Hyderabad-based Mahindra University’s (estb. 2020) academic collaborations with 13 national and international reputed universities include one with US-based Cornell University. Entrepreneurial expert, Prof. Neil Tarallo, senior lecturer- entrepreneurship at the SC Johnson College of Business, Cornell University speaks to Dipta Joshi of EducationWorld about the benefits of academic partnerships and pandemic induced transformations in the global entrepreneurial ecosystem. 

Q) How has the global entrepreneurial ecosystem changed over the last two years? 

A) The last two years have impacted different parts of the entrepreneurial ecosystem differently. For ventures that could conduct their entire operations digitally, such as payment companies, edtech companies, etc., Covid has accelerated their market growth, which in turn has helped them grow faster. However, other parts of the ecosystem, that operate in the physical (rather than the virtual) world, have been very negatively impacted. Conversely, as the environment changed, new problems emerged in the market and these needed solutions. The entrepreneurial ecosystem moved towards those opportunities. Experienced entrepreneurs know that where there is chaos and change, there is opportunity. 

Q) What should the educational curriculum include in order to be relevant to this changing work culture and ecosystem? 

A) As faculty, we tend to be more focused on our coursework and disciplines. We need to recognise that to create an ecosystem, we need something that challenges our students beyond what we do in our classrooms. And Cornell works hard to develop that ecosystem, specifically. How do we become better leaders? How do we make better decisions in our lives? How do we think about developing our moral compass and our ethical standards? These are things I talk about with my students in class, but I also challenge them in their personal lives to put that into play. And for me, that’s the kind of ecosystem that works. How do we develop beyond the academic student? At Cornell, we do that through clubs that students attend and by inviting industry leaders and government officials onto our campus to interact with them. I see Mahindra University doing the same thing. So it’s the way how students see and experience this beyond India and see how it happens in other countries and cultures. 

Q) How do you see the future of education evolving in the post-pandemic world? 

A) The pandemic, in so many ways, has forced us to think differently. Virtual education was thrust upon us but over the last two years, I think collectively, education systems around the world, and at the university level, especially, have gotten better. Everybody talks about a global economy in a global world, but these walls come up. The pandemic has helped us break those walls. One of the things that I and my students are getting out of this programme is an understanding of the culture that drives India and the United States. When we understand each other’s culture and get to know the people of a country, it becomes less daunting, you’re less fearful to interact. I think that’s a big part of what happens in programmes where we have these international collaborations. We get to know each other so it’s a much easier transition when we’re working together.

Q) What are some of the key areas where students stand to benefit from the collaboration between Mahindra University and SC Johnson College of Business, Cornell University – USA?

A) Mahindra University is in the early stages of creating this school and the collaboration gives them access to a wider faculty, with a significant level of expertise in the areas that Mahindra is looking to expand in. This is a brilliant approach towards delivering value-based education as it increases the value and opportunities for the students, to a higher level, much faster. Collaborating with Mahindra University, we are working together to create solutions that can be delivered here in India, on a much broader spectrum, in a more economical way. Students, specifically, stand to benefit as they get an opportunity to learn from experienced faculty across the United States and in India. 

The relationship between Cornell and Mahindra University is really cutting-edge. Indian students will have access to the Cornell faculty who, apart from teaching, also guide them towards a fulfilling future as they graduate and move into the industry.

Q) Are the current industry and academia partnerships designed to encourage students to become better managers or entrepreneurs?

A) From a broader perspective, if you think about the industry, and education, we are supplying the logistics, the labour force for the industries of tomorrow. Entrepreneurship has a duality to it because, in addition to starting a business, people who understand entrepreneurial behaviour are very much in demand, across the industry, from an innovation perspective. As more companies become partners, there is a better understanding of the skill sets students need and we can help students build those skills while they study here and then, actionthose skills in the industries they work in. So I think it just moves the whole economy forward in a really positive way and starting businesses is also a part of this momentum. 

Q) Your advice to budding entrepreneurs who want to succeed in tech and artificial intelligence (AI) powered ecosystems?

A) My advice is to look towards the customer before you build. Few people care how cool your technology is; they care about whether or not it will solve their problem. People do not buy ideas; they buy solutions to problems. If you keep this mantra in mind you can succeed in the tech and AI powered ecosystem of the future.

Also read: Mahindra University launches the School of Management