UP ON THE RISE 2: REINVENTING BUSINESS THROUGH INNOVATION | 22^ND MARCH 2025

On 22^nd March 2025, Jaipuria Institute of Management, Lucknow, in collaboration with TiE Lucknow, successfully hosted the E-Summit - “UP on the Rise 2” under the theme “Reinventing Business through Innovation.” The event was well organized by the Jaipuria Incubation Foundation and Incubation Committee under the guidance of Dr. Kavita Pathak (Director) and was well spearheaded by Dr. Jyoti Dewan (Chair, Incubation Committee). The event was well coordinated by Mr. Aniket Gupta (Student Coordinator: Incubation Committee) with the support of Mr. Mrinal Anand (Senior Member, Incubation Committee), Mr. Sagar Agarwal (Senior Member, Incubation Committee), Ms. Avni Sikarwar (Senior Member, Incubation Committee), Mr. Rituraj Praveen (Junior Representative, Incubation Committee), Mr. Sashwat Pandey (Junior Representative, Incubation Committee), & Mr. Shariq Ansari (Junior Representative, Incubation Committee) and all the volunteers.

The summit served as a dynamic platform that brought together industry leaders, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and innovators to explore Uttar Pradesh’s evolving start-up ecosystem and discuss strategies for sustainable, innovation-driven growth.

The summit commenced with the ceremonial lighting of the lamp in the honorable presence of Dr. Kavita Pathak, Dr. Jyoti Dewan, Mr. Murali Bukkapatnam (Chairman, TiE Global; Founder & CEO, Volsky Technologies), and Mr. Pranav Aggarwal (President, TiE Lucknow).

The summit proceeded with a welcome address by Mr. Pranav Aggarwal, where he expressed his gratitude to the attendees and highlighted the role of TiE in empowering women entrepreneurs through financial support and training. He further emphasized how TiE Lucknow helps entrepreneurs develop essential skills, encourages innovation, and provides the necessary resources to grow. He concluded by saying, “Let’s build, innovate, and create India’s biggest entrepreneurial hub.”

The summit moved further with an opening note address of Dr. Kavita Pathak, who warmly welcomed everyone and extended her gratitude to Dr. Jyoti Dewan and TiE Lucknow for their collaboration in making the event possible. Further, she emphasized the growing entrepreneurial spirit in Lucknow and Uttar Pradesh, highlighting the importance of developing human capital. She concluded by saying, “Entrepreneurship, for us, is a behavior that reflects proactiveness, innovation, risk-taking, and perseverance toward a vision.”

The summit moved further with several enlightening and enriching sessions:

Keynote Session: Mr. Murali Bukkapatnam (Chairman, TiE Global; Founder & CEO, Volsky Technologies)

The summit was graced with its First Keynote session by Mr. Murali Bukkapatnam, who delivered a keynote address, shedding light on TiE Global’s contributions to fostering entrepreneurship worldwide. He emphasized the importance of mentorship, innovation, and a strong support system in empowering local economies.

Session 1: Strategic Synergies: Innovation Tiding from Academia.

The first panel session of the day was centered around the theme “Strategic Synergies: Innovation Tiding from Academia.” The distinguished panel included Dr. Shalini Nath Tripathi (Chairperson, Centre for Holistic Well Being), Dr. Ajay Jha (Area Chair, Operations), Dr. Hemendra Gupta (Area Chair, Finance), Dr. Amit Trivedi (Area Chair, Business Analytics), Dr. V.V. Ratna (Chairperson - Centre for Teaching & Learning), Mr. Manu Pandey (Manager, MDP & Consulting) and Dr. Jyoti Dewan

Dr. Shalini Nath Tripathi opened the session by highlighting the intrinsic connection between marketing and entrepreneurship. She shared insights from key academic-industry collaborations, mentioning projects with Hindustan Petroleum, Metro, and Gyan, where her team conducted demand forecasting and data analysis to help enhance profitability.

Following her, Dr. Ajay Jha spoke about the transformation of inputs into outputs, emphasizing that many startups fail due to a lack of operational knowledge. He highlighted the importance of understanding operations in driving sustainable growth.

Dr. Hemendra Gupta delved into the support extended to MSMEs through Jaipuria’s initiatives. He elaborated on services such as cost estimation, working capital finance, startup valuation, cost minimization strategies, and methods to preserve, distribute, and grow wealth - especially for emerging businesses.

Dr. Amit Trivedi emphasized the role of data in decision-making. He discussed how his team supports startups through database systems, data analysis - including descriptive and MNL analysis - and by offering data-driven consulting solutions tailored to entrepreneurial needs.

Mr. Manu Pandey addressed the ongoing need to bridge the gap between industry and academia. He spoke about identifying current market needs and tailoring academic contributions accordingly. Highlighting collaborations with organizations like Bharat Petroleum and private entities such as Gyan, Devvis, and Amara Craft, he stressed the importance of continuous learning and adaptive strategy.

Dr. V.V. Ratna began by expressing gratitude and introduced his domain of expertise - general management and strategy. He further spoke about fostering business growth in a dynamic environment using tools like SWOT analysis, Porter’s Five Forces, and PESTEL analysis to assess and guide companies strategically.

Concluding the session, Dr. Jyoti Dewan highlighted the role of the Incubation Center at Jaipuria Institute of Management, inaugurated by Shri Rajnath Singh Ji in 2018. She discussed the series of events planned around innovation and design thinking and emphasized Jaipuria’s active collaborations with startups to nurture innovation and entrepreneurship.

Session 2: Revolutionizing the Food Business – Innovation, Growth, & Government Support

The second session of the summit focused on the transformation of the food processing sector through technological innovation and government-backed initiatives. The Honorable guest of the session was Mr. B.L. Meena (Additional Chief Secretary, Food Processing Department, U.P.), who provided insights into food technology advancements, aquaponics, and export opportunities, emphasizing how modern farming techniques and government policies are unlocking new business opportunities.

The session moved further with the Panel Discussion, moderated by Mr. Sachin Sahni (Former President, TiE Lucknow), and featuring esteemed industry leaders: Mr. Rakesh Ladhani, (Director, Amrit Bottlers), Mr. Vasudev Chawla (Director, Mahesh Namkeen) and Mr. Ankit Sahni (Founder, The Hazelnut Factory). The esteemed guests shared practical insights into real-world innovations, strategies for scaling food businesses, and the challenges faced in the industry. They also highlighted how supportive government policies are shaping the food processing sector and driving growth in the region.

Session 3: MYUVA – Empowering Young Entrepreneurs

The summit moved further with its third session of the day. With a special focus on youth entrepreneurship, Ms. Shivani Singh (Assistant Commissioner (Industries), MSME Department, Government of U.P.,) introduced the CM-YUVA scheme.

She highlighted that the scheme provides interest-free loans of up to INR 5 lakhs, aiming to support one lakh young entrepreneurs annually. This initiative is set to transform the start-up ecosystem in Uttar Pradesh, providing financial assistance, mentorship, and skill development opportunities.

Session 4: Unlocking Business Potential with Artificial Intelligence

The summit’s fourth session explored the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on modern businesses. The session was graced with the presence of the guest of session Mr. Amit Jadhav (AI Expert), who delivered an engaging session on “AI Revolution: Transforming Businesses for Tomorrow.” He highlighted AI’s role in enhancing efficiency across logistics, healthcare, and customer service, showcasing its potential to streamline operations. Additionally, he emphasized the power of automation and data analytics in improving decision-making, enabling businesses to make more informed and strategic choices. He also discussed how start-ups can integrate AI-driven solutions to scale sustainably, leveraging technology to drive long-term growth and innovation.

His session left attendees with a futuristic perspective on AI-driven business models and their potential to revolutionize traditional industries.

Keynote Session: Entrepreneurial Journey with Mr. Vishal Jindal (Founder, Biryani by Kilo)

The summit moved further, featuring a keynote address by Mr. Vishal Jindal (Founder, Biryani by Kilo) where he shared his entrepreneurial journey from launching a small start-up to building a successful food-tech brand.

He further emphasized the importance of innovation in food business operations, highlighting how creative strategies can drive efficiency and growth. He also stressed the need for a customer-centric approach to build sustained brand loyalty, ensuring that businesses cater to evolving consumer preferences. Additionally, he underscored the resilience required to develop a scalable and profitable business, navigating challenges while maintaining a strong vision.

His inspiring story provided valuable insights for aspiring entrepreneurs.

Session 5: Unstoppable Lucknow – Startups Defining the Future

The day continued with a highly engaging panel discussion, which celebrated the growing start-up ecosystem in Lucknow.

The panel featured prominent start-up founders: Mr. Rohit Manglik (Founder, EduGorilla), Mr. Syed Faiz Hasan (Managing Director, Imperier Holdings), Mr. Varul Mayank (Founder, Knocksense), Mr. Neelesh Kapoor (Founder, Entreprenext), Mr. Prateek Rastogi (Founder, Better Nutrition).

Each panelist shared firsthand experiences of building innovative ventures in Lucknow, highlighting the challenges they faced and how they leveraged the city's evolving support systems for entrepreneurship. The discussion underscored Lucknow’s growing reputation as a major Start-Up hub in North India.

Session 6: Turning Passion into a Thriving Career

The final session of the summit focused on leveraging passion, creativity, and digital platforms to build a successful career.

The panel featured inspiring professionals: Ms. Kopal Khanna (Founder, Tape a Tale), Mr. Maroof Umar (Video Content Creator), and Ms. Saumya Khandelwal (Accomplished Photojournalist).

The candid discussion offered valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities within the creative industry, emphasizing how digital platforms have opened unprecedented avenues for independent creators to reach global audiences.

Each panelist shared their unique journey of turning passion into profession. They spoke about how their love for storytelling shaped their careers in different ways.

Mr. Maroof Umar shared that initially, he simply wanted to follow his passion without focusing on earnings, but eventually realized that making a living is also part of the journey. Both Mr. Maroof Umar and Ms. Kopal Khanna emphasized the importance of focusing on one’s work rather than chasing likes and followers, as the hunger for validation is never-ending.

Ms. Saumya Khandelwal reflected on her own path - after completing her BBA, she questioned her direction and ultimately chose to pursue what truly made her happy. As a photojournalist, she faced financial ups and downs, but the fulfillment in doing what she loved kept her going.

All of them echoed one sentiment: “When you do what you love, it never feels like work.”

The summit concluded with networking sessions, fostering collaboration among entrepreneurs, investors, industry leaders, and aspiring start-up founders.

“UP on the Rise 2” successfully served as a catalyst for innovation, knowledge exchange, and business development, strengthening Jaipuria Institute of Management, Lucknow's role in fostering entrepreneurship in Uttar Pradesh.

With a commitment to empowering future business leaders, Jaipuria Institute of Management, Lucknow, continues to bridge the gap between academia and industry—creating an ecosystem where entrepreneurial dreams become reality.

Team Media Relations Committee for the Workshop coverage:

Under the guidance of Faculty Coordinator: Dr. Reeti Agarwal

Writer: Mr. Arish Ahmad, Mr. Kaushal Kumar and Mr. Shubham Kumar Pandey

Photographer: Ms. Anshika Verma, Mr. Syed Amaan Ali, and Mr. Mohd Amir

Graphic Designer: Ms. Asna Shah