Alumni Leaders Inspire Entrepreneurial Spirit

The Hyderabad Public School's centenary celebrations culminated in the HPS StartX Entrepreneurship Summit, attended by Proctor and Gamble's COO Shailesh Jejurikar, GVK Group Vice Chairman Sanjay Reddy and Sanjay Reddy. The event, which included a startup summit, golf tournament and live concert, aimed to promote innovation and collaboration. The summit concluded with a concert by 'The Bartenders'.

The HPS StartX Summit unfolded as a daylong event, featuring a Startup symposium spotlighting young alumni-run startups, engaging masterclasses and seminars. It marked the initiation of a global Alumni founder’s community for ongoing mentorship programmes, internship opportunities and support for entrepreneurial aspirations through seed and pre-series funding. This summit served as a platform for ambitious Eagles venturing into the entrepreneurial realm.

“Venture capitalists have made entrepreneurship easier today, but our journey faced more challenges. It is crucial for students to be prepared for the future. Startups, a global phenomenon, contribute to a robust ecosystem and economic growth. StartX aligns with achieving long-term goals and fostering sustainable strategies”, Gusti Noria, President of The HPS Society, said. 

“Building companies requires a good infrastructure. For example, Uber and food delivery services like Swiggy rely on the internet and GPS to scale up. Public infrastructure provides the foundation for various possibilities, allowing entrepreneurs to innovate. Current applications focus on payment and simple functions, while unknowns act as building blocks for entrepreneurs. Credit services are expected to grow significantly and healthcare infrastructure for Indian companies should embrace AI in the future. Numerous applications will emerge based on existing layers”, Nandan Reddy, Co-founder of Swiggy, said. 

"The advent of AI marks a significant transformation. The key to the future lies in becoming learning leaders. The landscape is evolving rapidly and maintaining curiosity as a learner is crucial. The future will revolve around asking questions rather than simply answering them”, Shailesh Jejurikar, COO Proctor and Gamble said. 

“The enormity of problems and user cases paves the way for substantial AI solutions. Hard innovation is the key for Indians to think outside the box. Innovators should bring technical ideas and business cases to the market, focusing on achieving the ultimate goal regardless of the learning and growth curve with AI”, Satish Reddy, Chief Engineer at JSC Engineering (NASA), highlighted. 

“Original innovation originating from India aligns with our company vision and should be the goal for startups. It's essential to comprehend the needs of Indian consumers and tailor solutions for them”, Subram Kapoor, Executive Director of Keus Automation, said. 

“Continuous innovation, staying on the cutting edge and maintaining hunger for your goals are imperative. Today's buzzwords are gen AI and ChatGPT. AI can revolutionise medicine and enhance predictive capabilities for medical diagnoses. The Made in India programme's rollout is commendable and India is a leader in cybersecurity solutions. It's crucial to harness the benefits of AI responsibly, ensuring it doesn't become a destructive force. Stay passionate, humble and innovative”, K.S. Parag, Founder and Managing Director of FVC, emphasised. 

“A customer-focused mindset is essential. We need fundamentally innovative solutions to serve humanity. The success of HPS is attributed to the social network of people coming together”, Ashit Talukdar, Global Head of AI and automation at S&P Global, stated. 

The event also included a 5-minute speed networking session, where mentors and thought leaders from diverse fields partnered with aspiring individuals to exchange ideas spanning entrepreneurship, content creation, creative arts, performing arts, law, healthcare, technology, finance & accounting and marketing.

Two empowering Masterclasses were part of StartX: ‘The Growth Mindset Workshop’ led by growth mindset expert Ranjan Banerjee and ‘Design Thinking’ facilitated by Kanika Kumar, Product and Strategy at IDEO and Sahithya Anumolu, Co-Founder of Inqui-lab Foundation.

The Primary School Zone hosted a Learning Zone, featuring four-panel discussions, four workshops, a photography competition, a book launch, book reading and a debate. The HPS Carnival featured Cabana-style stalls organised by parents offering food and beverages, student-arranged games and a unique shopping experience. The carnival included live music, DJs, stand-up comedy, magic shows by street magicians, jesters on stilts, dance performances, art displays, poetry recitations and more.

An HPS Alumni Sports Reunion facilitated friendly competitions between Alumni and students in various sports, including cricket, football, basketball, volleyball, tennis, table tennis, shooting  and swimming. The Hyderabad Public School Museum, titled ‘Echoes of Time’, presented a historical odyssey spanning 100 years of the school. The exhibit showcased old-school buses, uniforms, benches and interactive installations that transported Alumni back in time. Through virtual and mixed reality experiences, Alumni could immerse themselves in the boy’s dormitories from earlier batches. The exhibition was enhanced by a Wall of Honour, serving as a testament to HPS's enduring legacy of excellence.