E Week India, run by the National Entrepreneurship Network, is designed to improve India's entrepreneurial ecosystem. Held between February 7-14 this year, E Week India highlights green business opportunities and sustainable development.
NEN is co-hosting E Week 2009 with over 400 academic institutes, and entrepreneur support associations and corporate including The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE), IBM, Proto.in, Indian Angel Networks, New Ventures India, Chennai Open Coffee Club, VentureWoods, WATBlog and Mumbai Angels. MBAUniverse.com is the Official Media Partner of this initiative.
As part of the weeklong celebrations, E Week Partners and Hosts ran more than 3000 entrepreneurship activities across 30 cities and towns. These activities included panel discussions, movie screenings, seminars, workshops, cycle rallies, free emission checks, and even 'green' fashion shows. In addition, many E Week celebrants renewed their vow to continue building an entrepreneurial India by taking the "E Week 2009 Pledge".
Laura Parkin, Executive Director, NEN & Wadhwani Foundation says, "Over the past two years, E Week has proven to be a powerful platform for engaging and showcasing the entrepreneurial spirit and passion of India's youth, and provides young people with an excellent chance to reach out to the broader community. This year we are delighted at the amazing increase in participation: E Week's wonderful Hosts and Partners will bring E Week to all parts of India, and engage both professionals and students. E Week India demonstrates to the country and the world the spirit of innovation and drive that will fuel India's economic future."
Mohanjit Jolly, Executive Director, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, says, "NEN has provided the foresight and initiative to develop an entrepreneurial culture and interest in green businesses in various academic institutions across the country. The current economic scenario urges us to work towards developing sustainable technologies and ideas by focusing on innovation based entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship Week India is a constructive platform to create awareness about environmental concerns among the future generations and propel students to think creatively and explore alternative business models."
The central theme to E Week 2009 is 'Go Green! The world is our business.' The theme is addressed through many of the activities run by the Hosts and Partners. "The climatic challenges we face, as the economic growth spreads across the world, are enormous, and addressing these challenges will provide some of the biggest opportunities for this generation of entrepreneurs. Yet the solutions must extend beyond recycling and conservation. E Week India's theme of "Go Green" is designed to expose a wide spectrum of India's next generation to innovations in technologies and business models, hopefully sparking a revolution in thinking."
