Global Entrepreneurship Week: 17st to 21st November 2014
Rationale:
Global Entrepreneurship Week is about encouraging more people especially youth to start up
their own businesses in Peshawar Region and nationwide. The activity aims at promoting
enterprise ambition and to ensure support for those who have viable business ideas. Through the
activity the novice entrepreneur is be guided towards turning ideas into reality. In this regards 5
days activities from 17th November to 21st November 2014 were organized by Romy Sajjad
Khan, Assistant Professor at IMSciences in partnership with global entrepreneurship week UK
and US. The entire event was sponsored by ORIC. The activities aimed at promoting
entrepreneurship and to inculcate entrepreneurial spirit among the students.
Detail of the GEW Activities
17th November 2014
On 17th November, at 10:30 a.m. a panel discussion on industry-academia linkages was
organized. Shamama Arbab former vice president Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry
and Arooj Ansari, vice president KPCCI represented industry while Sir Shah Jehan vice
chancellor Iqra National University and Mohammad Ali joint director IMSciences represented
academia. IMSciences students from each program were invited to attend the discussion. In the
end tea was offered to the guests. On the same day students from IT and Business studies were
invited to a two hours brainstorming session for viable business ideas. This session started at
2:00 p.m. and ended at 4:00 p.m. It was conducted in the library LRLP by Romy Sajjad Khan
and lead to next day session. Total six groups were made. The 30 participating students were
served with high tea in the end.
18th November 2014: Work shop on Business Plan
This day was the continuation of first day brainstorming session of the student. Here entire focus
was to convert their business ideas identified into a business plan.. Students were mentored by
Romy Sajjad on how to develop business plans for their future venture. This activity was
conducted for five hours i.e. 10:00 am. To 3:00 p.m. at Lincoln Reading Lounge. During the
workshop participating students were offered high tea.
19th November 2014: Women Entrepreneurship Day (WED)
This day is especially celebrated during the GEW all over the world to encourage and support
women entrepreneurs. Therefore IMSciences hosted and organize this day specifically for KPK
women. Seminar timings were 10:00 a.m to 12:00 p.m. Uzair from 2.0 Peshawar, Nabeela
Farman from WBDC, Fatima and Darakhshan from Deefee productions were invited to share
their success stories with the students. IMSciences student’s feedback about the seminar was
very positive and they recommended that IMSciences should arrange such sessions in future as
well. In the end of the session high tea was offered to the guests.
20th November 2014; KPCCI Visit
KP Chamber of Commerce and Industry in collaboration with SMEDA organized a seminar on
“Academia role in promoting entrepreneurship” on 20th November 2014. Romy Sajjad Khan and
IMSciences students were invited to attend the seminar at the chamber. The students that were
mentored for business plan were taken to men’s chamber to have a closer look at how chamber
actually operates. During the session, vice president KPCCI Arooj Ansari, president women
chamber Miss Fitrat Bilour and SMEDA regional head Mr. Javed Khatak announced to form an
advisory committee of industry and academia. The committee will meet regularly and will help
students businesses at start up and growth stages. IMSciences students on this day had a very
mature conversation with the chamber and requested the industry to mentor them in their
business ventures. President Women Chamber suggested that women entrepreneurs need
academia help in their business issues and that the chamber needs academia expertise for
addressing industry problems.
21st November 2014
On 21st November 2014, business plan competition was arranged at Lincoln Reading Lounge.
Rashid Aman from SMEDA, Dr. Sohail Yunas and Dr. Usman Ghani from IMSciences were
invited as judges. Total six business plans were presented. Students develop their business plans
within three days which was worth appreciating. Ideas for the competition were; Garbage
collection Services, E. Shopping Mall, Online Event organizers, Fresh Fruits and Vegetables,
Thrill Seekers and Chitral Handicrafts. 1st prize was won by Garbage Collection Services, 2nd
was won by Thrill Seekers and 3rd was E. Shopping Mall, 4th was Fresh Fruits and Vegetables.
Main idea of the entire session was to develop awareness about student businesses and motivate
students for creating their own destinies. In the end of the competition contestants and judges
were offered high tea. Prize distribution ceremony will be held on Monday 1st December 2014 at
IMSciences, Director IMSciences Dr. Mohsin will be invited to distribute prizes among the
winners. 1st prize is 15000. 2nd is 10000 and 3rd is 5000 RS.
Conclusion
To conclude, all five days activities were organized to cultivate students for entrepreneurship and
check their venture creation spirit. In these five days it was observed that students really want
and appreciate such activities because who ever participated in the competition were already in
the process of starting their own ventures but they were looking for such avenues to guide and
encourage them. With the support of IMSciences and ORIC the students were exposed to such
environment from where they could get inspiration for their venture plans. More importantly one
It student participated in the competition with E. shopping Mall idea and won third prize, was a
very good experience. He said that being IT student he is only expert in IT related field but is
unaware of business knowledge and skills. He suggested that many IT students have very good
business ideas but when it comes to converting their ideas into business, they face problems due
to lack of business skills and expertise. I therefore recommend that special business plans
trainings sessions on regular basis should be offered to IT students because this will lead to more
tech businesses emerging from IMSciences.
Romy Sajjad