iSEED - India's First Dedicated School for Entrepreneurs Launched

NEW DELHI and GURGAON, August 1, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

- To Offer 1-Year Flagship Post-Graduate Program in Entrepreneurship

- Shri K.H. Muniyappa, Hon'ble Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises Chief Guest at the Launch

iSEED - the Indian School for Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Development, a unique educational institution offering India's first full time 1-year post-graduate level program in Entrepreneurship - was launched here today. The announcement was made in the presence of Shri K.H. Muniyappa, Hon'ble Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises. Founded by a group of professionals from institutes of national repute, iSEED's vision is to be a world-class educational hub offering a variety of long and short-term programs for budding entrepreneurs and startups at various stages of their journey. iSEED will have a sprawling campus in Gurgaon and will commence its flagship 1-year Post Graduate Program in Entrepreneurship from June 2014. The Institute's short-term courses for budding entrepreneurs and start-ups will begin this year.

The founders of iSEED include Harsh Mishra, a Strategy & Entrepreneurship Professor at MDI Gurgaon who earlier had a long spell teaching at the State University of New York, Anil Misra, Finance Professor at MDI Gurgaon, and Sanjeeva Shivesh, former Strategy Consultant from Booz & Co, a successful entrepreneur and a visiting faculty at MDI Gurgaon. iSEED will be working actively with some very successful angel investors, entrepreneurs and industry experts to create a unique learning experience for its students.

Speaking at the launch of iSEED, Shri K.H. Muniyappa, Hon'ble Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises said, "The last few decades have seen abundant success stories in IT, Telecom and other businesses and given us a glimpse of what entrepreneurship can do for India's economic growth. While the ancient history of entrepreneurs was rich in India, ironically, entrepreneurship education in the country in modern times is still in its early stages. There is a critical need to develop a vibrant eco-system for budding entrepreneurs in the country. Entrepreneurship has a large role to play in improving employment. I welcome the launch of iSEED and wish the institute success in this noble venture."

According to Sanjeeva Shivesh, CEO of iSEED, "For India to prosper, we need to instill and build the spirit of entrepreneurship and innovation in its citizens. This can be achieved through a unique kind of education that acts as a strong influencer. Our pedagogy based on 'learning by enlightened doing' is designed to infuse entrepreneurial values by inducing people to acquire capabilities that help them achieve their life goals. Our program takes students through the journey of 'idea to launch' in a manner that should increase the chance of success of a new venture."

Dr. Harsh Mishra, President of iSEED, added, "Entrepreneurship education in MBA schools has been undertaken but largely as a token exercise or for mere "institutional" reasons. We offer only one program and that is on Entrepreneurship. In that sense, we are perhaps the first of its kind in India. The School will bring leading faculty, entrepreneurs and angel investors from all over the world to India to impart the best in class knowledge and the latest global thinking on entrepreneurship."

Besides past academic credentials, the iSEED admission process will attempt to find evidence of entrepreneurial propensity through one-on-one interactions of prospective students around their unpolished ideas and personal aspirations. In iSEED, students will get focused and personal attention with perhaps the lowest student-faculty ratio anywhere in India. The post-completion support for iSEED young entrepreneurs will come in the form of selected in-house incubation opportunities at iSEED, seed capital from investors and government schemes, corporate participation as investors in student ideas and/or employers for their in-house entrepreneurial initiatives.

About iSEED

iSEED - the Indian School for Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Development located in Gurgaon - is a unique educational institution offering India's first full time 1-year graduate level program in entrepreneurship. The founders of iSEED include professors, entrepreneurs and industry professionals. Committed to the cause of entrepreneurship education, iSEED aspires to be a world-class educational hub offering long and short-term programs for budding entrepreneurs and startups.

Primary Media Contact: Pallavi Sharma, [email protected], 91-83-94901869

Secondary Media Contact: Ruby Sinha, [email protected], 91-98-11639657