NMIMS and Salaam Bombay Foundation encourage budding grassroots entrepreneurship with the 5th Edition of Dolphin Tanki 

NMIMS School of Business Management, in collaboration with Salaam Bombay Foundation, successfully hosted its fifth annual edition of Dolphin Tanki, building on the success of the previous edition. This unique platform aims to empower young grassroots entrepreneurs who come from underserved communities. Dolphin Tanki is unique thanks to its no equity model. Essentially, this platform allows participants to receive financial aid support and mentorship, which can help transform their business models into sustainable businesses. 

Dolphin Tanki’s fifth edition featured a round of pitching sessions, each evaluated by a panel of industry experts, following which the winners were announced. A total of approximately Rs 12 lakhs was awarded to the participants to support promising ventures. This year, 36 young entrepreneurs, aged 16 to 20 years, were selected from over 150 applicants. These young individuals presented a wide array of businesses, ranging from industries like beauty and wellness, photography, bakery, confectionery, creative arts, and mobile repairing. These participants were mentored by NMIMS care interns, who helped improve their pitching skills, build business acumen, and improve financial literacy. All 36 students were awarded with 3 categories of award gold, silver,bronze with the cash price support worth INR 50,000, y received support worth 30000, and z were provided with material worth 20,000 to support their businesses. 

Over the years, many budding entrepreneurs who used Dolphin Tanki as a stepping stone were successfully able to scale their businesses and increase their earnings. This initiative essentially reflects the shared commitment of NMIMS and Salaam Bombay Foundation to nurture entrepreneurial talent, foster inclusive growth, promote talent at the grassroots level, and enable young entrepreneurs to become self-reliant, while contributing towards the economy. 

Sharing her thoughts on the success of the 5th Edition of Dolphin Tanki , Dr. Meena Galliara, Director of Jasani Centre for Social Entrepreneurship & Sustainability Management, SBM, NMIMS, shared, “Dolphin Tanki provides a platform for young grassroot entrepreneurs to challenge conventions, think entrepreneurially, and grow through guided mentorship and collaboration. Our MBA students get an opportunity to nurture future entrepreneurs to transform their ideas into micro enterprises with such confidence and clarity. We are proud of our continued collaboration with Salaam Bombay Foundation. This reiterates our shared commitment towards inclusive growth, sustainable livelihoods, and empowering communities through education and entrepreneurship.” 

Mr. Gaurav Arora, Chief Growth Officer and Sr. VP - skills@school & Sports, Salaam Bombay Foundation said, “Dolphin Tanki serves as a launchpad for entrepreneurs who often lack access to capital, networks and formal training. By investing in these entrepreneurs, we facilitate their transition from job seekers to job creators by promoting entrepreneurship within grassroot communities and contribute to a more inclusive economy and help them break the cycle of poverty and limited opportunity. The results speak for themselves, with many participants significantly increasing their incomes, opening their own shops, employing their peers and thus becoming role

models for others. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to our partners and mentors for their invaluable support in bringing this vision to life.” 

Names of the winners: 

Gold Winners 

• Archana Bansode 
• Harsh Maru 
• Prachi Dhuria 
• Arman Khan 
• Manisha Prasad 
• Aman 
• Alfiya 
• Shreya Jaiswar 
• Priya Khuswaha 
• Vrushali Ghivande (Nashik) 

Silver Winners 

• Khushboo Sharma 
• Mehboob Shah 
• Afifa 
• Shagun 
• Praveen Mali 
• Chandani (Pune) 
• Sandhya Gaund 
• Chaitnya Sarvankar 
• Ashwini Rathod 
• Mohhammed Ali 
• Neha Patwa 

Bronze Winners 

• Ayub Pathan 
• Vaishnavi Hatkar (Pune) 
• Kunal Kadam 
• Semu 
• Shani Jaiswar 
• Pritesh (Pune)