Unconvention|L Guwahati is a social enterprise event that offers budding entrepreneurs the chance to hear inspiring speakers, learn from sector experts, and connect with a network of support and opportunities. Organised by Villgro, a leading national incubator that supports early-stage social enterprises and innovations, in partnership with the Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship, Unconvention|L Guwahati is being held on October 22 at the Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship, Guwahati.

Designed around the concept of ‘Inspiration, Knowledge, Networks’, the event will include TedX-like speaker sessions by other entrepreneurs from the region such as Hasina Kharbhih, founder of Impulse Social Enterprises, Abdur Mukit Bin Rouf, Founder of Fuzion Crafts and Pranjal Baruah, Mushroom Development Foundation.

In the Get Ready to Pitch session, attendees will have the chance to pitch their business idea for social impact to a panel of experts and investors, in return for feedback and the opportunity to be included in Villgro programmes, which support enterprises at various stages of development and offer incubation services and investment of up to Rs 50 lakh.

“Guwahati is a nascent but upcoming entrepreneurial city with some players already playing a crucial role in building the entrepreneurial ecosystem. With this event, we hope to build networks and provide greater support to budding social enterprises in the city and in Assam,” said Michelle Abraham, co-founder of Villgro’s Unconvention programme.

Unconvention|L Guwahati is part of a series of events being organized by Villgro in 15 cities across India – Guwahati, Thiruvananthapuram, Chandigarh, Bhopal, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Delhi, Jaipur, Kolkata, Patna and Pune – in an attempt to take the social enterprise movement deeper into the country. It aims to unearth and nurture social entrepreneurs, create vibrant local eco-systems, and connect them to a national network.

Villgro is one of India’s oldest and foremost social enterprise incubators, supporting innovators and social entrepreneurs during their early stages of growth. Since 2001, Villgro has incubated 71 such enterprises, generated around 4000 jobs, secured Rs 200 million in follow-on funding, and touched over 5 million rural lives.