ShopClues Next Big e-Preneur Challenge: Ornativa Announced as Winner!
In a move to amplify the entrepreneurial spirit amongst SMEs and local merchants throughout the country, ShopClues recently organised the third phase of ‘Next Big e-Preneur Challenge’. The shortlisted participants were invited for the final event at The Westin, Gurgaon in order to present their ideas to the founding team. BW Disrupt was the exclusive media partner.
Ornativa, a fashion jewellery start-up, won the award for the Next Big E-commerce Idea. The jewellery brand aims to become the market leader in Web based sales of unique designer fashion jewellery, accessories with a strong focus on quality, affordability & reach. The first runners up of the event were Pepper Agro, an urban gardening and agriculture venture, launched by Titus John and Sunimol John and Glam Studio, a brand of technology driven affordable salons founded by Sadiya Naseem; followed by Scrapify, a start-up that aims to make scrap selling transparent and hassle-free, founded by Arihant Karnawat.
Announced in October 2015, the Next Big e-Preneur Challenge platform brought forward budding and established entrepreneurs to make their business pitches to win UpGrad Entrepreneur Scholarships (India’s leading industry-centric e-learning platform). The event was judged by Sandeep Aggarwal, Founder of Shopclues and Vishal Sharma, VP – Operations at ShopClues and Abha Bakaya, Senior Anchor and Editor at BTVi, India.
Sandeep Aggarwal, Founder of ShopClues and Droom said, “The kind of ideas and novel concepts that we have come across during the ‘Next Big e-Preneur Challenge’ have been truly exceptional and overwhelming. It’s indeed heartening to see that the next clutch of entrepreneurs in India are really pushing the envelope of innovation and are also carefully looking at execution and profitability. I believe that challenges such as these are an ideal way to encourage fresh approach and help bolster the enthusiasm that is already present in India’s start-up world.”
The first runners up of the event were Pepper Agro, an urban gardening and agriculture venture, launched by Titus John and Sunimol John and Glam Studio, a brand of technology driven affordable salons founded by Sadiya Naseem; followed by Scrapify, a start-up that aims to make scrap selling transparent and hassle-free, founded by Arihant Karnawat.
Sanjay Sethi, Co-Founder and CEO, ShopClues, added, “We are pleased to reach the concluding juncture of our Next Big e-Preneur Challenge. As one of the most significant and game-changing e-commerce ventures in India, we believe it is our onus to give entrepreneurship in the country a boost. All the entries we received were promising in their own way, and they made it apparent that the Indian business eco-system as a whole is moving towards a more vibrant, innovative and solution-centric future.”
The third judge of the competition, Abha Bakaya, Senior Anchor and Editor at Bloomberg TV, India said, “The environment has become much more competitive and one needs to possess substantial ideas in hand to have an edge over others. Events like these are a part of the process of getting the right exposure to explore, express and understand where you belong in the startup community.” She is the face of BTVi India has over decade of experience in Television journalism. Abha is popular name in the entrepreneur community with her widely known show “Rising Stars” which is a flagship property of the channel. Rising Stars features upcoming entrepreneurs of start-up world and showcases their journey.
The initiative taken up by ShopClues was received well by Small & Medium Businessmen and even startup vendors. In a bid to consistently augment engagement with its large & growing merchant base, funding merchants was seen as a big opportunity by the company. The contest witnessed presentations by each participant which involved brainstorming, in-person pitch-ins feedback and explaining their business potential in the coming years. Most certainly the even proved to be a great platform for launching business plans of budding merchants.
