From 4,000 Applicants to 40 Future Founders: GMA’s Entrepreneurship Mission Reaches Demo Day
- ByStartupStory | June 6, 2026
In a time when most young people are focused on securing jobs, the Ghaziabad Management Association (GMA) is working to create something equally important, future entrepreneurs. As part of this vision, GMA is set to organize the GEM Demo Day & Graduation Ceremony 2026 on 10 June at AKGIM, Ghaziabad, marking a major milestone for the Ghaziabad Entrepreneurship Mission (GEM).
GEM is a flagship initiative of GMA aimed at identifying, nurturing, and supporting entrepreneurial talent among youth. The mission was launched with a simple yet ambitious objective: to transform job seekers into job creators by providing young people with the skills, mentorship, exposure, and ecosystem support required to explore entrepreneurship as a serious career pathway.
The journey began with outreach across colleges and institutions in Ghaziabad, where more than 4,000 students and aspiring entrepreneurs were screened. Following a structured assessment process designed to identify entrepreneurial potential, the Top 100 participants were selected for the GEM cohort.
Over the following months, participants underwent entrepreneurship training, startup ideation, business validation, mentoring, pitch preparation, and exposure to real-world business practices. The program focused not only on helping students develop business ideas but also on teaching them how to identify opportunities, solve problems, understand customers, build sustainable business models, and communicate their vision effectively.
Unlike conventional entrepreneurship programs that remain largely classroom-based, GEM emphasized practical learning through direct interaction with entrepreneurs, founders, industry leaders, government officials, and ecosystem experts.
Participants received guidance from accomplished entrepreneurs and professionals including Sives Kumar, Founder of Piro Kitchen; Chander Bahadur, Founder of JiPanditJi; Sourabh Goyal, Founder of Successbrew; Abhishek Chauhan, Founding Partner at SAMVEDANAM Consulting; Sai Raj Kappari, Clinical Gerontologist; and Praveen Kumar Rajbhar, Founder & CEO of SkillingYou.
Students also received valuable insights on government schemes, enterprise development, and startup support from Mohammad Aqif, Assistant Commissioner, District Industries Centre (DIC), Ghaziabad. To provide real-world exposure, participants visited Deebaco and interacted with entrepreneur Sarita Rawat, Founder of Deebaco, who shared her entrepreneurial journey and mentored students on business building and growth.
As the first cohort reaches its final stage, more than 40 emerging founders are now preparing to present their startup ideas before a distinguished jury comprising startup founders, entrepreneurs, business leaders, mentors, and ecosystem experts during the upcoming Demo Day.
According to Rahul Agarwal, Executive Director, Ghaziabad Management Association (GMA), the initiative was conceived with a long-term vision of building a stronger entrepreneurial culture in the region.
“India’s future growth will depend not only on employment generation but also on enterprise creation. Through GEM, our objective is to identify entrepreneurial potential early, nurture it through structured support, and create opportunities for young people to explore entrepreneurship as a serious career pathway. We believe initiatives like GEM can contribute meaningfully towards the vision of Viksit Bharat.”
The initiative has also received strong encouragement from senior GMA leaders Mr. I.C. Agarwal and Mr. N.K. Dhand, whose support and belief in entrepreneurship-led development helped shape the vision behind the mission. As patrons of the initiative, they have consistently advocated for creating opportunities that empower young people to move beyond conventional career paths and become future business creators and employers.
The mission was formally inaugurated on 10 January 2026 by Shri Sunil Kumar Sharma Ji, Hon’ble Minister for IT & Electronics, Government of Uttar Pradesh, who emphasized the importance of innovation, technology, and entrepreneurship in shaping India’s future.
The initiative also received valuable support and encouragement from Abhinav Gopal, IAS, Former Chief Development Officer (CDO), Ghaziabad, whose guidance helped strengthen collaboration between educational institutions, industry stakeholders, and aspiring youth entrepreneurs.
The program is being implemented with SkillingYou as the Knowledge & Execution Partner.
Sharing insights from the journey, Praveen Kumar Rajbhar, Founder & CEO, SkillingYou, said that the response from students exceeded expectations.
“What impressed us most was the seriousness with which students approached entrepreneurship. We were particularly encouraged by the participation of young women, who make up nearly 70% of the graduating cohort. Many participants come from non-business backgrounds, yet they demonstrated remarkable confidence, creativity, leadership, and problem-solving ability throughout the program. The quality of ideas and commitment shown by these young founders have genuinely surprised us.”
Beyond recognizing participants and startup ideas, the event represents the first visible outcome of a larger mission. The organizers believe that initiatives like GEM demonstrate how industry bodies, educational institutions, entrepreneurs, mentors, and ecosystem partners can work together to nurture the next generation of founders.
The GEM Demo Day & Graduation Ceremony 2026 is expected to bring together entrepreneurs, industrialists, startup founders, educators, mentors, and ecosystem leaders to celebrate the emergence of a new generation of entrepreneurs from Ghaziabad.
The vision of the mission remains simple yet ambitious, transforming job seekers into job creators.
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