With the start-up craze being at its highest, especially amongst engineering students, ESOM’s Global Tycoon Summit could not have come at a better time. A webinar session spread over two days, and organised in association with Karn Corporation, the summit featured 8 eminent personalities from the world of business. The MV Seminar Hall was packed on the 25th and 26th of October with students of MIT looking to ignite the spark of entrepreneurial prowess inside them.
The first speaker of the summit, Tolga Tarak, is a self-made multimillionaire. At 21, he immigrated to the United States from Italy. His time at Madona, a quaint Italian city where luxurious cars are manufactured inspired him in the field of automobiles. After years of struggling to pursue his education at Tennessee Tech while working as a car salesman, Tolga Tarak took the bold step of moving to Miami to start a company of his own. 20 years down the line, he now owns the renowned luxury concierge service, Emilia Motors. His extraordinary dedication to his work and his passion for success has helped him build an empire that continues to impress its clientele. Emilia Motors now caters to customers in international markets such as Monaco, Turkey, Russia and several parts of Europe and UAE.
“You cannot just start somewhere not knowing what to do, how to research. From your communication skills to negotiating skills, it’s constantly a learning experience. I’m almost 42 years old, I’m still reading, learning, and everybody I meet is a learning experience. You have to treat everybody like that.” – Tolga Tarak
Tolga was followed by Michelle Raymond, a world renowned speaker who has helped countless people develop their careers. The founder and Director of the HR consulting and coaching firm, “The People’s Partner,” Michelle spoke about how important it is to avoid stagnation when it comes to the work environment. Having had extensive training in Neuro-linguistic programming, Michelle is able to resolve conflicts in a less bureaucratic, yet formal way. This Kingston College alumna believes that only when employees’ endeavours and growth are supported, can a business flourish and move ahead on the path to success.
The third speaker of the summit, Rizwan Memon has under his belt, the accomplishment of working with one of the most established banks in the world – The Royal Bank of Scotland. Apart from being a financial advisor for them, Rizwan is also the founder and president of, “Riz International” – a firm that helps people trade and invest better. Having worked with “The Secret Entrepreneur” – an organisation of individuals wrking to shape the future of entrepreneurship, and with over 10 years of experience in the finance industry, Rizwan’s talk gravitated around the fact that most people, once they start making profits, don’t know what to do with the surplus of money. He was able to explain the importance of “wise investment” to the young minds sitting in the audience, for that is what he does best – inspire young minds while simultaneously managing a 7-figure investment portfolio.
The final speaker on day 1, was Prateek Karn – the man whose efforts made the Global Tycoon Summit possible. An alumnus of Punjab University, Prateek is the founder of a Gurgaon-based startup called, “Karn Corporation”. Having worked as a deputy manager at Kotak Mahindra bank, he now aims to empower the youth of this nation. Through Karn Corporation, Prateek brings renowned personalities from the world of economics, to inspire young minds. He spoke about bridging the gap between idols, mentors and students, and how the need of the hour is to work towards self-development on a daily basis in every aspect of life. He also took up a Q&A session on day 2, where he relieved the students of common misconceptions in the world of business.
Day 2 opened with Vladislav Sukhanov. An entrepreneur at a very young age, he spoke about the importance of being resourceful, and how it’s okay to make mistakes (encouraged, even). Vladislav works closely with the energy sector, and so he briefed the students about its potential, and the trends observed in the recent years, and the future it holds. Managing time, and the importance of being proactive were also touched upon.
Then came Barry Doyle, a man whose passion for engineering is very reminiscent of Tony Stark. Barry spoke about how important it is to be curious, and how we need to come up with solutions for our own problems. His purchase of a Lamborghini when the market for it was exactly favourable, and his subsequent sale of it upon which he made profit, goes to highlight his entrepreneurial abilities. Barry also shared instances from his own life where he was cheated in business, and urged the students to always be alert when it came to finance. He also spoke about how the need of the hour is to change the status quo one step at a time, and how engineering is the way to do it.
Erik Huberman, is the founder of Hawke Media. An organisation that works with giants such as Red Bull and Verizon, Hawke Media seeks to provide sales, marketing and ecommerce strategies to companies in order to increase their visibility. An alumnus of the University of Arizona, and having featured in the Forbes “30 Under 30” list, Erik’s talk focussed on how important it is, in this internet age, to get the interested eyes on your page.
The final speaker of the summit, Loren Harris, is a phenomenal international motivational speaker, author, mentor, recording artist and a staunch advocate for bettering the broken foster care system in the US. Harris is popularly known for his talks on ‘The Ripple Effect’ and ‘Reinventing Blame’. As a speaker with influences as strong as his, he believes in being honest with his audience for a fruitful rapport with them. His motivational messages are successfully transcribed into columns and books on subjects ranging from inspirational thrusts to aspiring entrepreneurs. He also maintains a blog where he inspires his readers with his personal life experiences. Harris has been the victim of the incompetent foster care and adoption systems, in the hands of which he had to survive 22 homes in less than half a decade. These scarring experiences have enabled him to fight for the past 42 years. A seasoned recording artist and a role model for those who seek his guidance at facing the harsh realities of life, Loren Harris is inspired by life.
In conclusion, the Economics and Finance Society of Manipal single-handedly raised the bar for what a lecture series should be like. The event made even a reporter sitting in the crowd, with no entrepreneurial inclination, want to start the next Facebook. One can only wonder what more ESOM has in store for us. 
-Inputs from Mahia Desylva, Sushanth Reddy, Rashmitha Muniandi, Siddharth Rao Deb, Vaibhavi Vaman and Radhika Chatterjee.
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