Key participants of a State-Level Entrepreneurs Summit at Alagappa Institute of Management in Karaikudi release a book on Tuesday. The Alagappa Institute of Management, Alagappa University, hosted IGNITE 2026, a State-level Entrepreneurs Summit, here on Tuesday.Organisers said the primary objective of the summit was to bring successful entrepreneurs and seasoned industry experts directly to the university campus to interact with students, sharing their entrepreneurial journeys, practical experiences, and business management insights.Presiding over the event, J.
Jeyakanthan, Vice-Chancellor (i/c), Alagappa University, outlined the institution’s performance across academic accreditation, research funding, global rankings, and entrepreneurship initiatives.He also spoke about the growing relevance of entrepreneurship in a rapidly changing economic environment and called upon educational institutions to create an ecosystem that encouraged young people to develop business ideas, explore innovative solutions and take up entrepreneurial ventures.He urged students to move beyond the conventional pursuit of employment and consider becoming entrepreneurs who could generate employment opportunities for others. He also observed that innovation, creativity and the willingness to take calculated risks were essential qualities for aspiring entrepreneurs.In his inaugural address, Rajya Sabha MP Praveen Chakravarthy said that aspiring entrepreneurs must move beyond conventional thinking, identify emerging opportunities, and develop the courage and resilience to overcome risks and challenges.
Having a promising business idea and a talented team alone would not guarantee the success of a start-up, as mobilising initial capital remained one of the major challenges faced by young entrepreneurs.In this context, he highlighted the crucial role of angel investors in providing early-stage financial support to emerging start-up ventures.Sharing an interesting experience from his professional journey, he recalled an incident from 2007, when an alumnus of IIT Bombay, who had resigned from his position at Microsoft, approached him seeking investment for an innovative start-up venture proposing a telephone-based taxi booking service.At the time, he declined to invest, as he had not fully recognised the potential of the idea. He later realised that the very same venture had grown into OLA, a successful business enterprise.
Reflecting on this experience, he emphasised the importance of recognising innovative ideas at the right time, identifying their potential, and having the courage to take calculated risks without the fear of failure.Referring to the rapid advancements in Artificial Intelligence, he stated that tools such as ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini were transforming the nature of intellectual and professional work.Students should therefore move beyond merely using AI tools and explore how these technologies could be leveraged to create new business opportunities and innovative entrepreneurial ventures.He further observed that although AI could perform a wide range of tasks, human experiences, craftsmanship, creativity and practical skills would continue to command unique value. Encouraging students to identify opportunities in these areas, he urged them to develop their entrepreneurial ideas by combining AI technologies with practical and professional competencies.S.
Chandramohan, Director, Alagappa Institute of Management, delivered the thematic address at the summit. Published - November 03, 2026 07:08 pm IST