15th, March 2023, Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh: Vanthena, the flagship pre-incubation program of Atal Incubation Centre – Sri Krishnadevaraya University (AIC-SKU), aims to nurture student innovators into entrepreneurs. The 4th cohort of the program ran from February 28th to March 10th, 2023, and attracted participation from eight student teams from three colleges: Mallareddy College of Engineering and Technology, Hyderabad; Bapatla Engineering College, Bapatla; and Sri Venkateshwara Degree and PG College, Anantapur.
The program’s primary objective is to equip students with the knowledge and skills required to transform their innovative ideas into viable business ventures. It is a 100-day bridging program, with the Vanthena workshop being a two-week component, organized by AIC-SKU and facilitated by experts from various fields. The Vanthena workshop covered a range of topics, including financial and business modeling, intellectual property rights, sustainable business practices, branding and marketing strategies, team building and management, market validation, and go-to-market strategies.
At the end of the workshop, the participating student groups exchanged pre-incubation agreements with AIC-SKU, committing to becoming entrepreneurs with their innovations. AIC-SKU will support the student teams with mentoring, prototyping, and business modeling for three months. Following this period, AIC-SKU will offer 24 months of incubation support to the students. The program was attended by various experts, including Mr. Shareef Yaseen, Director, FundEnable, Hyderabad, Bindu Sharma, Founder & CEO, Origin IP, Bangalore, Lavanya, Director, Lavanya & Associates, Keshav Devanand, Founder, RedArrow Marketing, Shaheen, Founder & CEO, ExtenKeys Pvt. Ltd., Anantapur, Dr. Shivakiran, CEO, AIC SKU, and Dr. Chandra Mouli, Incubation Manager.
AIC-SKU Confederation is an Atal Incubation Centre supported by Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog, Govt. of India, and AP Innovation Society, Govt. of Andhra Pradesh. It is a Not for Profit Section-8 Company registered as a Special Purpose Vehicle. The organization aims to create and nurture an entrepreneurial spirit in the community ecosystem and support start-ups and emerging businesses in sectors such as agriculture, food processing, circular economy, renewable energy, and IT, leading to job creation and economic development. Prof. MRK Reddy, Vice-Chancellor, Sri Krishnadevaraya University, Anantapur, and Prof. Nagabhushanam Raju, Executive Director, AIC-SKU, participated in the program.