Wadhwani Foundation celebrates the spirit of Entrepreneurship through ‘Heart to Heart: From One Entrepreneur to Another’ campaign

The digital campaign focuses on seasoned entrepreneurs advising other entrepreneurs and startups on how to tide over the COVID crisis

TheWadhwani Foundation today launched a special campaign celebrating the ‘Spirit of Entrepreneurship’. The campaign branded as ‘Heart to heart: From one Entrepreneur to Another’, focuses on knowledge sharing by leading entrepreneurs to help other startups and entrepreneurs reeling under the pandemic by sharing their inspirational stories – how they found a way out even in times of acute economic and business distress.

The campaign has launched a series of five video messages by leading entrepreneurs sharing their valuable experiences in a heart-to-heart and inspiring manner, talking about their journey, the road to be a successful entrepreneur and the resilience required to tide over the COVID-19 crisis by turning adversity into business opportunity.

Says Atul Raja, Executive Vice President, Marketing at Wadhwani Foundation, “The COVID-19 pandemic has wrought havoc in the startup and small business ecosystem. These are extra-ordinary times and the best many businesses can currently do is to dig in, bide the time, survive and wait for the situation to improve, and then thrive. We conceptualized the –Heart to Heart campaign– as an inspirational voice to encourage and uplift the general mood in the startup and entrepreneur community through the confidence, never-say-die spirit and business acumen of five wonderful entrepreneurs who have turned adversity into opportunity.” 

The videos feature five leading entrepreneurs stressing the need to be resilient and to plan beyond the COVID-19 pandemic as an opportunity for growth:

• Arunabh Sinha, IIT Mumbai graduate and Founder, UClean, India’s largest laundry chain
• Avelo Roy, Tech entrepreneur and investor, and Managing Director, Kolkata Ventures, one of the largest startup incubators in East India
• Vikram Khinwasara and Piyush Kankaria, Co-founders of ‘The Yellow Straw’, a Kolkata based fresh-fruit juice startup that has taken the city by storm
• Pankaj Vijayvargiya, CEO and Founder of Bitlevel International
• Rohini Lodge, Founder of Studio Red, a design and communication agency with offices in Kolkata and Bangalore

Given below are the 5-videos from the campaign, featuring leading entrepreneurs:

1. This is the time to show a lot of perseverance and resilience – Arunabh Sinha, Founder, UClean (India’s largest laundry chain)

2. Real entrepreneurs don’t give up. They hit the reset button – Avelo Roy, MD, Kolkata Ventures

3. Instead of pivoting to fresh revenue streams, we ventured into a natural product extension of raw fruits – Vikram Khinwasara and Piyush Kankaria, Co-founders, The Yellow Straw

4. Any entrepreneur can survive with grit and determination – Pankaj Vijayvargiya, Founder & CEO, Bitlevel International

5. Look out for a silver lining to overcome challenges – Rohini Lodge, Founder, Studio Red (A design and communication agency)

“It’s a fantastic time to hit the reset button to hit our lives and shift the direction away from being average and mediocre,” are the words of wisdom from Avelo Roy, MD, Kolkata Ventures.

“This is the time to show a lot of perseverance and resilience,” says Arunabh Sinha, Founder, UClean.

“Look for a silver lining in challenging times, as there is always one,” opines Rohini Lodge, Founder, Studio Red.

“Many detractors will try to pull them down, but not to lose hope is the key,” is the advice from Vikram Khinwasara and Piyush Kankaria, Co-founders, The Yellow Straw.

“If I can recover without any life-support and ventilator, then anybody can,” reflects Pankaj Vijayvargiya, Founder & CEO, Bitlevel International, on his amazing business turnaround.

Adds Atul Raja, Executive Vice President, Marketing at Wadhwani Foundation, “The startup community is well-known and revered for its never-say-die attitude and ability to bounce back. Most of the successful entrepreneurs of today wear failure on their sleeves as a badge of honor. The ‘Heart-to-Heart Campaign’ seeks to tap into and ignite the resilient entrepreneurial spirit by motivating startup entrepreneurs in tough COVID times and encouraging them to think out-of-the-box.”