EPICENTER 2026 at IIM Visakhapatnam Highlights Student-Led Investing through EpiFunds
Visakhapatnam, January 31:
The Indian Institute of Management Visakhapatnam hosted EPICENTER 2026, its annual Entrepreneurship and Startup Summit, on January 31 at the institute’s main campus. Organised by the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Committee (EPIC), the summit brought together over 1,000 participants, including students, startup founders, investors, industry professionals, and members of the academic community.
A central highlight of EPICENTER 2026 was EpiFunds, the student-run angel investment initiative of IIM Visakhapatnam. The summit strongly underscored EpiFunds’ role in enabling students to engage hands-on with the startup ecosystem by participating in startup evaluation, due diligence, and early-stage investment discussions. Dedicated sessions showcased how EpiFunds functions as a bridge between founders, investors, and student talent, reinforcing IIM Visakhapatnam’s emphasis on experiential learning and applied finance.
The day-long programme featured an inaugural ceremony attended by the Director and senior faculty of IIM Visakhapatnam, followed by keynote addresses and panel discussions with prominent leaders from the startup and investment ecosystem. Speakers included Amit Kumar Agarwal, Founder and CEO of NoBroker.com; Suresh Narasimha, Co-Creator at CoCreate Ventures; Alina Alam, Founder and CEO of Mitti Café; Ashwin Raguraman, Co-founder and Partner at Bharat Innovation Fund; Monika Shukla, Co-founder and CEO of Buzzworthy; Priya Sharma, former COO and CFO at ZestMoney; Rathnakar Samavedam, Investment Director and CEO at Hyderabad Angels and Managing Partner at HAFVC; and Amit Goel, Co-founder and CBO at International Business Blubirch. Discussions focused on founder journeys, early-stage investing, scaling challenges, and the evolving Indian startup landscape.
In addition to structured sessions, EPICENTER 2026 featured an interactive “Ask Me Anything” segment and curated networking engagements, facilitating meaningful exchanges among students, founders, and investors. The institute’s auditorium and common areas remained active throughout the day, supporting discussions and informal interactions.
The event saw strong on-campus engagement, supported by coordinated branding across venues, registration areas, and digital displays. EatSure partnered with EPICENTER 2026 as the official food partner, setting up multiple food counters across the campus.
Through EPICENTER 2026 and initiatives such as EpiFunds, IIM Visakhapatnam continues to strengthen its role in nurturing student-led innovation, investment readiness, and deeper collaboration between academia and the startup ecosystem.
