Celebrating Future Ready Entrepreneurs

The Gregorian calendar will record 2021 as a defining year for the startup ecosystem in India, which is the third largest in the world. Three new startups have reportedly joined the elite club of Unicorns every month on an average of late. In 2021 around 33 active startups entered the Unicorn club.

So the Seventh edition of BW Businessworld’s Young Entrepreneur Awards and Summit could scarcely ignore this dynamic young legion of Indian entrepreneurs. While the annual Young Entrepreneur Awards 2021 recognized, acknowledged and celebrated India’s enthusiastic young entrepreneurs of 2021, the summit opened up a platform for a debate on India’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

YEA Methodology

The methodology for selecting the best of the crop was rigorous. In 2021 business and industry organisations submitted nominations for CEO’S, founders and co-founders with seven years’ experience or less. Applications received were put through a multi-tier screening process. More than 120 nominations were received, of which 70 shortlisted entrepreneurs were invited to present their case to the jury board, which comprised a panel of industry experts.

The winners’ list included 36 entrepreneurs. The panel evaluated these entrepreneurs on parameters such as the key milestones of the company, the market opportunity, financial performance and highlights of the entrepreneurial journey.
Following the screening process, a team of experts evaluated the eligible nominations on parameters such as business idea and model, long term potential, social impact, leadership team, the role of the entrepreneur and growth, to arrive at a shortlist.

The Jury Board was led by Jury Chair Sudhir Sethi, Founder and   Chairman, Chiratae Venture India Advisor. The Jury Panel comprised eminent industry leaders such as Sandeep Naik, Managing Director, Head of India and Asia Pacific, General Atlantic, Prashant Prakash, Partner, Accel Partners, Anup Jain, Managing Partner, Orion Venture, Sanjeev Aggarwal, Founder and Senior Managing Director, Helion, Preeti Vyas, Chairperson and Chief Creative Officer at Vyas Giannetti Creative,  Anupriya Acharya, Chief Executive Officer, South Asia, Publicis Groupe and Rajesh Srivastava, Chairman and Managing Director, Rabo Equity Advisors.

The awards ceremony was preceded by a day-long summit, where industry leaders pinpointed the growth triggers, digital transformation, technology and innovations that assist young entrepreneurs in their everyday decision making and in charting out long term plans. The YEA summit too attracted prominent industry leaders like Manoj Kohli, Country Head, SoftBank India, Sudhir Sethi, Founder and Chairman, Chiratae Ventures and Beerud Sheth, CEO and Co-Founder, GupShup.

More than 30 other high profile industry leaders and experts joined in to celebrate India’s nascent, by dynamic startup ecosystem.