Hyderabad ASCENT Foundation membership rises 18%

Hyderabad: ASCENT Foundation, a non-profit, peer-to-peer learning platform founded by Harsh Mariwala, Chairman, Marico Ltd, has registered over 18 per cent members from Hyderabad based founders in its all-India chapter. The foundation is aimed at ensuring entrepreneurial ecosystem in India upscaling towards growth while adapting to the drastic changes of the business economy.

The pandemic had left many entrepreneurs in troubled waters. In such times, instead of looking for support from their immediate advisors, entrepreneurs looked towards learning from their fellow peers and their experiences of adapting to unprecedented changes.

The foundation launched its all-India chapter extending peer learning through 62 operational trust groups spread across various cities in India. These trust groups are unique, powerful and self-facilitated peer-to-peer groups that leverage the "power of the collective", enabling entrepreneurs to share and exchange experiences, ideas, insights and learn from each other in a healthy and non-competing ecosystem.

Jairaj Kumar, Chairman and MD, Ocean Sparkle Ltd, said: "Being a CEO, whether you are an SME or a multinational, you are lonely at the top. You cannot confide in your employees. ASCENT gives you a platform to talk to your peers - be it about business, family or personal.

The entire platform works on confidentiality that allows you to make yourself most vulnerable. It is a group that does not give you advice but shares their own similar experience. In Hyderabad, there are many tech enterprises that have flourished with solutions and services that I don't understand since I come from an old-school group but learning from the younger generation entrepreneurs has been extremely helpful."