Hyderabad GES 2017: India's GyanDhan start-up in finals

Hyderabad: GyanDhan, the start-up of India’s Jainesh Sinha, which was pitched in front of US White House adviser Ivanka Trump, was shortlisted for the final round of Global Innovation through Science and Technology (GIST) competition. 

Ms Trump, who is attending the Global Entrepreneurship Summit, briefly attended the competition and heard pitches from start-ups across the world. GyanDhan is an online marketplace for education loans for students who want to study abroad.

Mr Sinha said, “This is more of a timed pitch. It is always difficult to paint a picture with just words, especially when you don’t have slides. The panel of judges was very impressive and Ivanka is very senior. There was added pressure.” 

Mr Sinha said, “I am on the mission to ensure that financial obstacles never stand in the way of someone’s education dream.”

The GES focuses on four sectors. In the semi-finals, 24 start-ups competed against their peers. One start-up from each sector is picked and the four winners will pitch on Thursday at the grand final. 

Ms Ajaita Shah and her startup Frontier Markets has advanced into finale in the energy and infrastructure sector. Frontier Markets brings clean energy to poor families who are facing deadly cooking and lighting facilities.