2 mins read You flew the flag, you gave it your best shot and you have already made us proud. Remember that one moment in time when everything you had worked at came together. It doesn’t matter if you win or lose; for that one 25 minute slot you were the center of universe for all of us. You were free and we loved you for it.
6 mins read The formula that worked was simple. As we had suspected in Macau and Singapore, it wasn’t rocket science. Pick a good product idea that deserves to win. Pick a team that wants to win and is willing to put in the effort required. Pair them with a mentor who has either judged or pitched at APICTA. Review their presentations and get through at least two iterations before you hit the airport. When you land at the venue, book a conference room for two nights. Lock nominees and judges together till 2 am in the morning and don’t let any contestant sleep till their mentor is happy with flow and the slide deck. Repeat if necessary.
< 1 min read Its TEDx day today. Promised myself that I would do this someday and I guess today was it… Three of
5 mins read I know I am going to get a lot of flack with my focus on implementation. There is a reason why I push for it. When we together wrote the first draft for the proposal that ultimately got funded we made three promises to our investors. Each idea that we pick will use the grant we release to reach launch and make a difference. Each idea that we fund will get to a stage where it will become a role model for others. Each idea that we push and promote will show that you can change the world with US$10,000.
4 mins read If I have three prizes with 75 entries I may pick as many as six winners for my short list. These winners have all made it beyond my first cut because they fit the business plan competition theme, they have answered the question, they have scored high and they have all made my job easier as a judge by giving me the information I need to score them. They all love their ideas, this much is apparent but they have also helped me see why their idea is worth loving.
2 mins read One big benefit of teaching the very bright and loving students at SP Jain has been this underground collection of