[Reader-list] The 16th Wharton India Economic Forum: Startup Pavilion, Monday January 9th, 2012, Taj Mahal Palace & Tower, Mumbai

[rohitrellan at aol.in]

The 16th Wharton India Economic Forum will feature, for the first time in its history, a Startup Pavilion that will feature 15-20 of the most exciting and innovative startups founded by Wharton/Penn students and alumni in India. The Startup Pavilion will showcase Wharton/Penn students and alumni who are active participants in the entrepreneurial community in India, highlighting the contributions of the Wharton/Penn to shaping the future of the Indian economy at different levels across various sectors. It will also underscore Wharton’s increasing support for entrepreneurship on campus and beyond, through programs such as Wharton Entrepreneurial Programs (WEP), Wharton Innovation Fund, and others.

The Pavilion will be run concurrently with the conference and attended by conference attendees and speakers including notable business leaders, media representatives, active investors and entrepreneurs. Participating Startups will get a dedicated stall in the Pavilion to showcase their ventures and potentially get publicity through our media partners and access to investors.


Startup Awards

Participating Startups will be eligible to compete for two awards: Voter’s Choice and the Judges’ Choice award for Most Promising Startup.
The Voter’s Choice award will be determined on the basis of majority vote by conference attendees.
The Judges’ Choice Award will be adjudicated by a panel of judges comprised of the panelists of the Entrepreneurship Panel as well as selected Wharton alumni from the venture capital/ entrepreneurship spaces.


Criteria for Selecting Startups

All final decisions for the selection of startups to participate in the Startup Pavilion will be made by the Organizing Committee of the WIEF Startup Pavilion, based on the following criteria:


Core founding team must include a current Wharton/Penn student or alumnus
The company should have launched in the market within the past 3 years and/or have a working prototype
Company focus may be in any sector relevant to India, however preference will be given to consumer focused businesses
 The company’s offerings should be India-focused or an India-based company serving a global market



Startup Showcase Application Process



To apply to be a part of the Pavilion, please email the following details of the company to Anirudh Suri at Suri at wharton.upenn.edu  and Akshay Bhushan (akshayb at wharton.upenn.edu) by Friday, December 30th, 2011.

The "Background Information" slide (Company name, description, website, year of establishment, number of employees etc)
INclude up to 5 additional slides with:

Overview of your business
Stage of your business
What you plan to display at the pavilion
Brief bios of the Founding Team



Pavilion Sponsorship Opportunities


We are seeking sponsors for the below formats. If interested, please write to Akshay Bhushan (akshayb at wharton.upenn.edu) for further details.

Pavilion Sponsor (1-3 sponsors)
Voters Choice Award: Branded with Sponsors' name
Judges Choice Award: Branded with Sponsors' name
Pavilion Media Sponsor (priority access to startups and judges)