Debut Episode of “Celebrating Failures” MIC Driven activity

On 11.07.2025 a session was organizedon the title Debut Episode of “Celebrating Failures”by the Ministry of Education Innovation Cell and AICTE to all the IIC institutions as one of the MIC driven activity for the Q4 period. The session was handled by Mr. Mayank Bidawatka, Co-founder of Koo, engages in a candid conversation with Dr. Abhay Jere, Vice Chairman, AICTE.49Third yearMechanical Engineeringstudents and 2 faculties participated in the program. This event was coordinated by Dr.K.Vinukumar, Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Francis Xavier Engineering College.

Co-founded by Mayank Bidawatka and Aprameya Radhakrishna, Koo was a microblogging platform from India, created as a competitor to X (formerly Twitter). It reflected India’s growing digital ecosystem and the push for digital sovereignty. It wanted to create a platform for non-English users to be able to express themselves in their native language. It raised funding from various investors, including Tiger Global Management and Blume Ventures. At one point, the company was valued at over 275 million dollars. Koo gained prominence during 2021 amid discussions on data privacy and content regulation involving global social media platforms. It was endorsed by several Indian government officials, public figures, and celebrities as a home-grown alternative aligned with the country’s self-reliance initiative, Atmanirbhar Bharat. PM Narendra Modi spoke about Koo in his Mann ki Baat speech and encouraged Indians to use the platform.

Koo was also used by dignitaries like Dalai Lama, Presidents of Brazil and Nigeria, Ace Footballer Ronaldinho, Top Indian celebrities like Virat Kohli and Karan Johar, Union Ministers like Piyush Goyal, Ashwini Vaishnaw, and the CM of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath. There were more than 9000 other eminent personalities around the world who were the users of Koo. But Koo ran into rough weather and the founders decided to shut down Koo in July 2024, citing financial constraints due to a challenging funding winter.

Conclusion: The Ministry of Education’s Innovation Cell, through podcasts like “Rashtra Pratham” and “Celebrating Failures”, is fostering a culture of innovation and resilience among youth by showcasing how challenges can lead to growth and success.