IILM University’s Greater Noida campus hosted Aman Gupta, Co-founder and CMO of boAt, as Chief Guest for its undergraduate program orientation, drawing an audience of nearly 1,000 students and parents for a candid fireside chat moderated by Manika Raikwar.
Trading commencement-speech platitudes for founder-level candour, Gupta shared unfiltered insights into boAt’s early days, recounting startup struggles and the unorthodox guerrilla marketing tactics that helped scale the brand into an industry leader. His advice to aspiring entrepreneurs skipped the usual playbook.
“If you want to start a business, go work for a competitor first. Learn the ropes, understand the industry from the inside, and build from there,” Gupta told the audience.
Speaking from what he described as his dual vantage point, as a founder and as an active venture capitalist, Gupta demystified what investors actually look for in early-stage startups. He emphasised that a founder’s ethics, attitude and drive are as critical as the product or service itself, pointing to young entrepreneurs who built successful ventures before age 19 as proof that resilience, not age or pedigree, is the real filter investors apply.
Gupta’s visit comes on the back of a year of sustained momentum for IILM on the innovation and entrepreneurship front. The university launched Foundry One, an innovation hub and accelerator developed with IIT Delhi’s FITT, envisioned as a 300,000 sq. ft. campus modelled on the founder-first ethos of Y Combinator and the ecosystem approach of T-Hub Hyderabad. It also introduced Co-Create, a platform designed to deepen engagement between students, alumni, faculty and industry professionals through mentorship and structured dialogue. Most recently, Japanese venture capital firm Beyond Next Ventures partnered with IILM to embed a full-time team member on campus, working directly with students from the earliest stages of ideation, a rare model in Indian higher education.
Dr. Nihar Amoncar, Pro Chancellor, IILM University Greater Noida, said the choice of Chief Guest reflected a deliberate shift in thinking. “The face of role models for students is changing, and that’s what led us to invite a young entrepreneur this year,” he said. “Students relate to him. He’s grounded, inspiring, hardworking and successful, and he has seen both failure and success firsthand. Who better to speak to our incoming students?”
Gupta also encouraged students to prioritise hands-on, real-world industry exposure over relying solely on classroom learning before launching their own ventures. On education itself, he advised faculty to modernise teaching methods to prepare students for an AI-driven workplace, and during the Q&A, urged students to continually build a broad, versatile skill set to stay adaptable in a fast-changing job market.
About IILM University
IILM University, Greater Noida, offers multidisciplinary programs designed to foster innovation, critical thinking, and leadership. Through industry-integrated learning, global exposures, and holistic development, IILM empowers students to thrive in a rapidly changing world.
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