Be it Manish Sabharwal, Sanjeev of naukri.com or Vaani Kola a venture capitalist. A dinner with my dream star Jaqueline from Acumen Funds. A talk with Nitin Rao, who gave up MIT Sloan admit to do something for society, or an unknown man who came in simple attire and said i want to bring about a social sustainable change and i look forward to the brain in this b school.
I met colorful people. Have learned more from them than any text book could have ever taught me.
I specially loved the clarity of mind in Vaani Kola. Ruthless, straightforward, crystal clear mind. I think today's talk helped me appreciate the mindsets of venture capitalists, they exist to make money, they risk their money on you, till they see that you have emptied all pots in your home, your own conviction is at stake. Entrepreneurship is about persistence, smartness, ability to let go for a bigger cause. Its not the money to start with, its the sacrifice which counts.
Manish turned out to be an excellent speaker. Harvard grad who can turn the crowd to his side with the bestest possible words. His was a play of get going, dont stop.
Sanjeev on the other hand was an independent mind who would just not leave his idea, the conviction got better with every failure and turned into millions. It really takes lots of courage to keep following a path for years when all your colleagues fly in jet. It was definitely not money, it was just the DNA to succeed.
Jaqueline is one of the most compassionate person i have ever met. Her empathy showcases the good soul that she is. She really carries a head on her soulders. Smart, intelligent, dedicated. Someone who started acumen funds to make lives of millions better. She has a team of smart, dedicated professionals. Everyone is progressive and think of social improvement with a view. I met quite a few intelligent, interesting people. Its nice to know that people think of bringing up India the way i do. I am not alone in the battle of social change.
Nitin Rao is a young guy with amazing brain and clarity. In no time he has carved a space for himself in social sector. He thinks capitalist too. I liked the confidence and focus with which he carried his conversation with us. I am sure that i am going to help such people in every possible form, they are the face of this nation.
Last but not least, the simple man, he might not be the known one, but definitely the one to work for better. He said he wanted to chart a startegy for his charity. He does not want it to be plain cheque charity, he wants us to show him the way, so that money keeps on multiplying for good. Sir, meeting you made my conviction stronger. There are more and more people who think strongly about sustainability and there is a lot that we as future business leaders have, which can be used for the progress of nation.
Thank you to all of you!! I know my biggest learning from ISB is listening to you and gaining from your experience. Hopefully, i will make use to some of this in time to come.
