Beating VUCA blues to becoming the National Runner-up of Reliance T.U.P 6.0 -By Team Harmony from NMIMS, Mumbai 

It was a surreal moment for us. We were in utter disbelief and took some time before the announcement finally sunk in. We were ultra-ecstatic and short of words to express our happiness and gratitude. This was our first ever win on a national scale and it was worth every effort we took. Here is a brief of our journey to becoming the National Runner-up of Reliance T.U.P 6.0.

The Ultimate Pitch (T.U.P) by Reliance is one of the most prestigious and awaited competitions among MBA students nationwide. It is a business challenge centered around the entrepreneurial DNA of Reliance where students like us can pitch their innovative ideas. One of the main reasons we wanted to be a part of Reliance T.U.P was that it gives a lot of space for creativity and out-of-the-box thinking. 

During our entire journey of becoming the National Runner-up of Reliance T.U.P 6.0, we were provided constant guidance from the Unstop (formerly Dare2Compete)and RIL team which made everything seamless. The judges and our mentors were industry stalwarts from whom we had various mentoring sessions which took our presentation from good to great. And despite the fact that the entire process was virtual, no stone was left unturned to ensure that it was a thoroughly immersive experience. Be it the various mentoring sessions, the virtual idea fair, or the grand finale, everything was enthralling.     

The rigorous process of Reliance T.U.P 6.0

The very first phase in this competition which we, as a team had to achieve was cracking the idea. Since T.U.P is a business challenge, the problem at hand is an open-ended question. Team Harmony had a mutual passion for solving social problems and hence we were hellbent on identifying a social issue and providing a novel solution for it. We spent a major chunk of our time conducting thorough background research. 

The current pandemic definitely had some challenges in store for us with respect to undertaking primary research. But this did not deter us and we did the best we could. All four of us agreed to come up with one new idea every alternate day and explored the same. Shortlisting and finalizing the idea was the most crucial period of this entire journey. After which we started working on our pitch and business plan and tried to finetune our idea.

Coming to grips with VUCA situations

The journey of becoming the National Runner-up of Reliance T.U.P 6.0 had its own fair share of challenges, and to be honest we have been facing such challenges since the start of our “virtual” first year. Our batch is fondly addressed by everyone as a VUCA batch (the batch facing volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous situations) and hence we have been trained in a way that equips us to handle such VUCA situations. 

We have not yet been on campus and have not yet met our teammates or batch mates in person. But we have discovered several ways of connecting with each other through different virtual platforms. This is how we tried to bond as a team, tried to understand each other, and also developed empathy during the process. Initially, it seemed a daunting task to team up with random people sitting in different parts of India but eventually we got used to everyone’s schedules, their likes, dislikes, and also the indispensable virtual platforms.

Learning the ropes

There were a total of 11 teams in the grand finale of Reliance T.U.P 6.0. We as a team had never imagined that we would ever reach the finals. Reaching finals was in itself a victory for us and actually becoming the National Runner-up of Reliance T.U.P 6.0 was like a cherry on the cake. So we did not consider any team as our competitor back then. And even if we retrospect now, we feel that all the teams toiled to their perfection and presented amazing ideas. We learned a lot from them during our entire journey.

Speaking of which, the whole process in itself was a huge learning experience. How much ever we learn during our lectures it always seems a little intangible. Thus, competitions are a great way when it comes to the application of concepts we have learned so far. Reliance T.U.P 6.0 being a business challenge, there were several aspects involved while solving the same. Right from ideating, giving a form and shape to that idea, analyzing the numbers behind the finances, and finally taking the idea to the market. So, in short, T.U.P made us realize the gravity of entrepreneurship. Just solving a problem is not enough, one has to overcome a lot of other hurdles. 

Moreover, we learned to “PUP” from T.U.P which is to perform under pressure. The timelines followed in such competitions are stringent and we ought to adhere to them and still give our best. Also, T.U.P gave us an opportunity to get mentored by the Head of Strategic Alliances & Partnerships, Jio which gave us several insights and honed our pitch.

And the National Runner-up of Reliance T.U.P 6.0. are...

The entire process of T.U.P was a journey full of hustle and that is the most that we enjoyed. However, that one special moment for us would be the day when winners for campus finals were announced. It was a virtual masterclass and the results were going to be declared at the end of the session. And two teams had been selected as winners from the NMIMS campus. However, the other team's name flashed on the screen first and for that one second, all four of us died a thousand deaths. But the very next second name - Team Harmony flashed on the screen and our happiness knew no bounds. We will never forget that moment!

The dream team does not exi..

It is well said by John Wooden that ‘Whatever you do in life, surround yourself with smart people who’ll argue with you. This is exactly how I would describe the team dynamics of our team and that’s what you get when all of us decide to be devil's advocates turn by turn. But this just ensured that our idea was foolproof and paved our way for the win. Our team was formed with an intention of applying our knowledge on the latest technologies, having a lot of debates and arguments, and in the process enjoying and making new memories.

I think the most important thing for any team to be a “dream team” is that the team should be bonded by a single thread. And for us, that thread that held us together was our love for exploring novel technologies and our passion for solving social issues.