The Entrepreneurship Cell of IES's Management College and Research Centre (IESMCRC), in collaboration with CII Young Indians (Yi) Mumbai Chapter and Poornatha, successfully conducted the Yi–IESMCRC Industry Immersion Design Thinking Lab (IIDTL) 2026 during March–April 2026.

This unique live industry consulting initiative connected management students with real-world business challenges. Through Poornatha, 10 problem statements sourced from 9 companies and startups were presented to 10 selected student teams comprising 57 PGDM and PGPM first-year students. These 10 proposals were developed by four students under the guidance of Mr. Vishwath from Poornatha

Over an intensive five-week engagement, students applied Design Thinking methodologies to analyze business problems and develop innovative, practical solutions. Each team received dual mentorship support through dedicated IESMCRC faculty mentors and industry experts from Poornatha. Students also had the invaluable opportunity to directly interact with founders and CEOs of participating organizations through regular online meetings and review sessions. This project was conceptualized by Dr. Sucheta Pawar. Six faculty members mentored these students. Starting with our director Dr. Sapna Modi, Dr. Sucheta Pawar, Dr. Hufrish Majra, Dr. Madhura Deodhar, Dr. Rashmi Mishra, Prof. Darshana Murkibhavi has given all required handholding to students.

The IIDTL provided a powerful experiential learning platform that bridged academia and industry, enhancing students' problem-solving, consulting, innovation, teamwork, and stakeholder management skills while delivering meaningful insights to participating organizations.

IES MCRC extends gratitude to Dr. Atisha Keswani - Chair of CII-Yi Mumbai Chapter, Architect Shreela Sharan - Co-Chair of CII-Yi Mumbai Chapter. Mr. Surech Member CII and a great entrepreneur for accepting this project and involving Poorntha and Vishwath  and his team from Poornatha who had monitored the entire project.