Published on August 1, 2022

By: Ananya Manchanda
Lotus Valley International School, Noida

Three apples changed the world. One that Steve Jobs built, one that Adam ate, and finally, one that fell on Newton’s head. All created enormous and rather ‘revolutionary’ impacts.  

Just like them, Ever since 10th grade, I was firm that through my entrepreneurial skills, I wanted to make an impact. But How? First step: ideate. As straightforward as it seemed, it wouldn’t be all wrong to picture me as some struggling, starving artist lounging in their bedroom, desperate for solutions. I needed a start for the successful business journey that I’d ambitiously pictured in my head. It was then that I discovered the IVY Early Entrepreneur Program. 

7 days, 10 teams, and 1 final pitch! To define it in three simple words: It’s worth it! Usually, summer programs and workshops focus on presentations and theoretical learnings, but IVY EE mentors concentrate on practical application. These seven days were a trip to real-life markets. From generic market research to designing actual prototypes, this program acted as a great power booster. The most challenging part of entrepreneurship [Ideation] was covered through fun activities. Kriti ma’am and Rishi sir helped me understand the thinking process in less than two hours. Mentors’ stubborn persuasion and vision of life and society reassembled mine. This again helped me to gain confidence. Learning from their experiences and inspirational stories pushed me out of my comfort zone and taught me how the real world works. Not every day does one get to speak to MIT board members, true scholars, qualified business coaches, or founders/CEOs of such vast and successful organizations worldwide. These mentors set great examples of how it takes resolution, responsibility, and desire to succeed. 

My team had to provide feasible solutions for budget-friendly travels. Humor me when I reveal this, but initially, we were worried about figuring out the fundamental problem when innumerable solutions pre-existed in the marketplace. However, through step-by-step training, we overcame one obstacle after another. From research about our field and services to brainstorming the funding for our startup to creating a whole new brand, it was delightful. I learned about finance and marketing and how to work in a team, respecting and following various theories and methods that each member had. Opposite to what I’d expected, we had dozens of fragmented ideas by day 4. Finally, during office hours, Kriti ma’am helped us incorporate our several incomplete ideas into one concluding solution for the final project day.

Ivy EE didn’t only tickle my imagination but also stimulated critical thinking and intellectual curiosity. One saying by Rishi sir that I’m always going to cherish is that “No idea is a vague idea.” This program taught me how one random thought could prove to be revolutionary. So, without further delay, this earlier struggling artist is now starting her journey with 10 new ideas, incredible experiences, great new motivation, and optimistic thinking.