By Luvena Rangel (The Curvy Yogi)
Bengaluru, Jul 13: Kanara Entrepreneurs GenNow has effectively set the precedent for innovative networking by precisely placing a finger on the pulse of the young entrepreneur’s business needs and skill development. The last meeting on Wednesday, July 6 was a power-packed and energetic gathering of about 30 GenNow members with a focus on collaborative engagement. The evening saw high spirits merge with laser sharp focus and wit at KE member Ashish Dabreo’s savvy Maverick and Farmer Coffee, Ulsoor – one of India’s few farm to cup coffee brands.
After solemnizing the meet with the KE prayer, the attending members were promptly led by Vincent D’souza to a table activity discussing Roses, Thorns and Buds in their life –as an ice breaker as well as an opportunity to maximize table networking with well thought out advance seating arrangements. The high degree of reflection, camaraderie and banter acknowledged peer experiences and was an indicator of the efficacy of such interaction in a demographic that is constantly challenged to balance wins, setbacks and potential opportunities. Members got to know each other better. The support within the table and the cheering across table groups was astounding. Everything from business goals of the quarter being met by the start of the month to the extreme challenge faced in the form of employee retention, messy rooms, and sleepless nights was acknowledged.
If ‘Maverick’ was not a giveaway, then the next table activity, ‘Aircrash’ would surely point to be a very unintended, but appropriate ‘Top Gun’ theme of the evening! For the uninitiated, Maverick was Tom Cruise’s call sign in the movie that also involved an impending aircraft crash.
Aircrash, led by Vilina Sequeira, was a powerful engagement activity set in the context of an aircraft carrying all members and doomed to crash with only one parachute for the winning table. The aim was to find creative and strategic ways to collaborate and include every business at the table and present a project that would deem them most deserving of the parachute. The buzz over the tables as they devised and designed projects to earn the parachute was intense but also generously punctuated with ebullientlaughter and moments of serious note-taking.
The individual presentations were well thought out and the creative edge was sheer brilliance – one group even proceeded to collectively present their hope of avoiding the crash altogether with the help of multiple IT experts on their team who could program the aircraft to safety and not require a need for the parachute at all! The judge, none other than Ashish, eventually found it extremely hard but only fair to award the prize to two tables – one table for creative ingenuity of conviction that involved a project to create a sustainable future for the generations to come alongside a holistic development of the youth and the other table for their robust business strategy that involved sustainable growth alongside funded marketing and allocation of natural and financial resources!
No good gathering is complete without food – the welcome drink, snacks, plated sandwiches and the dessert from Maverick & Farmer Coffee were amazingly scrumptious! An innovative initiative by the GenNow Organizing Team to bring visibility and associate with the member venues and businesses for the meets is extremely wholesome and keeps with KE’s vision of building and supporting community.
KE director events, Sunil D’Sa, extended his support to GenNow and suggested members be proactive in sharing ideas for events as well as feedback that he can take up to the Board of Directors.
Key ideas that were shared by the team as objectives for GenNow meets were:
To be open and come up with ideas
Set the intention to come up with ways to meet again
Actively volunteer to bring in more creativity and learn from the experience.
Invite family and friends to join KE
The evening was brought to a crisp close with good time keeping and quick announcements, member input for the next meet and volunteer recruitment by Nishan Pereira and Vilina, followed by open networking and interaction for the members.
A very commendable event put together by the organizing committee and volunteers for KE GenNow making it irresistible to wait for the next!
The organizers thanked the sponsors and volunteers and in acknowledgement of the organizing committee:
Allwyn D’souza– Dr Octo– Lucky Draw Prize Hamper
Vilina Sequeira - Docens Training & HR Consulting Pvt Ltd. – Notepads and pens
The team and staff of Maverick and Farmer Coffee, Ulsoor, for the space and hospitality
Volunteers:
Deon Gomes (Lint Pharmaceuticals)
Vincent D’souza (Tekkonectpro IT Services)
Organizing Committee:
Eugene Mathias (Firefly Spaces)
Neil Rodrigues (The Konkan)
Nishan Pereira (Deccan Group of Companies)
Vilina Sequeira (Docens Training & HR Consulting Pvt Ltd)