Startups, Get Your Problem-Solving Hats on — Case In Point 2018 Is Here

Buoyed by the success of the first edition of the case study solving competition — Case In Point — launched in December 2017, early-stage startup accelerator Espark Viridian has rolled out Case In Point 2018. Building on the vision of Startup India, the online competition focuses on spreading the spirit of entrepreneurship across the country.

Case In Point is aimed at offering budding entrepreneurs a chance to solve the existing problems of startups. The competition helps budding entrepreneurs in understanding the problems that startups face, simulated through the case studies, thereby enabling them to assess their own entrepreneurial and problem-solving abilities.

This time around, the accelerator is expanding the event pan India and the competition’s finale will be conducted across three cities — Delhi, Bengaluru, and Mumbai. It has a gratification pool of  $2,857 (INR 2 Lakh).

Speaking about the flagship event, Espark-Viridian director Vibhuti Channa said, “We were overwhelmed with the response last year and had participants travelling from all parts of the nation to be a part of the finals. We want to make Case In Point more accessible for budding entrepreneurs across India.”

Highlights of Case In Point 2018

• Case in Point 2018 will incorporate two rounds.
• The first round will invite applicants to register individually and participate in an online case study competition.
• The case study will be based on real challenges that are faced by startups.
• The second and final round would be held in three cities — Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru.
• 20 participants per location will be selected from the first round to come to a total of 60, who will be divided into teams.
• Participants are expected to come up with a feasible solution to the problem detailed in the case study provided.
• The teams will need to come up with their solutions in 2 hours 45 minutes, including mentoring sessions.
• The final presentation, made in front of the judges, will be part of the decision-making process to arrive at the winner.
• Besides winning prizes from a pool of $2,857 (INR 2 Lakh), the winners would also win free cloud telephony solutions for six months.

The Case Studies For 2018 That Startups Can Brainstorm On

Here are the problem statements of startups which made it to the case studies for this year’s Case In Point challenge:

Derive: Derive is working on developing a platform that aims to provide the most scientific and rational career assessment and guidance to people. Derive is looking at partnerships to grow strategically. It has gained some traction in the areas of mental health, technology, and education. However, it is finding it difficult to sell its product to schools authorities. The problem that needs solving is this: How can Derive reach out to newer markets and expand rapidly?

EVENTI: EVENTI, which has been organising events for a long time, aims to be an artist management platform for budding artists. It is facing challenges in revenue generation. Eventi has been trying to partner with various brands for sponsorships to create an additional revenue stream but the model hasn’t really taken off. The competition asks participants to come up with improvements in the revenue model going forward.

BetaHealth: BetaHealth is an IT platform focused on the health sector that uses artificial intelligence (AI) for basic diagnosis of common ailments in rural areas. It does this by deploying a physical machine that collects blood samples and the presents diagnosis within minutes. BetaHealth is looking for a solution to help the platform improve its sales conversions.

How Espark Viridian Helps Startups In The Country

Espark-Viridian focusses on early-stage and growth-seeking startups. It offers a four-month multi-centre, multi-sector accelerator programme across five centres in Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Gandhinagar, Mumbai, and Delhi-NCR.

Over the past year, Espark Viridian has been regularly launching accelerator cohorts, conducting online case study competitions, apart from taking other initiatives to help the startup ecosystem. Some of them are:

• AccessXcceleration: Focussed on early-stage startups, AccessXcceleration provides startups with business insights, problem-solving techniques, and one-on-one mentoring after assessing the individual needs of businesses.
• SmartUp 2017: The competition helped rising entrepreneurs validate their ideas, get one-on-one mentorship from international experts, and gain access to a wide network of investors.

The Case In Point contest is an aspirational platform for entrepreneurs who wish to solve existing problems faced by startups while simultaneously testing their skillset. The last date for filing of applications is January 5, 2019.

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