MUMBAI, August 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --
Last week, 90 secondary school students representing over 25 schools in Mumbai, gathered at the American School of Bombay for the opening session of The Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA) India. Business icon and Founder and Chairman of Marico Ltd., Harsh Mariwala, was invited to speak to the students. He shared his experiences and learnings from his time building some of the most well-known consumer goods brands in India, Parachute Hair Oil and Saffola Cooking Oil to just name two.
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He challenged the students to think about how to generate and develop their own business ideas and stressed the importance of constantly innovating to meet the needs of customers. As an example of innovation, students listened to Mariwala tell the story of his decision to change the packaging of Parachute Hair Oil from tin to plastic, a ten-year process that drastically increased the brand's market share. And then, in response to other brands copying that idea, the decision to change the packaging once again. The students were encouraged to ask questions and share their own ideas.
The American School of Bombay was YEA India's first partner in India. The program has now scaled to four cities including Mumbai. There are also programs running in Delhi, Bengaluru and Hyderabad. YEA India Founder, Namita Thapar, is also the Executive Director of Pune-based Emcure Pharmaceuticals. Inspired by her father's entrepreneurial journey as well as wanting to inculcate the entrepreneurial spirit to her two young sons, Thapar brought this U.S.-based program to India with the hope of nurturing the next generation of India's business leaders. It is now in its 2nd year.
YEA India offers middle and high school students the opportunity to develop leadership and business skills. Over the course of the program, students generate business ideas and conduct market research to help them write business plans. Teachers and mentors from the business community deliver the program and provide guidance and real-world feedback along the way. Some of the featured YEA India speakers last year included Kiran Mazumdar Shah, Founder of Biocon, Zia Mody, Founder of AZB Partners, and Ronnie Screwvala, Founder of UTV Group. The culminating event for students is a shark tank-style investor panel, where students present their own business ideas to a panel of judges and have the opportunity to receive funding to incubate their ideas.
This year, to promote entrepreneurship to a more diverse range of students and to have even greater social impact, YEA India has made it possible for 10 students from the Teach For India and Parikrama Foundations to participate in this year's cohort.
About American School of Bombay
The American School of Bombay is a coeducational, international day school from Pre-K through Grade 12. Located in the heart of Mumbai, it nurtures the most diverse global community of students, teachers, staff, and families.
Media Contact:
Arun Kumar
Executive Editor
American School of Bombay
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