj Dolwani - B2R (Business-To-Rural)
With over 20 years of work experience, in BPOs and IT, under his belt, Dhiraj Dolwani, an engineer (Industrial,
M.E. Systems & Info) from BITS, Pilani started his own firm B2R (Business-To-Rural) four years ago. This rural
BPO, operating in the villages of Uttarakhand, follows a model which intertwines the delivery of business
goals with achieving social objectives.
It currently has six service delivery centres with a seat capacity of 50-100 each and employs a team of over 300
rural youth. With a core team of well-experienced international Business Process Management operations, the
firm is currently focussed on some key verticals – Publishing, Legal and Financial Services. The business plan
in execution is to scale up current operations to employing 6000 rural youth over the next 5 years.
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Saumil Majmudar - S. V. EduSports Private Limited
(“EduSports”)
Saumil Majmudar in 2009 launched his start-up, S. V. EduSports Private Limited (“EduSports”). The company
specialises in outsourced school sports and physical education programs, in 2009. With around 332 permanent
employees and 82 contract staff, the firm caters to the needs of schools across the country. It has evolved
‘integrated’ (with the education process of schools) and ‘ready to implement’ platforms and tools for different
school systems in India. These platforms have enabled the company to effectively execute a distributed
delivery models across India and abroad too.
For 5 years prior to the EduSports’ school-centric model, i.e. from 2003 to 2008, Saumil tried various models
of getting kids to play, including having a ground in Bangalore (SportzVillage), sending coaches to apartment
complexes, summer camps, adventure/sports tours, getting sponsorships for school sports, etc. After trying
multiple models and iterating quickly, he settled on the right model for the firm, i.e. EduSports. His vision is to
develop a generation of healthy and fit children through the magic of sports by partnering with 1000 schools
and covering a million children in 4 years.
Akash Raman - SnapChai Productions Pvt. Ltd. (Oodio)
Akash Raman, founder of SnapChai Productions Pvt. Ltd. (Oodio), a photography services outsourcing firm,
is an alumni of Harvard, Wharton and BITS Pilani. Oodio works with professional wedding photographers
across India and the United States to provide them with digital media post-production services. Today, the
firm connects with several e-commerce companies including the top three companies in the field of travel
and clothing. Supporting its mission, the company has a highly driven team from diverse backgrounds and a
sound set of advisors who are based in the Bay area of California.
While competition in this segment existed in the world market, Oodio had the first mover advantage in
India. This gave the company enough time to understand the market and to design an offering to suit Indian
customers. Oodio had a special relationship with its customers since it advised them on how to modify their
workflows to make the most of its service.
Ashutosh Khadria - SSK White Collar
Ashutosh Khadria started SSK White Collar, a professional dry cleaning, laundry, door to door service in
Bengaluru in 2008. With around 70 employees, both permanent and contract, the company is a pioneer in
the professional and premium dry cleaning and laundry services. The unique aspect of this business is that
a customer’s dry clean or laundry is picked up or delivered within 30 minutes of the customer’s call. With
a presence at 25 locations, it has become the first choice for customers, when it comes to quality, trust,
timeliness and the best-in-class customer service.
The biggest challenge that Ashutosh faced was people management. Right from the very beginning he knew
that after hiring people and training them, retaining them would be a challenge. However, after promoting
intraprenueship and empowering his employees – the youth of India - by training them in this particular
industry, he looks forward to their contribution to the firm’s growth and an increase in its presence in other
metros, Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities in India and perhaps abroad.
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Bhuvarahan Tirumalai – Aspiration Energy Private Ltd.
Bhuvarahan Tirumalai, the founder of Aspiration Energy Private Ltd., started this innovative Solar Energy
Services company business in 2009 with Aspire systems, a `150-crore IT services company, as co-founder.
With support and seed-funding from the Renewable Search program (RE:Search), the firm was jointly
administered by IIM Ahmedabad’s (IIMA) Centre for Innovation Incubation and Entrepreneurship (CIIE) and
the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE).
With 18 permanent and 7 current employees, the company offers solar solutions for industrial process
heating and solar powering of telecom towers on a unique monthly performance based energy
charges model - PAYS (Pay as You Save). Overcoming its current hurdles, the company aims to proliferate
renewable energy solutions that are socially, technically and commercially viable and reach renewable
energy solutions to all sections of the world.
Pravesh Dudani - Medhavi Foundation
Pravesh Dudani is the promoter of Medhavi Foundation, a company based out of Dhanbad, Jharkhand, with
a zonal office at New Delhi. He started this business, which provides education services to K12 schools, in
2012. The services offered include career and education assessments and counseling.
With a tight staff of 5 employees, the company provides its services to illustrious clients including Ryan
International, Delhi/NCR, Pragyan School, Noida, St. Xaviers, Dhanbad, DPS, Dhanbad, GGSPS, Bokaro,
St. Joseph, Pune, Dhanbad Public School, Rajkamal Saraswati Vidya Mandir, Dhanbad.
Based on great research, an innovative business model and its Psychometric Career Assessment, the
company looks forward to selling 12,000 iDC Career Planning Kit in this financial year, mentoring 10 million
students by 2017 and a revenue of ` 100 crore by the end of its 5th year in existence.
Hasina Kharbhih - Impulse Social Enterprises
Hasina Kharbhih from Shillong, Meghalaya started up Impulse Social Enterprises (ISE) in 2011. This company
has developed a relationship with artisans in the North East over the past 15 years, with a unique social focus
to empower women through sustainable entrepreneurship and fair trade, which is its core value.
With its motto: Trade not Aid, its objective is to provide a service that ends poverty and empowers women
artisan entrepreneurs. According to Hasina, this mission will prevent unsafe migration. With regards to
numbers, this will affect approximately 20,000 women artisans in 8 North Eastern states and Myanmar. She
would also like to see ISE expand and make inroads to all South East Asian countries, with the brand and
model being replicated.
Anabil Goswami - Arohan Foods Private Ltd.
Anabil Goswami started his pork integrator company, Arohan Foods Private Ltd., less than a year ago.
With complete integration from piglet to product, dedicated R&D in the piggery sector and use of local
indigenous produce, he supplies his products through modern retail stores.
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Despite challenges, which include changing mindsets, eliminating middlemen, a challenging geography
and others, he plans to scale up to reach customers across India and farmers across northeast for better
productivity.
Neha Juneja - Greenway Grameen
Greenway Grameen, a company that designs and distributes household utility products to rural consumers,
was set up by Neha Juneja. With a technology team that identifies the need gaps in rural markets, the company
designs product solutions to solve them. Its distribution and marketing team works on introducing these to
the intended consumers through selected and nurtured rural sales channels. For example, its first product –
the Greenway Smart Stove - is a single burner, high efficiency stove designed as a modern replacement for
traditional mud stoves. With its patent pending design, it delivers 65% fuel savings and 70% smoke reduction
while making everyday cooking convenient, healthy and safe. More such products are under development.
By undertaking a design process that co-creates with consumers and has consumer validation built into the
design stage criteria, the company has overcome many of its challenges. Looking ahead, its primary mission
is to ensure that ‘Greenway’ is a brand of choice for its consumers.
Priya J. Parab - Vihaan Natural Pvt. Ltd.
After gaining 15 years of work experience at prestigious corporates including Citibank, Bennett, Coleman &
Company, Federal Express Corporation and Servcorp (Australia), Priya J. Parab has been an entrepreneur
for the past 5 years. She started Vihaan Natural Pvt. Ltd., a company that manufactures natural, multi-grain
health-shake mixes, which are packed in single-serve sachets in automated machines, without human
touch. They are marketed online as well as offline, under the brand name ‘Strombss’, an acronym for
‘Strong Minds and Bodies’. These products received good traction and the company plans to introduce
ready-to-drink beverage lines in the functional foods category too.
Priya’s vision is to make Strombss a household name among discerning global consumers. She envisages
that it will become a generic for natural health and will be popularly known as THE trustworthy wellness brand
for good health, naturally. In the long run, the company wishes to bring about a positive change in underprivileged areas of societies suffering from mal-nourishment.
Abhijeet Gan - Rite Water Solutions (India) Pvt. Ltd
Abhijeet Gan is the founder, promoter of Rite Water Solutions (India) Pvt. Ltd, a company working towards
providing potable water solutions to rural India. Through the use of simple and sustainable technologies
for treating chemically contaminated water, Rite Water sets up water treatment plants suited for rural India
based on sustainable products developed inhouse in affected villages, thereby providing safe water to
the people.
In the last three years, Rite Water has set up more than 100 community water centres in water-quality-affected
villages of Maharashtra, Chattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, providing safe drinking water to more than 100,000
people on a daily basis.
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At present, Rite Water is operational in three water quality affected states and has set up over 125 community
water centres in these states. Over the next three years, it plans to scale across ten affected states and set
up 1000 community water centres, thereby impacting the lives of more than 1 million people by providing
them access to safe drinking water.
Kripal Sinh Jadeja - Roger Motors Pvt Ltd.
Born and brought up in the disciplined environment of the Indian Navy, Kripal Sinh Jadeja from Rajkot,
Gujarat, set up Roger Motors Pvt Ltd., a company in the business of increasing the pleasure of driving and
boosting the confidence of those who drive, by providing innovative customized solutions. Some of these are
car maintenance and selling of innovative safety gadgets for cars. It has a well planned business concept,
wherein it delights customers by providing safety, comfort and styling features of high end cars to the low end
or mid segment cars. The company also provides individual customized solutions for different driving patterns
in different terrains. Its innovative accessories are fitted not only in new cars but also in old cars.
Kripal plans to open 111 outlets and 1,110 dealerships of innovative car accessories across India and
diversify the business into the commercial, marine and two wheeler sectors also.
One step away
After sifting through business ideas that flowed in from the length and breadth of the country,
Masterpreneur India, the country’s biggest talent hunt show, narrowed its focus to 14 contestants,
from over 800 who applied from the four predefined zones. These contestants came from different
backgrounds and have promoted their enterprises in sectors as varied as education, technology, food,
services and more.
The semi-finals, which proceeded over a period of two days, exposed the selected semi-finalists to
mentoring from industry experts, who shared the wisdom they had gained from years of experience.
They were also treated to interactive workshops that allowed them to share their experiences, while
guiding them on how to survive the challenges faced by entrepreneurs, develop their businesses and
take it to the next level.
There were three main tasks that the semi-finalists were given. In the first, they had to individually prove
their leadership qualities. They were required to present an anecdote of their entrepreneurial journey
and later analyse that story before the jury who queried them on their successes and failures and
the learnings that they extrapolated from their experiences. They were sometimes asked hypothetical
questions to gauge their vision and leadership skills. While the contestants faced rigorous scrutiny by
the eminent jurors, it was a valuable learning experience that would change their lives in many ways.
The second task, called ‘Survival of the Fittest’, was a group assignment crafted to test the core
competencies of the participants. Teams of five were pitted against each other. Each team was
presented with a set of business props and a mandate to set up a business. The winning team was
chosen based on how they set up and managed their fictitious business and the winning team was the
one that earned the most from it.
The last task was collaborative in nature, requiring the participants to set up a business using internal
and external resources that were provided to them.
The winners of the semi-final round, Anabil Goswami, Hasina Kharbhih, Abhijeet Gan, Neha Juneja
and Saumil Majmudar, were now only one step away from the victory of being crowned India’s first
Masterpreneur!
The Jury
• Sarbvir Singh, Managing Director, Capital18
• Dr Surinder Kapur, Chairman, Sona Group,
• PK Bajpai, CFO, BHEL
• Dr Alok Bharadwaj, Executive Vice-President,
Canon India
• DK Sarraf, Managing Director,ONGC Videsh Ltd
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Finalists - in the spotlight
(Left to right)
• Saumil Majmudar
• Hasina Kharbhih
• Abhijeet Gan
• Anabil Goswami
• Neha Juneja
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The Grand Finale
At a spectacular event held at the Taj Palace, New Delhi, the five finalists assembled before a panel of
eminent jurors, comprising Dr. Surinder Kapur, Chairman, Sona Group; Sunil Munjal, Joint Managing
Director, Hero Mortocorp; Sanjay Pugalia, Managing Editor, CNBC Awaaz; Bharat Agarwal, Director,
Dainik Bhaskar Group; Sasha Mirchandani, Founder and Managing Director, Kae Capital and Sanjeev
Aggarwal MD Helion, to stake their claim to the title of Masterpreneur - 2013.
After an opening note from Sanjay Pugalia and inspiring speeches by Dr. Surinder Kapur and Sunil
Munjal, each of the finalists was subjected to two tasks during the evening. During the first task, each
contestant was introduced through an audio-visual after which he or she could make a pitch to the
jury, describing their achievements and aspirations and finally, the jury was given the opportunity to
interact with the participant through a question and answer session. The second task involved each of
the contestants facing an open-ended conversation with the jury and the audience.
The winners were chosen on the basis of the scores that the jury allotted to them. The prestigious
awards and gifts were presented to the winners - Hasina Kharbhih (Winner), Saumil Majmudar (First
Runner-up) and Anabil Goswami (Second Runner-up).
The Jury
Dr. Surinder Kapur – Chairman, Sona Group
Dr. Surinder Kapur, a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Michigan State University, is the Founder of
The Sona AutoComp Group, a pioneer in the Indian automobile components manufacturing industry,
with plants in India, Germany and USA.
Sunil Munjal – Joint Managing Director, Hero MotoCorp
Sunil Kant Munjal also serves as Managing Director and Chairman of Hero MindMine Institute Ltd and
is the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Hero Corporate Service Limited of DCM Shriram
Consolidated Ltd. and The Hero Group.
Sanjay Pugalia – Editor – In – Chief – CNBC Awaaz
Sanjay Pugalia, 52 years, is the Editor of CNBC Awaaz. He is a journalist with 25 years of experience
across leading media organizations, both print and electronic. Prior to joining Network18, he was the
News Director at Star News, having helped Star TV make its successful foray in the business of new
dissemination in India. He also served as the Executive Editor of Zee News and Deputy Executive
Producer at AajTak when these channels were evolving only to redefine Hindi TV journalism later on. His
earlier experience also includes stints with the Navbharat Times, the Business Standard and BBC Radio.
He has covered both political as well as corporate events with utmost ease.
Vineet Nayyar – Vice Chairman & Joint Managing Director, HCL technologies
Vineet Nayyar is widely acknowledged for his management vision and radical thinking. He architected
the company’s “Employees First, Customers Second” strategy, which transformed HCL’s business. He
is also the author of the highly acclaimed management book “Employees First, Customers Second:
Turning Conventional Management Upside Down” (Harvard Business Press, June 2010).
Sasha Mirchandani – Founder and Managing Director, Kae Capital
Sasha Mirchandani is also the Co-founder of Mumbai Angels, India’s first Angel Investment group. Prior
launching Kae Capital, an early seed stage fund, he was the Managing Director at Blue Run Ventures where
he focused on consumer, internet, mobile, media, entertainment and knowledge process outsourcing.
Sanjeev Agarwal – Managing Director, Helion
Sanjeev Aggarwal, an electrical engineering-cum-MBA, is a co-founder of Helion, an India-focused, early
to mid-stage venture fund. He has served on the Boards of MakeMyTrip and Unitedlex and is currently
on the Boards of IndiaHomes, Azure Power, Amba Research, Eye-Q and ShopClues.
Dr. Bharat Agarwal – Director, Dainik Bhaskar Group
Dr. Bharat Agarwal is a medical doctor-cum-business manager-cum-philosophy graduate who nearly
became an engineer! As Executive Director of the Dainik Bhaskar Group, his responsibilities include
overseeing several projects right from the concept and pre-launch stage.
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First Among Equals
Making dreams come true
Winner: Hasina Kharbhih
First Runner-up: Saumil Majmudar
Second Runner-up: Anabil Goswami
Hasina Kharbhih - Winner
Vision:
• To promote dignity of life through financial and physical security for
all, especially women and children
•
o provide a service that ends poverty and empowers women artiT
san entrepreneurs
•
To prevent unsafe migration to urban areas
•
o see ISE expand and make inroads to all South East Asian counT
tries, with the brand and model being replicated
Saumil Majmudar – First Runner up
Vision: To develop a generation of healthy and fit children through the
magic of sports by partnering with 1000 schools and covering a million
children in 4 years.
Awards, Rewards and Incentives
The winner and all the finalists received a host of rewards, both financial and non-financial, including:
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•
An opportunity to meet venture capital firms and interact with their partners beyond the “pitch” process
Anabil Goswami – Second Runner up
•
A chance to meet with a highly accomplished industry stalwart
•
ublicity in the form of a multimedia campaign worth up to ` 25 lakh on Network 18 channels,
P
publications and websites
•
Mentoring from Sona Koyo
Vision: To set off a pork revolution, if you may, leading to consistently
higher annual incomes for farmers involved, better quality pigs for
the company’s processing and the best quality produce from any
Indian producer.
•
elevision showcase of the entrepreneur’s journey - struggles, dreams and achievements. This put
T
the entrepreneur and the business on the national stage in a specially designed show
•
ngoing mentoring and consulting for a full year from Friends of Ambition to companies from
O
Middle India
•
Hand holding into big league
oLegal / HR / Tax/ Marketing consulting advice
o Networking opportunities with a host of influencers
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Partners and Sponsors
CNBC Awaaz
A part of the media conglomerate Network 18, CNBC Awaaz has been driving the cause of small
businesses for several years and has been the pioneer in this effort. The network has enabled,
recognized and empowered this enormous community with dedicated content and ground platforms.
It has been a significant source of information dissemination and advice to this vibrant community
of Entrepreneurs through the weekly Programme AWAAZ Entrepreneur, which has been recognized
and awarded as India’s Best Business Feature running on Indian Television by the NT academy. Apart
from the Emerging India Awards, which have become the world’s largest business awards, other
programmes, such as Chhota Business Bade Sapne, have been well received along with other policy
driven content.
Sona Group
The Sona Group, Masterpreneur’s Presenting Sponsor, was founded in 1987 to manufacture
components for the automotive industry. Today it is a USD 800 million multi-national – with over 16
plants across India, 3 in Germany and 1 in the USA. The group also has a strategic position in Fuji
Autotec, Europe - which has subsidiaries in Brazil, France, Sweden and the Czech Republic. Starting
out as a “Manufacture to Print” organisation, the group today boasts having created its own IPR
particularly in the areas of power steering for off highway applications and precision forging.
Its founder chairman Dr. Surinder Kapur and vice chairman & managing director, Sunjay J. Kapur have
been the driving force behind the event and envision a long series of annual Masterpreneur India talent
hunt contests under their mentorship.
Infocom Network Ltd.
Infocom Network Ltd. was established in the year 1990 to serve as a conduit for Global Buyers and
Indian Sellers through its publication “Exporters Yellow Pages”. In 1996, with the proliferation of the
internet in India, Infocom Network Ltd. launched www.tradeindia.com, which is today India’s largest
B2B virtual marketplace. It helping SME’s promote their business cost effectively, both within and
outside India. This business search engine for SMEs has over 2.6 million global registered users, a
commanding presence through its 38 branch offices and manpower strength of over 1300 people
across India.
Knowledge Partner
Friends of Ambition is the nation’s first business growth platform for Middle India [mid-size towns].
It works with ambitious businesses in Middle India to help them grow their revenue, customer
profile, product and service portfolio, geographic footprint, profitability and socio economic impact.
Its clients have a turnover of between ` 100 crore and ` 1,000 crore.
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Thank You
CNBC AWAAZ expresses its sincere gratitude to
the Sona Group, Friends of Ambition, Infocom
Network Ltd. and all other partners, sponsors
and well wishers who have extended their
support and cooperation towards making
Masterpreneur India - 2013 a grand success.
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