There should be clarity of thought, ability to inspire: Pranay Chulet, Quikr

Number of candidates: 11

How he picked them
One must have an absolutely genuine character and a comfort with one’s own imperfections in order to possess leadership qualities. “During the interviews, I was looking for clarity in thought process and an ability to inspire others. The candidates I picked also demonstrated a heightened sense of purpose and were able to communicate their vision well,” he said. “Honesty and strong interpersonal skills were other qualities that I looked for.”

CEO Take
Chulet was happy with the overall quality of the candidates, but felt that some had a more interesting profile than others. “The ETYL programme is instrumental in recognising people early on and giving them something to aspire for. There’s also diversity in profiles, which is heartening to see,” he said.

Candidate Take
- “I came with an open mind. Since I aim to be an entrepreneur, I asked Pranay how to be successful in this field. The process has been great. Phase 3 in particular was excellent because I got to interact with interesting people. This network we’re building will last long.”

- “It’s been a privilege being able to cross all these rounds and reach the final. Reaching this stage has given me internal visibility at my company. It’s an eyeopening experience to network with CEOs and other candidates who’ve reached the final.”

Fun Moment
When one of the candidates spoke of his analytical skills, Chulet put a riddle to him. It was a question on a hypothetical situation of two ropes of equal length being burnt and the challenge was to find out the midpoint of the ropes. The candidate, while initially a little taken aback, managed to give the correct solution, but it was an intense five minutes!