ET Startup Awards: How the entire program became a huge success

Five months of arduous research, fact-finding and powwowing with some of the biggest stakeholders in the Indian startup ecosystem culminated in a glittering ceremony in Bengaluru on Saturday, as the country’s top entrepreneurs, thought leaders and policymakers congregated at The Economic Times Startup Awards.

Nominations for this year’s Awards were sought from the “Super 50”-a group comprised of the biggest movers and shakers of the country’s startup ecosystem, following which detailed black books were prepared by The Economic Times’ editorial team, in conjunction with knowledge partners, technology consultancy Zinnov and startup think-tank iSpirt.

Integrity and commitment were the guiding principles for this year’s 10-member jury, as they sifted through the nominations,terms that assumed even greater relevance, at a time when questions have been asked about the viability of some of the biggest ventures to have emerged from the country.

Rigorous debates and freewheeling discussions amongst the jury preceded each vote, which not only showcased the growing depth and breadth of the India’s startup ecosystem, but also resulted in the emergence of the best the country has to offer.

ET Startup Awards trophy:
Cubist in shape, The Economic Times Startup Awards trophy is a symbol of the country’s spirit of entrepreneurship.

The one-foot tall, gold, black and silver trophy, designed by Bengaluru-based designer Michael Foley, the man behind the Commonwealth Games baton of 2010, is awarded to the winners of The Economic Times Startup Awards in eight categories.

The overarching design concept syncs with the core of startup companies-ideas that formulate into a possibly big opportunity.

An interplay of different-sized cubes that appear to be floating atop each other finally converge and assemble in a larger form that forms the base of the trophy.

Made of aluminum, an alloy that signifies flexibility, the trophy weighs about 2.6 kg, and took months of work from concept to design, and represent the journey of every startup – starting with conceptualising to scaling it up.