CNBC-TV18 & Samsung launched a nationwide hunt to identify individuals who have set new benchmarks and brought a lot of credence to their work and business with innovations benefitting society. Samsung Innovation Quotient received over 300 entries explaining views and ideas of innovators and social entrepreneurs from various parts of the country.
The second round involved a preliminary discussion between the qualifiers and mentors & visual experts who provided inputs and insights on their innovation. These qualified innovators then presented their work and ideas to a power-packed jury such as Sandeep Farias, Founder and Managing Director at Elevar Equity; Dave Wallack, Senior CEO, IFMR Ventures; Suresh Venkat, Editor (Technologies & Special Features), CNBC-TV18; Krishan Sree Kumar, CEO Intellecap and Dipesh Shah, Vice President, Samsung India which was then followed by an interactive session.
These grueling rounds have resulted in the selection of the top 5 innovators and finalists of the grand finale. They include: K. Chandrasekhar (Innovation - 3nethra : A portable, non-invasive, low cost device that helps in pre-screening of five eye major diseases); Vijaya Pastala (Innovation - Under The Mango Tree: Trains poor Indian farmers to add bee-boxes to their farms & offers extensive, year-long training in beekeeping); C. Mallesham (Innovation - The Laxmi Asu Machine: A device that mechanizes the tedious process of pattern-weaving on the ‘Tie & Dye’ Pochampalli silk saree); Himanshu Sheth (Innovation - ‘Coir Atlas’ : An eco-friendly substitute of wooden logs used by the steel industry for shipment of flat products) and Vijay Bhaskar Reddy (Innovation - Kisan Raja: A solution that allows the farmers to remotely control the agricultural motor using his mobile or landline through An Interactive Voice Response System).
The final round will witness a spotlight on the top 5 path-breaking social entrepreneurs spearheading a rural change. These contestants will present their work of innovation to a panel of jurors - Raman Roy, Chairman & Managing Director, Quattro BPO Solutions; Sasha Mirchandani, Managing Partner, Kae Capital; Alok Kejriwal, CEO, Games2Win; Senthil Chengalvarayan, President & Editorial Director, TV18 Business Media; JS Shin, President, Samsung Electronics, India who will be announcing the ultimate winner. The top 3 winners will receive cash prizes, trophies and certificates of recognition.
The event will see participation from Industry stalwarts, global innovation experts and the tallest leaders of India Inc. as the event unfolds the power of social innovations with some incredible entrepreneurs sharing their path-breaking innovations with the world.