Plaksha Summer Innovation Program'23

A Summer of Building the Future

The sweltering Indian summer generally conjures images of tall glasses of nimbu paani, afternoon naps, and binge-watching the latest web series in air-conditioned rooms. But 29 enterprising students at Plaksha University had very different plans for their summer break this year. They signed up for the InfoEdge CFE Plaksha University ambitious Summer Innovation Program (PSIP) 2023 - a 45-day deep dive into the world of ideation, prototyping, and launching startups.

These students sacrificed their hard-earned summer vacations to unlock their inner entrepreneurs. Their mission? To channel their creative juices into building innovative solutions for real-world problems. The result was 12 promising startups that aimed to disrupt diverse sectors - from edtech and travel to cybersecurity and accessibility.

The program selected 29 students and grouped them into 12 teams, each working on a unique idea. The university provided each team a grant of Rs.30,000, along with food and on-campus lodging facilities. This enabled the participants to fully immerse themselves into developing their ambitious ideas over the 45 days, without worrying about mundane chores.

Lectrify ( Saumya Choudhary Prachi Parakh Vaishnavi Rathi ): An AI chatbot leveraging the learning method of the protégé effect to develop engaging, personalised study plans for students struggling with difficult subjects.

Wise Wander ( Asmi Gulati Bhuvi jain ): Travel app offering customised, budget trip recommendations using AI to match user preferences for experiences like adventure or culture.

Easy PC ( Rishi Laddha Soham Petkar Swarup Patil ): Modular, upgradeable PC design enabling casual gamers to modify storage, graphics etc. without technical skills for an affordable gaming rig.

Airis ( Aman Sa Yash Sarvesh Srivastava Hemant Gupta ): Retail video analytics through computer vision, providing store owners detailed customer behavior insights to optimize sales.

Glyde( Shivank Joshi Rachit Gupta Rishi Sharma ): Cab app with variable pricing based on user priorities for cheaper fares or quicker rides.

Project Eddy ( Tushar Goyal ): Building PCs entirely from open-source software like Linux to offer high-spec performance at fraction of mainstream costs.

Saathi ( Arshia Sangwan ): App for migrant workers to check eligibility and guide enrolment for public welfare schemes.

Indri.yeah ( Prerit Rathi Pranjal Rastogi ): Sign language conversion app enabling communication between deaf and hearing communities.

CyberUnbound ( Shikhar Beriwal ): Specialised cybersecurity training with industry-grade tools to make professionals interview and job-ready.

Third ( Ronit Kadakia ): Peer-to-peer platform for college students to borrow or lend money, easing short-term cash crunches.

LifeSaver ( Rahul Kumar Prashant Mishra Harsh Mishra Rohit Singh ): Prevents overloaded cargo vehicles by alerting drivers when weight distribution exceeds prescribed limits.

Purifico ( Bharat Jain Ronak Mir Agaaz Singhal ): Hand dryers with built-in UV sterilizers to disinfect surface area after drying hands.

Out of these able teams, Lectrify emerged as the Winner of the program, while Life Saver came in a close second and Indri.yeah by Thinklude bagged the second runner ups.

The Road Ahead

PSIP 2023 showcased Plaksha University’s stellar incubator culture that allows students to apply engineering concepts and business acumen to solve real problems. The program’s culmination event saw the teams present their functional prototypes to a panel of experts. Many ideas hold tremendous potential for future growth with more refinement.

Besides the summer program, initiatives like the on-campus InfoEdge Centre for Entrepreneurship startup incubator further stimulate entrepreneurship among students. The university also actively partners with organizations like TiE Delhi- NCR, TiE Chandigarh and ISB-AIC to furnish wider ecosystems exposure. Recent inspirational speaker sessions covered leadership communication strategies as well.

To build on emerging student interest, Plaksha also plans to introduce an academic minor in Technology Entrepreneurship. This will equip learners with the optimal blend of technical skills, business knowledge and entrepreneurial mindset to thrive in future economies.

The runaway success of PSIP 2023 paves the way for grander goals. As cohorts graduate from the four-year undergraduate program, Plaksha University hopes its graduates will form the vanguard of socially conscious innovators and entrepreneurs.

Take a peek at what PSIP was like:

A big thanks to all the mentors at Plaksha Summer Innovation Program

Sriram Kalyanaraman , Sanjeev Bikhchandani Ananda Sen Gupta Gagan Hasteer @ Netflix Mukesh Sharma Alok Mittal Dr Ritesh Malik Akhilesh Tuteja Vivek Khare Alok Goyal Rajat Mathur Manas Human Harveen Bedi Hitesh Oberoi Rimy Oberoi Pallavi Jain Neeraj Aggarwal Shashank Tamaskar M Balakrishnan Paritosh Sharma ????