PALS Hosts EDC 360° Conclave at IIT Madras
Chennai: PALS, an IIT alumni–led initiative, hosted EDC 360° – A Conclave on Entrepreneurial Development at IIT Madras, bringing together leaders from 40 engineering institutions to strengthen campus innovation and startup ecosystems.
The event saw PALS sign MoUs with Immersive Technology & Entrepreneurship Labs (ITEL), IIT Madras, and AIC Anna Incubator, aimed at mentoring early-stage startups from partner colleges.
Welcoming delegates, R. Krishnamurti Rao, PALS Champion, highlighted the initiative’s 13-year journey connecting IITs, industry, and 67 engineering colleges across South India and Nepal. Mohan Narayanan, Governing Board Member, emphasized PALS’ vision of enabling at least one successful startup from every partner institution.
In his keynote, Prof. Ashok Jhunjhunwala, Chairman, ITEL, urged institutions to focus on local challenges like water logging, transport, and cyber security, noting that with proper guidance, 15% of students can sustain entrepreneurial journeys.
Dr. Shankar Venugopal, VP – Technology & Innovation, Mahindra & Mahindra, stressed academia–industry collaboration as a catalyst for innovation labs. A panel of EDC heads shared strategies on credits, internships, industry tie-ups, and sustainable models for entrepreneurship education.
Other speakers included Dr. Satyanarayanan Seshadri, Prof. Richa Agarwal, and Kishore Kumar. The conclave reaffirmed PALS’ role in shaping entrepreneurial education and nurturing future-ready engineers.
