Ernie Cadotte, the author of Marketplace, had an exciting trip to India in February and March. He started his trip with a visit to the Entrepreneurship Development Institute (EDI) of India in Ahmedabad. EDI has been spearheading the entrepreneurship movement throughout India since 1983. Its core belief is that entrepreneurs need not necessarily be born, but can be developed through well-conceived and well-directed activities.
Dr. Cadotte was invited to be a Distinguished Plenary Speaker in the Tenth Biennial Conference on Entrepreneurship that EDI hosted from February 20 to 22. The title of his talk was “Simulations as Effective Pedagogy for Teaching Business and Entrepreneurship.”
During the conference, he was fortunate to meet faculty from all over India and Africa and compare notes on the challenges and opportunities in training entrepreneurs.
From Ahmedabad, Dr. Cadotte went on to Pune and the Symbiosis Institute of Management. Director Vivek Sane invited him to train faculty and trainers from his school and the region in the pedagogy of simulation-based learning. Rajkumar Phatate, Vinod Shastri and Dr. Cadotte hosted the Train The Trainers’ seminar from February 23 to 25. The program provided training to 28 participants, several of whom are already making plans to include Marketplace® simulations in their classrooms.
On February 26th, Dr. Cadotte traveled to Bangalore where he gave a talk to 20 deans and directors of business schools in the Bangalore region. His presentation and discussion focused on the role that business simulations can play in the development of entrepreneurs in Bangalore, the IT center of India. Dr. Medura Chatrapathy and the Asian Center for Entrepreneurship Initiatives (ASCENT) hosted his talk.
Dr. Cadotte was truly fortunate to meet Dr. Chatraphathy, an icon of Indian entrepreneurship. She is the founder of premier institutions such as Association of Food Scientists & Technologies (AFST), Association of Women Entrepreneurs of Karnataka (AWAKE) and currently the Trustee Director of Asian Centre for Entrepreneurial Initiatives (ASCENT). She provides guidance and advice to entrepreneurs and institutions in Africa, Asia and other developing nations. Her pioneering work in the field of entrepreneurship has earned her several accolades nationally and globally.
Dr. Madhura Chatrapathy, Director of the Asian Center for Entrepreneurship Initiatives (ASCENT), discusses the role of women in entrepreneurship in India.
Madam Chatrapathy and ASCENT also hosted a Train The Trainers seminar in Bangalore for 17 faculty, entrepreneurs, and trainers. Rajkumar Phatate and Dr. Cadotte led the three-day seminar. The participants found the exercise to be very helpful in understanding a total business enterprise and what it takes to start up a new business. They especially enjoyed the Venture Capital Fair where they discovered the challenges and insight gained by preparing a business plan, presenting it to true venture capitalists and negotiating for an equity infusion.
Following Dr. Cadotte’s Bangalore TTT seminar, he and his family went on to Coimbatore for a three day visit to the Isha Yoga Center and then on to Fort Cochin for three more days of relaxation in what Indians call, “God’s Own Country”. Dr. Cadotte made many friends and learned a great deal about Indian culture and food. He is especially thankful to Rajkumar Phatate who organized the entire trip.