?? My Trumio Tour Across Institutes in India Continues: Is It a Hustle! ??

6 cities, 6 institutes in 6 days – yet another Trumio Inc. tour across institutes in India is just starting.

A gentleman (withholding the name since they may turn out to be potential client – we shall see!) sitting next to me at Mumbai Airport, while waiting for my Bhubaneswar flight (delayed by almost 2 hours), asked me how it feels - should we call it a hustle!

That's the startup life all about and I may still call it developing business the old-fashioned way, be on the ground, be present and they will appreciate it.

Yet another amazing trip so far, and as you can imagine, not a minute to sit back and write individual chronicles, so here I go with a summary. Made a last-minute decision to visit Bhubaneswar to meet our dear friends and colleagues at KIIT - Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology . I appreciate them accommodating me. Dr. Abhishek Ray , Vice Chancellor Prof. (Dr.) Saranjit Singh , and the rest of the leadership have been amazing partners, and I’ll be very happy to provide them with updates since we last met to sign the MoU, which feels like just yesterday.

Day One:

This was my third stop at Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi in the last 6 months. I couldn't be more appreciative of Dr. Anishya Obhrai Madan , Prof. Naresh, Vaibhav Gupta (Global Rank 1, International Quant Championship, 2023), and the rest of the team at the placement department. The meeting turned into almost a 2-hour discussion, with excellent questions from the panel. By the end, we were finishing each other’s sentences. Appreciate that very much, madam, and looking forward to collaborating with you.

Day Two:

Had the opportunity to travel to Sharda University, Greater Noida . Always amazing to meet with fellow #KGPians, young leaders doing incredible work in the education space in India. Thank you, Dalai Roopdhar Nanda Goutham , and Aditya Jaiswal , for being great hosts and for the spirit of collaboration and Pro Vice Chancellor Prof (Dr.) Parma Nand and Deepak Kumar , Director of Career Service for their generous time and support of Trumio Inc. 's vision and journey.

I never shy away from engaging with students, and much appreciation for providing me with the opportunity to speak to an auditorium full of students, especially after a busy day of classes. Personal secret: I've never spoken to such a large audience live before, but it went briskly, thanks to the leaders and students at this esteemed institute. Hoping to see you all again before I head back home.

Day Three:

First engagement with Prof. Ashwani Assam , the placement head, and the student leadership at Indian Institute of Technology, Patna . As one can imagine, the depth and breadth of talent in this next generation are astounding. It's a breath of fresh air engaging with the young leadership at these next-generation institutes across this vast country. Thank you, Mayank Sen , Kumar Nalin Singh , Kirtan Jain (and I know I am missing a few names), for being great hosts and partners in this Trumio Inc. journey.

Day Four:

Missed the meet with Prof. Pratik Sen due to the train from Patna being late by almost 4 hours, but we didn’t miss a beat when we arrived at Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur . Thanks to the students, especially Dhruv Misra for amazing leadership (I have seen you firsthand how you work many times and can never be any more appreciative of how you have landed this) and MD RAHBAR , Om Shrivastava , Prakhar, and Shreya Shree for your dedication and partnership, the process moved at a fast pace during the day.

Early in the evening, while waiting at the CCD near the administrative building, we got word that the MoU proposal was being discussed at the institute senate meeting. Finally, getting a call from Prof. Sen around 7 pm that it's a go couldn't be more uplifting. A new swing in my walk down the campus was so apparent that students called me out on it! ??

Thank you, guys, for believing in Trumio Inc. 's mission and the partnership we've established. The fine dinner was well deserved!

Day Five:

Finally caught a bug somewhere in this last leg and was forced to take a break in Bengaluru for the weekend. The opportunity couldn’t have been better to reconnect with my nephews Manav Gupta and Saurabh Gupta , the relentless and uncompromising co-founders at UrbanPiper . Every conversation with these gentlemen is an enriching and recharging moment; their entrepreneurial journey and spirit are so uplifting that a recharge at their home was a no-brainer.

Day Six:

My first in-person formal engagement at Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay . I knew Prof. Venkat R could light up the room from our first video call engagement just about 3 weeks ago. Appreciative of Prof. Sameer Jadhav , Head of Placement, and Prof. Surya Doolla, Dean of Student Affairs, for taking the time at such short notice for an engaging discussion.

The highlight of my trip was meeting with the students at Team SHUNYA, IIT Bombay and the innovative work they are doing in the sustainable housing space. Do recommend visiting their page to learn more. You would be impressed with student's leader, Althaf Shaik , Prabhat sharma , SIMRAN CHOUDHARY (hope to meet you in person next time), and rest of the leadership for the tour of the house and the new innovations you guys are bringing to the fore.

Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay bay has always been at the forefront of innovation and experiencing it firsthand was incredibly impressive. Always so much to learn from engaging with students at such institutions. I can easily see the trajectory and how they can match or exceed the best institutions from around the world in the near future.

On to more...