What it takes to become the National Finalists of Ola Campus Connect Challenge 2019 -By Team Technocrats from XLRI Jamshedpur

Our first step was to select a case study out of the 4-5 given by OLA. After a lot of discussion, we selected the Ola Money Case study. We selected this because we were able to identify all the key points (demand and supply constraints and solutions) which were expected of us from the case study. In the solutions section, we even came up with innovative products. But, according to our mentor, assigned by OLA, the thing that led us to becoming the National Finalists of Ola Campus Connect Challenge was that we paid attention to the basics.

10 teams made it to the finals. We found Ignitus to be a tough competitor because their presentation was backed with thorough research and innovation. We thought of getting tough competition from IIMs but the actual top 3 colleges were non-IIMs and they all had very brilliant ideas.

The team of Engineers

The three of us are engineers. 2 members, Yash and Jasleen, are freshers and it was their first competition. I, Pradan Jain, have work experience in both engineering and the banking sector. This was my third competition as campus winners and first as National Finalists.

Being from the same section and the same course (HRM), we are very good friends. There were no conflicts as such. All of us discussed and researched the material that was included in the presentation. The only problem we faced was that we were very short of time. Due to high academic rigor and continuous exams (mid-terms) in the last 3-4 days before the competition, we realized that we could have done much better. But we have decided to keep this in mind for the future competitions we participate in.

Yash was very good in providing research-based facts. Jasleen took care of the marketing strategy and presentation. Since I had prior work experience and that too in banking, I was able to come up with innovative products for increasing the sales of the credit card and was able to identify the pain points also. Also, I took care of calculating the financial cost and benefits (in terms of revenues) of all the solutions we recommended. Apart from that, I was able to better judge the feasibility of the idea.

A peek into the overall competition

The judges were fair. What I found different from other competitions was that they were not focussed on financials. Instead, their focus area was innovation and marketing. The competition, in all, was very well organized. Ola took care of all our travels and accommodation from the college to our stay in Bangalore. Even at the office, the OLA staff members were very friendly and tried to cheer up each and every participant.

We learnt mostly about OLA and how it focuses not only on the big issues but even on the micro ones. We were humbled by the kind of treatment we received. Meeting the industry leaders and some of the best minds of the colleges was fun and a great exposure for us too. We are fortunate to have reached the finals as the National Finalists of Ola Campus Connect Challenge.

We were the second last team that went on stage. The minute we stepped on stage, our XL seniors (who were now employees of OLA) started hooting for us, which made our day. One of our seniors talked to us after the competition. He gave us good constructive feedback and took us to a nearby food joint also. Because we were getting late, we couldn’t connect with the other seniors.

Team Technocrats - XLRI Jamshedpur

(Batch of 2019-21)

The three of them, Pradan Jain, Jasleen Madan and Yash Gandhi, are engineers. 2 members, Yash and Jasleen, are freshers and it was their first competition. I, Pradan Jain, has work experience in both engineering and the banking sector.