In a thought-provoking discussion held on January 31, the authors behind Pune International Centre’s (PIC) playbook on ‘Enabling Waste-to-Wealth and Circular Economy’ explored the ideas and concepts presented in the playbook. Moderated by Dinanath Kholkar, former Global Head of Partner Ecosystems and Alliances at TCS, the event brought together key contributors to delve into the startup ecosystem and the dynamics of circular economic innovation.
Sanjay Kanvinde, founder of Lavni Ventures and one of the authors, emphasized that the playbook provides a platform for entrepreneurs to share experiential insights, positioning it as founder-centric rather than an academic exercise. Stressing the need for active government policy intervention and market creation, Kanvinde acknowledged the initiative as a step in the right direction while emphasizing the necessity for further action.
Gireendra Kasmalkar, Managing Partner at Pentathlon Ventures and author of the playbook, highlighted the book’s intention to share experiences that can be genuinely useful, emphasizing that it is not intended to be prescriptive in nature.
Amit Bhargava, Associate Vice President at Birlasoft and another author, underscored the importance of finding co-founders with complementary skills and locating startups close to raw materials to mitigate risks. He positioned the playbook as a valuable resource for aspiring entrepreneurs who have ideas but lack guidance on initiation and for those already on their journey but seek direction.
Prashant Girbane, elucidating the evolution of social innovation at PIC, traced its roots as a movement within the think tank. The playbook was born out of the realization that there was a need for increased publications to disseminate knowledge and insights.
The playbook, authored by PIC Social Innovation Lab mentors, includes Amit Bhargava, Anil Kulkarni, Gireendra Kasmalkar, Pramod Athalye, Ram Iyer, Sandeep Chawda, Sanjay Kanvinde, and Shekhar Jadhav. It compiles eight compelling examples of social enterprises making significant strides in the waste-to-wealth sector. The playbook serves as a guide, sharing valuable insights, patterns, and lessons learned by these enterprises to enable and inspire other social enterprises.
Explore the playbook on the PIC website: PIC Playbook
