Mahesh's winning journey - Apollo Munich Rise Up Challenge 2018-19

We are extremely happy that our hard work and perseverance paid off! We got to learn about a new industry (i.e insurance) which could be useful in many parts of my career/ life. The format of Apollo Munich Rise Up Challenge 2018 was quite innovative, new and interesting which intrigued us to be part of solving real-world situations that could help the company (i.e Apollo Munich Health Insurance) get to know how they are visible to the outside world and develop strategies to tackle the so-called negative aspects.

As the industry was quite new to us, it required to research deeper to know the basics and then move on to the more intricate details of advanced topics. The initial few days went into research about the industry and then the company which helped us to link the problem statement, the company, and our proposed solution. Once we had enough information about the industry and company, it was easy sailing to solve the given problem. One of the challenging parts was that we were a newcomer to the insurance world. So, to study such a complicated industry was the most challenging and exciting phase.

As my colleague and myself had participated in multiple competitions together as a team; we had complete trust and faith in each other which helped us solve the challenging part of our problem statement. There were no conflicts as such; but yes there were differences of opinion at few stages; which were resolved easily through evidence, facts and reliable data. As a team, we were perfect that one could find to win this competition.

Our dedication to go on despite multiple failures/setbacks (by participating in many competitions) and eagerness to learn every time made us go a long way. Being MBA students; every single instance of learning was helpful not only in the competitions but also for our academics and would surely help us in our careers too.

There were 5 teams from the prestigious B schools across India participating in the finals including us which includes IIM Kozhikode, VGSOM-IIT Kharagpur, IIM Amritsar, XIMB, and IIM Lucknow-Noida Campus. Every team's idea was unique and a learning experience on how the various teams think and approach the problem statement.

The idea was unique and innovative with a real-world situation that the company wanted to find solutions for. The judging was done by the senior executives of the company themselves; so it boosted our morale and we felt as if we were a part of the executive team delivering our solution to the CEO itself. The parameters for judgment were really specific and to the point (no deviation from the expected solution).

As the industry was new, we applied our basics on the approach to understanding the problem statement. We have garnered immense information on the insurance sector and can recommend few policies too. It helped us to structure our work and be realistic rather than beating around the bush. Our professors (at IIM Lucknow-Noida Campus) teachings did help us derive our solutions for the competition.

Do you have your eyes set on winning Apollo Munich Rise Up Challenge 2018-19? Read more about Apollo Munich Rise Up Challenge 2018-19 and the organizers Apollo Munich Health Insurance (AMHI) to cover all your basis.