The annual Startup Competition of SAI International School was conducted on Wednesday, July 19, 2017. Shri L.N.Gupta, IAS, Additional Chief Secretary MSME, the person behind Odisha Startup Policy, graced the occasion as the Chief Guest and judged the competition.

Thirty seven entrepreneurial projects lined up in the Indraprastha auditorium showcased the bright innovative ideas of the students simultaneously reflected their concern for the rising pollution, public welfare and development of the smart city. Shri Gupta congratulated the students for their innovative ideas and the school for introducing Entrepreneurship as a part of their curriculum.

Addressing the students, he said “Dr.Sahoo is the biggest example of Social entrepreneurship for you. Making SAI International, the No.1 School in the State and No.5 in the Country, is quite an achievement.”

To inspire the budding talents, he outlined the various measures taken by the State Government to encourage students for becoming entrepreneurs and said that “Let SAI International School become the first School to adopt the Learning and Development (L&D) programme”. The L&D programme is a 4-week online programme for early stage entrepreneurs and is available free of cost on the website, www.startupodisha.gov.in.

Shri Gupta suggested identifying the best five projects of the school and registering those in the MSME web portal for startups, which if found feasible will be connected with angel investors as well as given an opportunity to take part in the ‘Festival of Innovation’ to be held later this year.

Dr. B.K.Sahoo, Chairman, SAI International School cited the success stories of 14 year old entrepreneur Harshwardhan Zala and Colonel Harland Sanders, who started KFC at the age of 65, said that, ‘passion which is the driving force behind entrepreneurship, is not age specific’.

The competition provides an amazing platform for the students of Senior Secondary Commerce to exhibit their business acumen and get an opportunity to discuss about their model startup ventures with eminent personalities. It is organized every year to promote entrepreneurship among the students by encouraging them to initiate and build up on their idea to a meaningful business model. SAI International School always nurtures and supports its students who display great innovative skills.