IITians smitten by entrepreneurship

Bitten by the entrepreneurial bug, a large number of IITians have opted out of the placement process.

According to placement officials, around 20 per cent of the students at IIT-Kanpur are not sitting for placements this year. Similarly, IIT-Bombay too has seen a large number of students opt out to pursue their start-up dreams.

“Many students have not registered for placements this year as they are very confident about starting their own ventures and feel they don’t need a cushion,” said Ayush Lakhotia, Placement Manager at IIT-Bombay. At IIT-Kanpur, a placement official said many are also looking to pursue further studies abroad or prepare for the civil service exams.

Last year, IIT-Bombay started a safety net programme, offering deferred placement for students who want to pursue entrepreneurship or social ventures. The students who have been awarded deferrals this year can come back after two years and be part of the campus placements.

This year, eight students opted for the deferred placement programme at IIT-Bombay for starting their own ventures in technology, research and e-commerce space, said Lakhotia.

“The deferred placement programme at IIT Madras has gained popularity over the years. This year, 35 students have opted for deferred placements. The ventures of a number of students from the institute have been incubated at our research park,” said V Babu, Placement Advisor.

Anishya O Madan, Industrial Liaison Officer at IIT-Delhi, said while the institute is yet to collate data, a significant number of students have opted for deferred placement.

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