Delhi government launches TV show to help school children pitch start-up ideas to investors

The Delhi government on Sunday launched the 'Business Blasters' programme, a first-of-its-kind televised event that will give students of classes 11 and 12 of schools run by it an opportunity to present their start-up ideas to investors and obtain investment capital to take them to the next level. The show will include students' business ideas, shortlisted from 51,000 entries submitted by 3,00,000 students. "Business Blasters is the world's biggest start-up programme. With 3 lakh ideas submitted by 51,000 students and Rs 60 crore up for grabs as seed capital, this programme is an integral part of the education revolution we want to bring in Delhi and eventually in India.

"The show is providing a launchpad for students' business ideas and encouraging confidence and a problem-solving mindset among them, which will benefit India's economy in the future," Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said. "It was encouraging to see children pitch some creative ideas, which when scaled have the potential of bringing about tremendous social impact. This programme for students of classes 11-12 is going to form the basis of the country's progress. Through this, children will not run after jobs, but jobs will come to these children," said Sisodia, who also holds the education portfolio.

'Business Blasters' is a practical component of the Entrepreneur Mindset Curriculum (EMC) for classes 11 and 12 and has been designed to provide students of Delhi government schools the experience of working in teams, brainstorming and identifying social challenges or business opportunities, preparing business plans and implementing their ideas in their neighbourhoods. All participating students will receive Rs 2,000 each as seed money. The teams will use this seed money to either earn profit or create social impact. The students whose ideas are shortlisted will be given an opportunity to present their ideas to the judges, who are highly successful in their fields of work.

READ ALSO : Schools to reopen (again) in Delhi as govt gradually lifts pollution restrictions

The first episode of 'Business Blasters', which was aired on prominent TV channels on Sunday, saw three teams competing against each other. The first team headed by Yash, who comes from a migrant family from Kanpur, pitched their idea of 'Speaksters', which sells high quality, low cost and high-performance Bluetooth speakers. "Our idea was born out of certain necessities brought on by COVID-19. We took our online classes on our phones and missed having the clarity that speakers can provide. That is when we came up with 'Speaksters'. We have priced our speaker at Rs 299 with a warranty of 6 months," Yash said. "My team is working on not only the development of the product but also marketing. EMC business mentors helped us learn how to manage the financial and marketing aspect of running a business and we did that and saw good results. They also guided us on communication and bargaining skills and helped us solve internal group conflicts as well," he said.

The second idea, 'Hebi Compost', was pitched by Harsh, who comes from a middle-class family residing in Kalyanpuri. 'Hebi Compost' intends to create an eco-friendly world by making high-quality compost. "EMC has sparked an interest in me to run my own business, which has so many benefits. It has given me the chance to be a leader and guide my team and earn profits as well," Harsh said.

The third business idea was presented by 16-year-old Divyanshi, who runs an online business 'Divine Creations' with her partner Minni. Divyanshi was inspired by her mother's artistic skills and is now an artist herself. She sells her artwork through social media pages of 'Divine Creations'.