'Gen Z Has The Potential To Find Themselves Beyond Certificates': Anto Philip

At SheThePeople’s Digital Women Awards 2024, held in Hyderabad, the panel 'Women Entrepreneurship & the Economy' brought together notable speakers to discuss the evolving role of women in business. Anto Philip who pioneered the development of youth entrepreneurship in India, shared his journey as an entrepreneur. Joining him were Suhela Khan, Country Programme Manager for UN Women; Poornima Katyal, Founder of Third Roast and Daisy Tanwani, CEO & Founder of Pinklay.

The Unyielding Passion For Cultural Activities

 Anto Philip, founder of Under 25 Universe, shared a trip down memory lane while reflecting on his participation in cultural activities. 

He remarked, "I started this (Under 25 Universe) when I was 18 years old. I was sitting in my classroom. Of course, I was that kid, really passionate about doing a hundred things. I would go and do things outside the classroom. I wanna take part in a debate, I was part of a band. Whatever event existed in college, I would be the first kid to take part in it. I mean it happened from school, but I think I credit a version of me and who I am today to everything I sort of embraced while I was in school and college. I think that a big part of that was, I got this sort of revelation that so much learning is happening outside the classroom."

He also emphasised the power of youth in a country like India. Addressing the youth, he commented, "We come from a country that is 50% young people around 633 million young people. I realised that building something for young people in the realm of academics or intellectual growth. I realise it should be for community growth and the support that you get in the phase of life that is being young. And I think being young is not a college, not a course, not a title, but a phase of life."

Anto Philip, whose entrepreneurial endeavour is revolutionarily providing skill-based jobs to college students, shared his views on the current education scenario,

"I am not saying this in a way to bash the education system. Let me be really honest here. Academics are great, but I think the fact that you need the kind of skills to navigate the present world, doesn't just sit inside the textbooks. I think it comes in interpersonal relationships, it comes with the things that you do outside of the classroom."

He further added, "In my case, I was culturally more involved. I would go to my parents and say, 'You know, I want to take part in these kinds of activities. I want to be a student that goes beyond the marks card. Don't just want to be represented as a doctor, engineer, charted accountant, and much more than that.' The biggest crisis that we have as a generation is the 'meaning crisis', like where do I belong, what am I part of, and what is my purpose. This crisis is ridiculously massive."

Having An Idea is Entrepreneurship

On being asked how are youth creating more inclusive opportunities in entrepreneurship, Philip reflected on the current scenario where the upcoming Gen Z's are more experimental. He expressed his views as, 

"So, I feel the thing with young people today is opportunities are plenty and, there are several ways in which young people try to express themselves. Content creation in itself is entrepreneurship. Having an idea, and implementing that idea is entrepreneurship. But, you know, taking ownership of one's own life, and especially both young women and young men are sort of really finding a new voice. To express themselves much beyond the certificate, the course, or the colleges they go to. I think, that's itself a great change."

While he acknowledged the innovative ideas and views the upcoming generation has on entrepreneurship, he also shared how the conventional thought process is changing with times.

"Because, when I was in school and college, it was not like that. I think today, what I have seen is people are able to take life a little more differently, give themselves a chance, and live outside the typical roles and responsibilities. So, that's what I think entrepreneurship for young people will look like. And of course, as I said before, experience is important, and jobs are important. I am not saying corporate jobs are bad, but I think everyone has different journies, and the self-awareness of how you put your life to be, and what you love is very important, and I think that's what young people should given a chance to know about."