Know all about PGP-IRE at GIBS Bengaluru: Interview with Bharath K, PGDM Student (2022-24)

Established in 2014, Global Institute of Business Studies (GIBS) is located in Bengaluru, Karnataka. GIBS is approved by AICTE, Ministry of Education, Government of India and recognised by the University Grant Commission (UGC). GIBS Bengaluru offers offers BBA and PGDM programmes. GIBS Bengaluru BBA admission is done on the basis of candidates’ performance in the 10+2 exam. For GIBS Bengaluru PGDM admission, CAT/ XAT/ CMAT/ GMAT/ MAT/ ATMA/ KCET/ NMAT test scores are accepted.

Careers360 brings you an exclusive interview with Bharath K, a student of Global Institute of Business Studies, pursuing Post Graduate Program in Innovation, Research & Entrepreneurship (PGP-IRE). In this interview Bharath has shared his experience and life at GIBS. What is life like inside GIBS Bengaluru? How did he choose this career path? And other things about the college. To know more about the experiences of a student at GIBS Bengaluru read the full interview of Bharath K with Careers360.

Careers360: Can you tell us about your journey in the Post Graduate Program in Innovation, Research & Entrepreneurship (PGP-IRE) at GIBS? What motivated you to enrol in this program?

Bharath: Post Graduate Program in Innovation, Research & Entrepreneurship (PGP-IRE) has a triangular base structure where the first slope of the triangle represents innovation, the second represents entrepreneurship backed by research. For any entrepreneur for that matter, if they need to be perceived in any career, they need solid research and innovation. If a person is simultaneously backed by these two prospects then they can definitely be a successful entrepreneur. Talking about my journey and motivation, the first motivation for me was learning. When I joined GIBS, they had put across this particular programme called PGP-IRE, a flagship programme where they practically teach you how to sustain in the market or how to go ahead with it. To talk about my journey in PGP-IRE, it was no less than a giant wheel ride for me. Sometimes the days are so high, that we used to throw parties for friends just being appreciated by teachers for a particular idea that we had pitched in and we came up with lots of ideas, innovations, and research to get slight appreciation from all professors.

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Careers360: How has the IRE School at GIBS helped you develop your skills in innovation, research, and entrepreneurship? Can you share some specific experiences or activities that had a significant impact on your learning?

Bharath: To talk about a specific activity, which I really liked or the skill set that we develop, which is really helpful in whatever we do. There is one particular activity called the Six Design Thinking Hats, where we did this activity to give an example if we were to organise an event, all of the teammates (since it was a team event). IRE is basically a team management programme, where we got divided into a team of 10 each as we had around 18 teams. In this particular activity of Six Design Thinking Hats, where each colour of the hat describes the character, we are six in a team, we have Six Design Thinking Hats, if I wear a red colour hat then I have to think in a gut feeling way for the outcomes of that particular event if I have to wear a blue colour hat or my teammate, then he has to think like a leader wherein he has to come up with ideas, innovative ideas, how could that particular event be successful. Likewise, there is a black hat which suggests the negative aspects that could go wrong, this particular activity is a brainstorming activity. This particular activity has a great role in all of our developing areas and all of our skill-developing areas.

Careers360: The PGP-IRE program focuses on idea generation, prototyping, and business. Could you describe a project or idea you worked on during the program that you found particularly challenging and rewarding?

Bharath: We as a team of 10 worked on a trekking management app where we created a platform for all the trekking enthusiasts and hiking enthusiasts to remove all the hassles that trekkers were feeling. This innovation, research and entrepreneurship is an interlinkage between all the departments and programmes. Without innovation and research, you can’t do any entrepreneurial activity. To come up with challenges or what is rewarding as we said the final day of the convocation day is rewarding for us. That’s where all the hard work and sleepless nights came into the picture in a particular degree form. Talking about challenges, we face a lot of challenges just because anywhere in this particular event of BSchool or undergraduate, we are not taught in-depth knowledge about how to start a start-up or anything.

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Careers360: How do you believe the combination of the PGDM and PGP-IRE programs at GIBS has uniquely prepared you for a career in management, innovation, research, and entrepreneurship?

Bharath: The combination of PGDM and PGP-IRE, at the beginning days we used to see a lot of stress as we were not used to it. Eventually, we get used to it because the PGDM programme is the drive from MBA towards PGDM; whereas PGDM is more practical based in this industry. But PGP-IRE is something which would put the practicality into practice which I say. If PGDM is a water tank, PGP-IRE is like a cover which prevents it from leaking.

Careers360: GIBS emphasizes the practical aspect of learning, including the development of a final product prototype. Can you tell us about your experience in converting an idea into a tangible prototype? What were the key takeaways from this process?

Bharath: The basic idea of PGP-IRE is that from ideation to prototype. In between there is one programme called the Business Mastery Programme, in which we have to pitch three products to him, wherein all the 18 teams have to come up, 10 in each team, 180 in strength and they have to come up with three particular products and we have to sell them. The management will fund around Rs. 25,000 each hand in cash for all 18 teams. The team has to come up with three products and they have to sell them. Within a span of 1 and ½ to 2 months, the team has to gain a profit margin of 20%, where the team has to return around Rs. 30,000 back to the management as Rs. 5,000 will be utilised by all the society which is the student refund society. This student refund society is for the well-being of the students and everything. The profits are being distributed among society and profits are also distributed among the students. The whole PGP-IRE helps in developing the attitude wherein we use all skills that we learn such as innovation and how could we be more innovative than others, how we uniquely present ourselves or how we can do extensive research in a different way and what is the need of people around us.

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Careers360: The IRE Conference and Convocation are significant milestones in the program. Can you elaborate on your experience during these events and how they have shaped your career goals?

Bharath: The conference and convocation were a great milestone for us. IRE is the 4th iteration is what we are facing as we are the 4th batch of IRE. It has always been a growth from where we started and where the college has started and management too. We had the privilege to go out and present ourselves, whereas the top three teams were given a chance to present themselves at the conference. There are about 20-25 full-time entrepreneurs sitting and evaluating their pitch as we have prizes for that. The top three teams made it to the finals which is called the conference day is D-Day. Talking about the convocation we had three main guests and all three were Shark Tank fame guests and all the other people who felicitated all of the batches with mark cards and certificates, that all for the convocation as all our hard work and sleepless night came in front of us when we are receiving that particular degree.

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Careers360: What synergies have you identified between the PGDM and PGP-IRE programs that have allowed you to develop a holistic skill set for the business world?

Bharath: When we talk about the synergies or the combination of PGP-IRE and PGDM programmes, holistic skill has always been with us because right from the beginning days, we started with innovation, research and entrepreneurship. We started with innovation, where we were exposed to a lot of innovations that were going on throughout the world or the society around us. If we talk about how it is combinedly helping us in developing holistic skills, wherein we are doing this internship for three months and where we have been asked if we have to put PGP in a particular hand and PGDM in another hand we would be frightened to pick one because all the classes we took or studies we do in that particular class, the theoretical aspect of which has been put in the practical subjects of PGP-IRE. All the soft skills and how to put them into practice is the holistic skill that we learn from both PGP-IRE and PGDM courses.

Careers360: Could you tell us about your future career aspirations? How do you envision applying what you've learned at GIBS in your professional journey?

Bharath: Talking about future career aspirations, personally, I have been on an entrepreneurial journey since 2019, when I started my NGO. Till the date, PGP-IRE started, we were running this organisation in a particular way but after being exposed to this PGP-IRE programme, we changed the dynamics of how we run the organisation and brainstormed people, and volunteers. Five years from now, if I were to work in a corporation, it would always be a mindset that I would take from PGP-IRE and apply there and give my 100% to that as that would always be there.

Careers360: What message would you like to convey to aspiring innovators who are considering a career in entrepreneurship, especially those who believe in their innovative ideas?

Bharath: As a student, I could say that we are to start emphasising one particular thing which is to start by identifying a problem. After that, if you still believe that it is a pain area, do extensive research on that pain area and if you still believe that the pain area could be feasible or the pain area could be sought. In a business-critical way that could be feasible or it could mean some money, if there is a business in that then try to apply all of these innovations and all of the research that you have gathered so far and put it across and that would be a good entrepreneurial journey for students. Start identifying problems and innovation is the key.

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Disclaimer: This content was distributed by GIBS Business School, Bangalore and has been published as part of Careers360’s marketing initiative.