UC Berkely and AICTE, in collaboration with the Smart Village Movement, selected a group of students from the 2020-22 Batch of ASB Amritapuri to join The Business Innovation and Analytics Program.
Recently, UC Berkeley entered into a five-year MoU with AICTE to accelerate digital education in India and prepare Indian youth with skill sets needed to meet the demands of the digital economy. The project-based program was organized by distinguished faculty from UC Berkeley, as well as mentors who are senior and retired executives from Silicon Valley firms.
We interacted with professors from Haas School of Business, UC Berkely, and learnt several new concepts. Moreover, the Smart Village team from Meghalaya also provided guidance on the concepts of constructing long-term business models. The program included social development projects such as access to education, pre-primary education, rural connectivity, E-Buddies programs etc. The objective was to provide sustainable and scalable solutions that would transcend topographical and social challenges currently constraining the local denizens from upscaling their lives and livelihoods.
We spent 3 months developing viable, scalable and sustainable business models addressing socio-economic bottlenecks in rural Meghalaya. In addition to fine-tuning our business modelling skill-set, we also extended our knowledge horizons and successfully formed global partnerships to generate local solutions for national projects.
We would like to express our gratitude to Dr. Rajiv Nair, our principal, for informing us about such a fantastic initiative and for his invaluable support and contributions through the entire duration of the project. Constant encouragement and counselling by him and the faculty, also contributed to the performance of the ASB cohort, culminating in us being invited to continue as project leaders for as long as we could.
Working with the University of Berkeley Haas faculty for three months was extremely beneficial to in starting my career. It provided me significant advantages in the placement process particularly with respect to presentation styles, content, and Business plans. During my interview with Accenture, the certification in an extremely pertinent domain such as access to education technology also helped me stand out from the group.
During my participation in the programme, I was introduced to a variety of new concepts, including open innovation and lean business model canvas. When I realised that businesses were rapidly becoming significant enablers in the transformation of millions of people’s lives in emerging markets, it encouraged me to select and move forward with the project of building a sustainable model to facilitate rural connectivity. The hands-on experience in a socially relevant project helped me a lot during the placement process.
My interest was piqued when I learned that businesses are increasingly becoming key enablers in the transformation of the lives of millions of people in emerging markets. It also aided me in bringing up interesting points during placements. I could learn a lot about natural water harvesting and the modern techniques which can be embedded into resolving the problem. Overall, it was a very enriching experience, and I would surely recommend it to my fellow juniors and classmates
Being a part of UC Berkeley’s Business Innovation and Analytics program and the Smart Village Movement was a fantastic experience. We learnt how businesses and technology can transform the lives of millions of people in developing countries. We had an upper hand in our placements since we had collaborated on a live project with one of the top universities in the world. It was a great and one-of-a-kind experience.
Being a part of UC Berkeley’s Business Innovation and Analytics program and the Smart Village Movement was a fantastic experience. We learnt how businesses and technology can transform the lives of millions of people in developing countries. We had an upper hand in our placements since we had collaborated on a live project with one of the top universities in the world. It was a great and one-of-a-kind experience.
Working with the esteemed teams from Berkeley Haas and the Smart Village Movement was an extremely rewarding experience and helped me expand my knowledge horizons. Being a techie of sorts, I chose to work on a project that focused on employing technology to enable access to education. The experience also provided me with many unique talking points during my placement process.
The decision to join and complete the Business Innovation and Analytics program at the University of California, Berkeley is a significant milestone in my life. The long hours, the informed discussions and the research I carried have provided me with new perspectives. Most important, I think, is the sense of satisfaction that one gets when you know that you have sone the best you can to utilise your capabilities in an effort to have a positive impact on society. Providing a scalable model to promote pre-primary education was a project I enjoyed being part of.
It was an incredible opportunity to be a member of UC Berkeley’s Business Innovation and Analytics programme and the Smart Village Movement. We expanded our knowledge about open innovation and lean methods. Most importantly, we gained experience on how to start a product from scratch. Our lack of prior work experience did not deter us and in fact helped us enjoy the process of learning about the incredible medicinal bio-diversity of Meghalaya. Needless to say, the experience also helped immensely during our placement discussions and interviews.
It was an incredible opportunity to be a member of UC Berkeley’s Business Innovation and Analytics programme and the Smart Village Movement. We expanded our knowledge about open innovation and lean methods. Most importantly, we gained experience on how to start a product from scratch. Our lack of prior work experience did not deter us and in fact helped us enjoy the process of learning about the incredible medicinal bio-diversity of Meghalaya. Needless to say, the experience also helped immensely during our placement discussions and interviews.
Taking up the UCB project has given me real hands-on experience, to come up with scalable and sustainable business solutions for a purpose driven smart village movement. I deep dived into various new concepts and, most importantly, learnt how to launch a product from scratch. As a new entrant into the job market, the experience from this program helped me to have my own unique story to stand apart from my peers during my placement journey.
