The 12^th edition of the Tata Social Enterprise Challenge (TSEC) at IIM Calcutta has marked another significant milestone in promoting social entrepreneurship in India. This year’s edition introduced innovative features, expanded its reach, and created new categories that opened doors for a broader range of entrepreneurial talent. The event, which concluded in September 2024, set new benchmarks for future editions and continued its mission of nurturing social enterprises that address critical societal issues.

 

The event unfolded over three dynamic days, offering a mix of mentoring, training, and pitching opportunities. It began with a bootcamp that offered rigorous training to the Top 50 startups. The day began with a specialised workshop by Dr. Ringo Rajagopal, CEO, uMobi Solutions Corp and Visiting Faculty at IIM Calcutta. It was followed by one-on-one mentoring sessions with prominent mentors from IIM Calcutta Innovation Park, like Debapratim Das, CFO, IIMCIP; Suman Mukhopadhyay, Mentor, IIMCIP; Namami Ghosh, Head of Incubation, IIMCIP; Pankaj Baruah, Head of Portfolio Management, IIMCIP; Dr. Ringo Rajagopal, CEO, uMobi Solutions Corp.; and Gaurav Kapoor, CBO, IIMCIP. The mentoring allowed the participants to enhance their pitches and boost their chances of success in the competition.

The second day was all about the pitch presentations. Startups presented their ideas to esteemed panels of judges, with a focus on innovation, scalability and social impact. The panels featured a distinguished lineup of industry experts and entrepreneurs, including T N Hari, Executive Chairman, STEER World and Member of the Board, IIMCIP; Mr. Ankur Shah, AVP, Patni Capital; Dr. Ringo Rajagopal; Foram Nagori, Head CSR, Tata Power; Anuj Sharma, Founder, Alsisar Impact; Uday Chatterjee, Director, TiE Dehradun; Deepak Daftari, Founder, E-Siksha & Ex-President, TiE Kolkata; Debraj Kundu, TCS, Sub ISU Head, CBG Retail UK & EU; K Chandran, MD & CEO, Campus Angel Network and Member of the Board, IIMCIP; Rachana Chandrashekhar, Upaya Social Venture; and Gaurav Shah, Founder, ISDM (TBC).

The top 10 startups advanced to the final day’s summit, while others benefited from a funding strategy workshop led by Debapratim Das. The workshop covered critical aspects of securing funding and scaling a social venture, giving participants the tools to navigate their entrepreneurial journeys.

On the final day, the top startups competed for prestigious awards and recognition, pitching their ideas to a distinguished panel comprising senior members of the Tata Group and IIM Calcutta Innovation Park like Ajay Jain, Member of the Board, IIM Calcutta & IIMCIP; Dr. Subhrangshu Sanyal, CEO, IIMCIP; K Neelakantan, Partner, Ankur Capital; Hari Balasubramanian, Member, Indian Angel Network; Chako Thomas, Head, Tata Sustainability Group; Manojit Sengupta, TCS, Digital Customer Experience Head; and Sourav Roy, Chief (Corporate Social Responsibility), Tata Steel Foundation.

 

The TSEC Summit

The program’s final day concluded with a grand Summit, bringing together more than 500 startup founders, industry leaders, seasoned entrepreneurs and students.

Peppered with insightful panel discussions, the Summit featured an interesting discourse on the “Challenges & Opportunities of Social Entrepreneurs” by IIMCIP-incubated startups and social entrepreneurs, Ekta Jaju, Founder of Onganic and Prarthana Kaul, Cofounder of GiftAbled. Another discussion, “Social Entrepreneurship: Challenges & Exploring Opportunities,” featured experts like Hari Balasubramanian and K Neelakantan. These discussions provided actionable advice and a rich networking opportunity for the attendees.

The competition culminated in the announcement of this year’s winners. Backyard Creators, founded by Raman R. and Lakshmanan R., took home the top prize, while Navmarg Research and Innovation and Padmaseetha Technologies were declared first and second runners-up, respectively. Alphaion received the seed fund award for its innovative efforts, marking a promising future for the startup.

 

New additions

One of the standout additions this year was the Tata Steel Thematic Prize, designed to recognise startups tackling challenges across five key themes. These included environmental sustainability, health and wellness, waste management, manufacturing for social good, and water and sanitation. Each theme highlighted the importance of targeted solutions for some of the world’s most pressing concerns. Startups such as UGreen Technology in environment and climate action, CareNX Innovations (Fetosense) in health and wellness, Aarug Reusable Pads in manufacturing and social good, Royal Bengal Greentech in waste management and recycling and Vaidic Srijan in water and sanitation emerged as exemplary innovators in their respective fields.

The introduction of the TSEC Young Innovators Challenge was a thoughtful addition, providing a platform for young entrepreneurs from West Bengal to present their innovative ideas. Teams like Ayudyog from Jadavpur University, AvionX Aerospace from Adamas University and Jamabavantha from Heritage Institute of Technology showcased their creativity and problem-solving skills. The inclusion of students and young professionals reinforced TSEC’s commitment to fostering the next generation of social entrepreneurs.

 

The 12^th edition of TSEC reaffirmed its role as a catalyst for social change, offering a platform for entrepreneurs to address crucial societal issues. With every edition, the Tata Social Enterprise Challenge continues to evolve, solidifying its commitment to fostering impactful social enterprises that contribute to a more equitable and sustainable world.