• Entrepreneurs who have an early stage venture (set up not earlier than 1st September 2012) or have a promising idea with a plan and prototype / working model. 
• The applicant must have the principal business unit (for existing businesses) or proposes to set up principal business unit (for those who have not yet started operations) in India.
• The business plan or the early stage venture should not be an extension of the applicant’s family business or backward / forward integration with any existing business.
• The venture or the plan should have a determinable revenue model.
• There is no restriction on the age or background of applicants.
• The applicant should be able to verbally communicate in Hindi/ English.
• The Application in the prescribed format should be submitted in English.
• The plan / venture should not belong to following industries- alcohol, tobacco, gambling, firearms and explosives.

One needs to first visit the website (www.smartfifty.com) (“Website”) for registering in the Program. The registration and application submission period will remain open from • Sep 25 - Dec 7, 2017 (both days inclusive). Next, click on the “Now Register” section for registration. Once the registration is successfully completed, a registration number will be generated and sent (via email /SMS) to the registered applicants. One needs to then verify the email account by following necessary instructions mentioned in the email. After registration is verified, one may visit the “Application Section” by logging in to the website and fill up the Application form online. The Application form can be saved (click “Save as draft”) and viewed (click “Login”) any number of times before final submission. Once the application is ready for final submission, the Applicant has to click “Submit”. No changes will be permitted after the Application has been submitted. Applicant will get a confirmation of the submission through email and / or a text message. Applicants must quote the Registration Number for all future correspondence.

The shortlisted applicants will be communicated both via Email and SMS confirming their selection to the subsequent stages. All such communication will be sent to Applicants’ registered Email Id and Mobile number.

The IIM Calcutta Innovation Park (IIMCIP) is a not for profit (Section 8) company established under the aegis of IIM Calcutta to promote Entrepreneurship and Innovation. The mission of IIMCIP is aligned to the mission of the institute to “develop innovative and ethical future leaders capable of managing change and transformation in a globally competitive environment and to advance the theory and practice of management”.

The broad objectives of IIMCIP are:

• To promote entrepreneurship and create a nurturing ecology where fledgling enterprises with innovative ideas and solutions can flourish.
• To promote Innovation in research and business through industry-academia partnership.

Please visit the website: http://www.iimcip.org/ to know more about IIMCIP.

A proof of concept (POC) is a real life implementation /execution of a certain method or idea to demonstrate its feasibility, or a demonstration in principle, whose purpose is to verify that some concept or theory has the potential of being used.