From Problem Discovery to Entrepreneurial Pitching in Chennai

The Chennai edition of YCB Season 7 gathered 44 participants from 15 schools across eight states at the IIT Madras campus from 17 to 23 June 2026. The program provided an immersive environment to explore technology, entrepreneurship, design, creative thinking, and social impact within the academic ecosystem of IIT Madras.

The week began with orientation and problem-observation workshops by Aniket Gupta, alongside discussions with entrepreneurs Rizlin Chrisia and Mithra Rajaram. Yashveer Singh (Global Director, Ashoka Young Changemakers) delivered an opening talk on tech innovation, while Phanindra Sama (Founder, RedBus) guided students on operating at the intersection of passion, purpose, and problems. Creative problem-solving was facilitated by Prof. L. S. Ganesh, alongside hands-on experimentation at the Centre for Innovation (CFI) at IIT Madras.

Participants dove into AI/ML and Large Language Models with Geetha Raju (Centre for Responsible AI, IIT Madras), business finance and monetisation with Prof. Thillai Rajan, product value propositions with automotive entrepreneur Pradeep Thangappan, and consumer marketing with Siddharthan Paneerselvam. Mentors like Ayushi Singhal guided teams through problem statement finalisation before experiential visits to the DakshinaChitra Heritage Museum for expressive arts workshops, the Birla Planetarium, and Vivekananda House.

Digital tool sessions with Palkin Garg and Khushboo Khator, business plan structuring with Andrew Thangaraj, and storytelling workshops prepared students for the final business pitching competition judged by Aniket Gupta and Deedee (Senior Intrapreneur, Ashoka). An open-house career guidance session led by Ishaan Joshi added a forward-looking dimension to the week.

Winning Ideas:

• Anna's Innovators (Joint Winner): Adaptive digital learning tools designed to alleviate sensory burnout and academic anxiety for neurodivergent students. (Team: Riddhima, Satvik, Pratibha, Udhay)
• Team ZAP Cable (Joint Winner): A smart navigation and safety solution assisting solo travellers and children with offline location access and travel information. (Team: Prajjwal Gangavatiker, Clarissa Jane, Ziva Sama, Pranav Aaditya)