The Wharton India Economic Forum 2017

The Wharton India Economic Forum (WIEF) is all set for it’s 2-day power-packed summit in January (6th & 7th) starting with the Wharton India Startup Competition (WISC) and followed by a Speaker Series.

This prestigious event will be inaugurated by the Honourable Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Mr Devendra Fadnavis who has been emphasizing innovation and disruption through the startup India initiative.

History

Started in 1996 by the students of Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, the Wharton India Economic Forum (WIEF), is an entirely student-run business forum focused on India.

In the past the Wharton India Economic Forum has had eminent speakers at their event such as late Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam, 11th President of India, Ron Somers – President, US-India Business Council, Lakshmi Pratury – Co-Host, TEDIndia, Chanda Kochhar, MD & CEO, ICICI Bank.

Vision 2017 

Understanding the vision, WIEF 2017 will be addressing various facets of innovation during the summit. Moreover, the summit has attracted some of the most influential people in the industry. From names such as Arundhati Bhattacharya the Chairman of the State Bank of India, Adil Zanulbhai the Chairman of the Quality Council of India and Kunal Shah the founder of FreeCharge, – there’s a list of top-notch speakers participating at the Wharton India Economic Forum.

WIEF has been accepting entries from various startups from across the country who would like to be a part of this prestigious event.

Interestingly, almost 25% of the applicants belong to the e-commerce industry, with the healthcare segment coming to a close second with 22%.

Moreover, a majority of the participants already have closed in on their pre-seeded and seeded funding arrangements with around 31% who have listed themselves as social enterprises.

Mr. Ayush Tapuriah (Director, WIEF Startup Competition) adds, “We have been really impressed with the applications to this year’s startup competition where we’ve received over 500 applications from startups focused on everything from sanitation to artificial intelligence. But what’s been most impressive about the applications is that they are not just ideas on pitch decks. Most entrepreneurs have demonstrated traction to validate their hypotheses and have a well thought out execution plan. This is going to be an excellent platform where the finalists will get to interact with a stellar judging panel composed of the top VCs and entrepreneurs in India.”

The speaker series will see the participation from several government and industry leaders as well as distinguished Wharton faculty.

Through focus on the evolving business landscape in India, the conference will set the stage to discuss business model innovation – facilitating discussions among government, industry and academia.

Ms. Surabhi Jain (Director, WIEF Speaker Series) adds, “We are extremely excited by the level of interest and the quality of speakers that the conference has attracted. What is most exciting is the diverse backgrounds and perspectives of these speakers leading to great conversations. WIEF will provide a stellar learning and networking opportunity for all attendees”