ASMi Business School proudly partnered as the B-School Partner at Startup Carnival, 5th Edition 2026!

Startup Carnival 5 took place on January 10, 2026, in the Offbeat CCU in Calcutta, organised by Techno India Group, under the theme ‘Make Calcutta Relevant Again’. ASMi Business School became the major B-School Partner, allowing the students to meet the founders, investors, and leaders. This arrangement provided the students with practical experience on startups, innovation, and the emerging business environment in Bengal.

Accompanied by GCII, Foodka, the event had partners such as Bengal Business Council, Pointers Business Forum, WealthApp and D2C Insider as community partners. The uniqueness of the role of ASMi is that it emphasized learning outside the classrooms and assisted with creating future-savvy professionals by forming real relationships.

Inspiring Welcome by Prof. Manoshi Roy Chowdhury.

At 11:00 AM, the event was inaugurated by Prof. Manoshi Roy Chowdhury, Co-Chairperson of Techno India Group as well as Co-Chancellor of Techno India University. She termed it a purposeful startup movement that solves a problem and creates employment. Her call to be empathetic and innovative fitted perfectly with the practical training nature of ASMi students.

Government Policy Insights for Startups

Sanjay Kumar Das, Additional Secretary for Science and Technology in West Bengal, spoke about government support such as data centers and AI solutions. He emphasized data compliance according to the Digital Personal Data Protection Act. Students of ASMi learned important lessons about how policy supports startups, which is crucial for their future.

Durga Pujo: A ₹70,000 Crore Startup Gold

The business potential of Durga Pujo was considered in a panel chaired by Dr. Arnab Basu, and specialists such as Samrat Sengupta and Insiyah Chawala were included. They talked about fusing culture with business. ASMi participants gained an understanding of how startups can access local festivals in a responsible way, which is applied in practice to the local ecosystem.

Real Talk on Restaurant Success 

Indrajit Lahiri moderated the food session with Kamalini Paul and others, talking about food costs, supply chains, and building trust in food brands. This session gave the ASMi students a very clear picture of the challenges and successes in food entrepreneurship. 

Sohini Banerjee's Supper Club Secrets

On a fireside chat, Sohini Banerjee (Smoke & Lime) gave tips on how to begin supper clubs that put emphasis on taste and personal craft. ASMi students took in tips on how to create balance between business sense and passion.

Eighteen startups pitched, with Quekey.io taking first place, LovethyNature second, and GreenMentor third. ASMi students experienced the excitement of investor-startup interactions firsthand through live feedback. Such experiences during Startup Carnival 5 are indicative of the philosophy of real-world learning at ASMi Business School. The students connected with renowned entrepreneurs gaining first-hand insights from them that acts as a safety cushion for tomorrow’s business challenges.