Startup Samvaad (Meet the Industry Leaders)

Startup Samvaad (Meet the Industry Leaders)

Date of Event: 26th February, 2026

Organised by: MIIF and IIC along with Maharishi School of Engineering and Technology in association with IQAC

Objective: MIIF and IIC along with Maharishi School of Engineering and Technology, in association with IQAC successfully organized workshop on Startup Samvaad on 26th February, 2026. The objective of Startup Samvaad was to motivate students to explore entrepreneurship by interacting with industry experts and successful startup founders. It also aimed to provide insights into innovation, startup challenges, funding opportunities, and the role of youth in building a strong entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Participating Students: More than 200 students from all schools of MUIT (Lucknow Campus).

Workshop Details: The dignitaries and speakers were warmly welcomed by the students with a traditional tika ceremony, creating a respectful and culturally rich beginning to the event. The Dean MSOET (Dr. Kalyan Acharjya) presented the speakers with saplings as a token of welcome and appreciation.

The event featured two engaging panel discussions where experienced entrepreneurs, professionals, and mentors shared their journeys, experiences, and practical guidance with the students.

Panel 1: “Becoming an entrepreneur – Choice or Nation’s Call?” moderated by Mr. Harsh Vardhan (Fintech Professional at VamosPago). Panelists included Mr. Faiz Siddiqui (Founder of Soil Concept and Shark Tank India Season-2 Finalist) and Shubham (Founder of Gradels Education and Technotouch Solutions).

The discussion highlighted themes such as balancing personal ambition with national responsibility, profit with purpose, opportunities in Bharat vs global markets, and the importance of innovation, resilience, and ethical leadership. Students were encouraged to solve real-world problems and create meaningful impact.

Panel 2: “The Biggest Obstacles Youth Face in Starting an Enterprise” moderated by Mr. Gitesh Kumar (Founder of Hawaiiadda Aerial Innovations).

Panelists included Mohd Anas, Mr. Anand Bhatt, and CA Jatin Srivastava. They discussed challenges like funding, regulations, mentorship gaps, and market uncertainty, while emphasizing innovation, networking, and continuous learning.

Students actively interacted with the panelists by asking insightful questions. The Dean Academics (Dr. Neeraj Jain) presented tokens of appreciation to the speakers. The event concluded with a group photograph capturing the memorable interaction.

Event Coordinator: Mrs. Pooja Shukla, Assistant Professor, MSOET.

Students’ Feedback: Students found the session highly engaging and insightful. It helped them understand real startup challenges, risk management, and opportunities. Interaction with industry experts boosted their confidence and perspective towards entrepreneurship.

Acknowledgements: Gratitude to all speakers including Mr. Harsh Vardhan, Mr. Faiz Siddiqui, Mr. Shubham Roy, Mr. Gitesh Kumar, Mohd Anas Ansari, Mr. Anand Bhatt, and CA Jatin Srivastava for sharing their expertise. Thanks to university leadership and MIIF team for organizing the event successfully.

Workshop on AR/VR Startup Development

Objective: MIIF and IIC along with Maharishi School of Engineering and Technology, in association with IQAC successfully organized workshop on AR/VR Startup Development on 9th to 13th February, 2026. The workshop aimed to equip the participants with both technical knowledge and entrepreneurial insight in the domain of immersive technologies. The workshop combined theoretical foundations, hands-on training, and startup-oriented guidance to provide a comprehensive learning experience.

Participating Students: 35 students of BCA, MCA, and B. Tech (CSE) from all semester.

Workshop Details: On Day 1, the participants were introduced to the fundamentals of Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), and Extended Reality (XR). The session covered the evolution of immersive technologies, key differences between AR, VR, and MR, and their applications across sectors such as education, healthcare, retail, manufacturing, and defence. The AR ecosystem, including hardware components and development platforms such as Unity, Unreal Engine, ARCore, ARKit, and Vuforia, was discussed in detail. The day also highlighted global market trends and startup opportunities in the AR/VR domain. Participants engaged in group discussions and ideation activities to identify real-world problem statements and propose innovative AR-based startup ideas.

On Day 2, the workshop focused on hands-on development using Unity. Participants learned how to set up AR projects using AR Foundation and configure mobile build settings. The concept of marker-less AR, including plane detection and surface tracking, was demonstrated. Students practiced placing and manipulating 3D objects in real-world environments. The session connected technical learning with practical business applications such as real estate visualization and AR-based product demonstrations. By the end of the day, participants successfully developed and tested a basic marker-less AR application.

On Day 3, the focus shifted to marker-based Augmented Reality (AR) and product prototyping, where participants learned about image tracking and the functioning of markers in AR applications. Through the integration of the Vuforia SDK with Unity, they created image targets and overlaid digital content such as 3D models and animations onto real-world surfaces, gaining practical exposure to marker-based AR development. Emphasis was placed on developing a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) aligned with a startup concept, and teams collaboratively designed prototype AR solutions incorporating branding and usability features. Additionally, Mr. Mahendra (Advisor, Incubation) conducted an engaging online session, motivating students with real-world insights and encouraging them to pursue innovation and entrepreneurship. He expressed strong support for startups and highlighted the vast scope of AR/VR technology across domains such as healthcare, education, architecture, real estate, and training, inspiring students to think beyond conventional applications and explore how immersive technologies can solve real-world problems and build impactful, successful startups.

On Day 4, the sessions emphasized interaction design and user experience in AR applications. Participants explored gesture controls, touch-based interaction, object manipulation, animation, and UI integration within AR environments. Principles of immersive user experience design were discussed to ensure usability and engagement. The entrepreneurial segment introduced revenue models, business model canvas preparation, pitch deck essentials, and incubation opportunities through MIIF and IIC. Teams refined their prototypes by integrating interactive elements and preparing structured startup presentations.

On Day 5, the workshop concluded with a comparative discussion on AR and VR technologies, their adoption trends, and future prospects. Basic application deployment and optimization processes were explained. The final session was dedicated to team presentations, where participants demonstrated their AR prototypes and presented startup pitches before mentors and faculty members. The workshop concluded with students’ feedback, discussion on career and incubation pathways in AR/VR, and certificate distribution.

The workshop was coordinated by: Mrs. Pooja Shukla, Assistant Professor, MSOET.

Students’ feedback: Students appreciated the balanced blend of theoretical concepts, hands-on training, and startup-oriented guidance provided during the workshop. They found the practical sessions on Unity and AR development particularly engaging and informative. Many participants expressed that the workshop enhanced their technical skills, broadened their understanding of AR/VR applications, and motivated them to explore innovation, entrepreneurship, and incubation opportunities in the field of immersive technologies.

Acknowledgements: Gratitude to Mr. Kartik Wadhwa (Unity Developer at Tekurious PVT Ltd, Ghaziabad) for sharing his expertise with our students. We also extend our gratitude to Hon’ble Vice Chancellor (Prof. Bhanu Pratap Singh), Registrar (Dr. Girish Chhimwal), Dean Academics (Dr. Neeraj Jain, MUIT, Lucknow Campus), Dean MSOET (Dr. Kalyan Acharjya) for his valuable guidance and constant encouragement. A heartfelt gratitude to Mr. Puneet Pandey (Manager, MIIF, Lucknow Campus)) for organizing the workshop smoothly and efficiently. Sincere thanks to Sr. AO (Dr. Rajesh Singh) for his active support and cooperation in making the visit a success.