Reliance T.U.P 4.0 National Winner Jinit Dharia's Story
The moment when almost all newspapers like Bangalore Mirror, Indian Express, Times of India, etc. covered us, it was unbelievable! I always wanted to participate in an elevator pitch competition and hence, I dove right into it.
We divided the work into phases. In the first 20 hours, we just thought of the ideas which can be turned into a profitable and sustainable business. We derived these ideas from the problems we face today. Then, for more than 30 hours, we tried validating the idea, looking at its practicality. We spent the next 50 hours reading the material, meeting scientists and professors, understanding the pros and cons of starting and running a successful business and our product.
Our entire focus was on starting a new business and not just winning the competition. We spent 100 hours on the idea to refine it before we could meet angel investors, visit incubation centers and other related entities, drawing financial projections and pressure testing them.
Working in and with the team was great. Honestly, we had very few team conflicts. We always resolved things amicably. In case we faced a conflict, we respected the other person's opinion. All three of us are CAs and Gujaratis. This helped us to bond a lot. Also, we three had very different work experience domains and this brought diversity to the team. We were an eclectic blend of things similar and diverse at the same time!
There were 23 teams in the finale. I felt that the teams from IMT Ghaziabad, IIM Shillong, and NITIE Mumbai were our toughest competitors because they had lab certifications and prototypes, which we could not manage to get. This was because, their businesses have been in place for very long, and we had just started in December last year. At the time we felt that this could work against us!
The competition was incredible. All four judges were from different backgrounds and asked pointed questions. One of the judges, Rui Bastos- Group Head of Audit & Risk Management, RIL, was well equipped with questions for all the ideas presented. Vikash and Aarti from Reliance Team led the organizing part amazingly. They gave us king-size luxury and we did not face even a bit of trouble.
Reliance T.U.P 4.0 has been one of the best experiences I have ever had in my life. Besides, it has helped us start a business. We have registered our business for incubation, and are really excited about making an impact on the world. We had never thought that we would get more interested in doing our own business than a job. It has kindled our entrepreneurial spirit which we didn’t realize was this strong.
Do you have your eyes set on winning Reliance T.U.P 5.0? Read more about the organizers Reliance Industries Limited to cover all your basis. Another exciting challenge by Reliance Industries Limited that you may like: Reliance Quiz-a-thon 5.0.