EDI brings to fore ‘Ideas that Impact’

Ideas to generate power using solar energy and refrigerators made of clay could possibly only cross the minds of those who dream and yearn to innovate technology that could help the community at large.

Entrepreneurship Development of Institute (EDI) of India and The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE), on Friday, got two such pioneering entrepreneurs — Amit Chugh and Mansukh Parajapati — on campus to interact with students about their journey of innovations.

Talking about thinking out-of-the-box, Chugh, founder and CEO, Cosmos Ignite Innovations said, "Innovations should not be just limited to product and its design and form. But it is also about how you carry out your business and market your product." He advised the students that while designing a product and its business line, they should keep the society's 'need gap' in mind as it is the only way you can come up with out-of-the-box innovations.

While Chugh's company aims at generating sustainable and green energy for future, Prajapati, the founder of Mitticool Clay, talked about his journey of getting into his clay profession despite his father's opposition. "I am a school dropout, but I always wanted to make money through business of my own. This made me switch jobs and I finally ended up with my own clay business," said Prajapati, who has designed innovative daily use products out of clay. 

"I started with clay tawa or pan which are more long-lasting than non-stick tawas and have also innovated clay refrigerator and water filters for rural people. Today, people of rural areas can keep their vegetables cool and have clean drinking water like their urban counterparts," added Prajapati whose name has appeared in the top seven rural entrepreneurs of India's list by Forbes.