From campus stalls to startup dreams: SACCEII marks World Entrepreneurship Day with student-led innovation

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaAugust 24, 2025

What if the next generation of entrepreneurs could test their ideas before stepping into the real world? At St. Anthony’s College, that question found a vibrant answer as the Centre for Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Incubation (SACCEII) marked World Entrepreneurship Day on August 21 with a live marketplace of ideas.

Instead of just lectures and theory, students took centre stage by setting up stalls inside the campus, turning their creativity into commerce. Food, jewellery, crochet, and handcrafted bags became more than classroom projects – they became saleable products. For many students, it was their first experience of pitching to customers, handling money, and seeing how innovation translates into impact.

“Entrepreneurship should not remain outside the classroom; it has to be part of learning itself,” said Dr. Rajani Chhetri, Coordinator of SACCEII, underscoring how academic spaces must prepare youth for a problem-solving future.

Adding lived experience to the celebrations, Khrawborbha Kharpuri, founder of Chicken Wagon, delivered a Founder Talk that resonated deeply with students. From starting with just Rs 25,000 to building a venture worth over Rs 1 crore, Kharpuri’s story showed that grit, local resources, and teamwork can outlast even crises like the pandemic. His message was simple: ambition and academics need not be at odds – both can grow together.

But SACCEII didn’t stop at market stalls and success stories. To provoke bigger thinking, it hosted an inter-college debate on the motion “Is Meghalaya Ready to Nurture Tech Entrepreneurship?”. With 14 teams sparring over internet gaps, AI-focused curricula, and policy support, the debate revealed a student community eager to see Meghalaya step into the digital economy. Aryan Chetia and Astha Pradhan of St. Anthony’s College clinched the win, with Aryan also bagging the Best Speaker title.

Launched under PRIME in 2022, SACCEII has become more than an incubation hub; it is building an ecosystem where students can balance books with business. By giving them a platform to test, refine, and scale their ideas, the Centre is not just celebrating World Entrepreneurship Day – it is cultivating tomorrow’s changemakers for Meghalaya and beyond.