In the present times, the quintessential objective of a business or startup transcends the mere acquisition of profit. Every entrepreneur must engage in profound contemplation on how they might reciprocate to society, with a conscientious regard for environmental stewardship. It is from this ethos that the Ideation Competition – “Innovate for Impact” was conceived, a collaborative endeavour between the Loreto College Incubation Center and the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta Innovation Park. The culminating round of this competition was held at the Loreto College campus in Kolkata on 5th April 2025.

 

The event offered students from across the nation a platform to showcase their avant-garde startup concepts, which bear the potential to engender a positive influence on both the environment and society in the foreseeable future. Over the course of the past month, nearly 40 startup proposals were submitted to the college from diverse corners of the country. The panel of reviewers, comprising eminent figures from the national industrial and business arenas, conducted a meticulous evaluation of these proposals and selected the eight most compelling for the final round.

These eight teams subsequently presented their business models before a distinguished panel of industry experts at the grand finale. Among the ideas presented were pioneering initiatives involving technologies such as cloud kitchens, green technologies, and waste management systems, each offering unique pathways towards achieving sustainable development through commercial enterprise.

The event was graced by the presence of the chief guest, Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien, whose speech underscored the notion that not all startup concepts qualify as innovation. He posited that innovation need not always stem from grandiose ideas; rather, it can emanate from modest ventures that have evolved from commonplace businesses into formidable brands, with valuable lessons to be learned from such transformations.

The inaugural session of the event was attended by prominent industrialists such as Nitin Kothari, Siddharth Kothari, and Anand Puri, alongside various eminent administrative figures. The second segment of the event saw the participation of the distinguished judging panel, which included Professor Tilottama Ray Chaudhuri from the West Bengal National Institute of Juridical Sciences, Chairperson of the National Restaurant Association Abhimanyu Maheshwari, Director of PricewaterhouseCoopers New Delhi Anuradha Shastry, and the official from the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta Innovation Park, Abhijit Das. Additional esteemed guests at the event included Ms. Clémentine Bertschy Mandal from Alliance Française du Bengale, Astrid Wege from Goethe-Institut Kolkata, Doma Wang from Blue Poppy Thakali, Edwards Province Leader Sr. Sabrina, Ayan Bhowmick, OC of Shakespeare Sarani Police Station, and Susmita Bhattacharya, local Councillor.

At the conclusion of the event, the students’ team from The Heritage College represented by Abhishek Banerjee, B.Sc. (Hons.)- Economics, 3rd Year, Ishan Majumder, B.Sc (Hons.) – Economics, 3rd year and Ashmita Seal, B.A. (Hons.) – English, 3rd year was declared the winner and awarded a cash prize, with two runner-up teams from IEM Kolkata and St. Xavier’s University Kolkata also received cash prize recognitions. Mr. P.K. Agarwal, CEO, Heritage Group of Institutions, & Prof. Basab Chaudhuri, Director, The Heritage College Kolkata,  expressed their gratitude, congratulating the winners who made the entire Heritage family proud.