Community Manager - Pollinator Punjab Innovation Mission

The startup movement has been an important source of growth, innovation, and employment in many countries and has also taken off in some states in India. At ~12500, and growing at ~10% CAGR, India has 3rd largest number of tech start-ups in the world. There has also been rapid growth in new startup hubs with 1 out of 3 tech startups being based outside of established startup locations. To help Punjab capitalize on this opportunity, the ‘Punjab Innovation Mission’ was conceptualized in 2020 as one of the key recommendations of the Group of Experts (GoE) under the chairmanship of Former Deputy Chairperson, Planning Commission, Montek Singh Ahluwalia. The Mission is being led by Pramod Bhasin (Founder and former President, Genpact, Founder Asha Impact, Chairman Clix Capital, and ICRIER) with the support of senior Mission leaders, successful entrepreneurs, and marquee investors. It is a private sector-led initiative with strong government backing to provide curated support to startups and spur entrepreneurial activity in Punjab.

Through three key levers, the Mission will provide entrepreneurs with access to a global pool of mentors and investors, market access, and acceleration support.

• The first, is a Pollinator, to host entrepreneur-led events across cities in Punjab to stimulate an entrepreneurial mindset and bring key stakeholders – industry, academia, investors, and government to support start-ups. It will also deeply engage with the diaspora and enable them to contribute their time and capital to support the state’s innovation.
• The second lever is an ‘Accelerator’ to help scale start-ups across the region through curated programs, mentorship, market access and investor connects.
• The third will be an INR150Cr Innovation Fund to support early-growth stage entrepreneurs in the State. The fund will be steered by marquee investors with global repute.

The Mission and Fund will be supported through a high profile Board comprising eminent Indian and global Mission Leaders, successful entrepreneurs, seasoned investors, and prominent professionals in sports and media.

The vision is to build Punjab into one of the top innovation ecosystems in the country by providing the right building blocks to support dynamic entrepreneurs. The Mission will create high-value jobs, drive creative solutions to solve socio-economic problems, put Punjab on investors’ radar, bring new products/concepts to the market, and drive sustained economic growth.

The Community Manager will take ownership and be responsible for designing, developing, and delivering various programs and initiatives to catalyze a vibrant entrepreneurship ecosystem in the State. S/he will work closely with the Mission Director and Pollinator Lead to implement the strategy for the long-term development of venture growth and engage with the entrepreneurs to develop their businesses. The community manager should be a well-versed writer and communicator, have experience with social media and marketing concepts, and will collaborate with the teams to ensure the quality and development of the Mission’s objectives.

At the Mission, we’re a group of entrepreneurial thinkers, go-getters, and creators who just won’t give it a rest. We believe the work we do is important and we’re always working towards one common goal, whether that means working individually or collaborating as a group.

• Engage with academia, investors, students, colleges, Incubators government, and industry stakeholders (including MSME’s) to identify and design potential long-term and short-term entrepreneurship programs.
• Support the Accelerator team during co-incubator as well as connect with Mentors. Provide support for investor outreach to help secure funding for ventures.
• Prepare and review detailed program design and implementation plan complete with a list of potential implementation partners.
• Identify, build and maintain partnerships for always-on program outreach, mentorship and implementation.
• Support/draft reports on the completion of program activities.
• Work closely with the marketing team to develop strategies for maintaining network engagements using social media, customer support, events, and promotions.
• Communicate creatively and effectively to help generate excitement and enthusiasm among students in colleges/universities.

• 3-4 years of experience with a minimum of 1-year experience in the entrepreneurship ecosystem.
• Hands-on experience in the design and delivery of entrepreneurship training programs and tools including business model canvas, design thinking, systemic design etc.
• Experience working in one or more of the following areas is an asset: business skills training, startup incubation and acceleration hubs venture development consulting/services.
• Program/Project management experience
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail
• S/he should have high degree of energy, independence, initiative, responsibility, and accountability.
• Ability to work well within a small team and able to work independently with minimal supervision
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills. Written and oral fluency in English. Proficiency or fluency in Hindi or Punjabi desirable
• Open to travel extensively in Punjab
• The candidate should possess a minimum qualification of a bachelor’s degree. A masters degree in engineering/ business administration/other relevant fields is desirable

Mohali

Dependent on relevant experience and background. Highly competitive with similar roles.

Please send your resumes along with a letter of intent to info@impunjab.org; mention “Community Manager – Pollinator Punjab Innovation Mission” in the subject of your email.