From 4,000 Aspirants to Future Founders: GMA’s GEM Demo Day Celebrates the Entrepreneurial Spirit of Ghaziabad

• By     |    June 11, 2026

In an impressive showcase of innovation, entrepreneurial drive, and youthful leadership, the Ghaziabad Management Association (GMA) held the GEM Demo Day & Graduation Ceremony 2026 at Ajay Kumar Garg Institute of Management (AKGIM), Ghaziabad, celebrating the successful finish of the first batch of the Ghaziabad Entrepreneurship Mission (GEM).

Started with the goal of “Turning Job Seekers into Job Creators,” GEM has become a trailblazing effort to foster entrepreneurial talent among Ghaziabad’s youth. The initiative drew a huge response, with over 4,000 students and budding entrepreneurs applying from colleges across the district. After a thorough screening, the top 100 candidates were chosen for the cohort, where they received months of entrepreneurship training, mentorship, startup validation, industry exposure, and pitch preparation.

Upon completing the program, more than 40 emerging founders took the stage on Demo Day to pitch their startup concepts to a distinguished jury of accomplished entrepreneurs and industry experts.

The ceremony was honored by Mr. I.C. Agarwal, Chief Guest and Founding Member of GMA, together with Mr. N.K. Dhand, Founding Member of GMA, Mr. T.R. Pandey, President of GMA, Mr. Rahul Agarwal, Executive Director of GMA, and Ms. Madhuri Mukherjee, Council Member of GMA. The dignitaries praised the vision behind GEM and stressed the need to create more entrepreneurs who can boost employment and advance India’s path to becoming a developed nation.

The startup proposals were assessed by an eminent jury including Swapnil Raaj (Co‑Founder & CEO, Auctor Media), Priyaranjan Tiwari (Founder & CEO, Medantrik), Sarita Rawat Singh (Founder & CEO, Deebaco, BugandBees & Amanush), and Sandeep Kumar Vyas (Founder & CEO, Mild Cares). Jury members commended the confidence and quality of the presentations while offering constructive feedback and practical advice to help participants strengthen their ventures.

The event also featured Mohammad Aqif, Assistant Commissioner, District Industries Centre (DIC), Ghaziabad, as a special guest. In his interaction with participants, he urged aspiring founders to make use of various government startup and self‑employment schemes and encouraged them to tap institutional support to turn innovative ideas into sustainable businesses.

One of the most inspiring aspects of the cohort was the strong participation of young women entrepreneurs, with over 70% of the graduating founders being female. Participants presented innovative ideas spanning healthcare, fashion, food, education, sustainability, agriculture, and technology, highlighting the creativity, problem‑solving ability, and entrepreneurial spirit emerging among the region’s youth. The event reinforced GMA’s vision of empowering students to move confidently from the classroom to the boardroom.

Following an exciting round of startup presentations, the top honours of the inaugural GEM Demo Day were awarded to:

First Prize: Amritansh Pandey, Raj Kumar Goel Institute of Technology, for Amprivo – a premium corporate gifting platform promoting India’s ODOP (One District One Product) items.
Second Prize: Anshika Singh, RCCV, for Sweecane – “Soil to Sweetness, Where Health Meets Tradition,” an initiative focused on healthier and traditional sweetening solutions.
Third Prize: Ashvi & Vrinda Garg, RCCV, for Petite Fit – a fashion brand creating perfectly fitted and stylish clothing specially designed for skinny and petite girls.

Every participant had the chance to present their startup before the jury, demonstrating months of learning, customer insight, validation, and entrepreneurial thinking. The quality of ideas and the confidence shown by these first‑time founders earned widespread appreciation from guests, mentors, and industry leaders present at the event.

The program was delivered with SkillingYou as the Knowledge & Execution Partner. Speaking to the graduating founders, Praveen Kumar Rajbhar, Founder & CEO of SkillingYou, reminded students that Demo Day was not the destination but the start of a much larger entrepreneurial journey.

“This is not the end of your GEM journey; it is the beginning of your founder journey. We will continue to mentor, support, and guide you as you build your ventures. Entrepreneurship is a marathon, not a sprint, and GEM will remain committed to helping every aspiring founder move forward.”

The organizers expressed their sincere gratitude to Ajay Kumar Garg Institute of Management (AKGIM) for hosting the event and providing outstanding institutional support. They also acknowledged the official Media Partner for amplifying the voices of emerging entrepreneurs and bringing wider visibility to the impact created through the Ghaziabad Entrepreneurship Mission.

With the successful completion of its first cohort, GEM has established itself as a unique platform for identifying and nurturing entrepreneurial talent in the region, showing how collaboration between industry, academia, and ecosystem partners can inspire young people to build innovative ventures and become the job creators of tomorrow.

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