Hyderabad: After the success of four regional programmes BYST was well recognised as a developing country model for the development of youth entrepreneurship. Even the financial institutions endorsed such a model. Another milestone was reached when American Insurance Group (AIG), one of the leading multinational banks came forward to lend support to BYST's programme in Hyderabad. The programme similar to Delhi, Chennai and Pune was launched in 1998. CII, Hyderabad provided the infrastructure and managerial support. Presently BYST - Hyderabad is operating from: Address: Bharatiya Yuva Shakti Trust, C/O Confederation of Indian Industry, H.No. 1-11-252/9, Plot No. 7, Regal HouseMotilal Nehru Nagar, Begumpet, Hyderabad - 500 016, Telephone: (040) 27765774, Telefax: (040) 27765889e-mail: byst.hyd@cii.in, Contact Person: Mr. Ashish e-mail: byst.hyd@cii.in and bysthyd@hd2.dot.net.in Contact Person: Sachin Adsare

BYST was officially launched in 1992 by HRH Prince Charles and expanded its operations to six major regions of India. Out of these six regions four of them (Delhi, Chennai, Pune and Hyderabad) run the urban programme while two regions run the rural programme (Rural Haryana and Rural Maharashtra).

Head Office

 Address: Bharatiya Yuva Shakti Trust (BYST), C/o, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Core 4A, 4th Floor India Habitat Centre, Lodi Road, New Delhi - 110 003, Tel: (011) 24693079/ CII Board Line-011-24682230-35, Ext 316,318,310 Telefax: (011) 24682226 e-mail: byst.vpoffice@cii.in Contact Person: Mr. Rajat Sharma

Who does BYST help?

BYST is keen on working with young people in the age group of 18 - 35, who are either unemployed or underemployed. We invite individuals with sound imaginative business ideas, along with the will and determination to succeed.

Who's backing BYST?Founding chairman: Late JRD Tata Vice-chairman : Late H P Nanda Chairman & Managing Director: Mr. Rahul Bajaj

What makes BYST unique?

We take on applicants without asking for 'Financial Down Payments or Collaterals'. This way we provide them with the all important seed capital as loan, which they can use alone or in conjunction with financing from banks and other financial institutions. The loan is provided at the special interest rate offered to small businesses, by banks. The most remarkable feature of the Trust is that it provides each client with a Mentor on a one-to-one basis. As mentioned earlier, we follow the 'Guru- Shishya' tradition where the teacher not only teaches, but guides and helps to develop the disciple. The Mentor gives personalized advice, maintains regular contact with the business, monitors progress, and helps in solving problems and in developing business. The interested professionals (Mentors), in turn, get a wide range of first-hand business experience and the satisfaction of helping disadvantaged youth.

What kind of business does BYST help?

BYST supports ventures both in the manufacturing and servicing sector, turning job seekers into job creators. In the last decade, we have supported a wide variety of enterprises; from Doll Making to Desktop Publishing, and Herbal Cosmetics to Hi-Tech Electronics, thereby enabling wealth generation.

How does BYST operate?

Business proposals from potential entrepreneurs are welcome directly or through vocational schools, entrepreneurial training institutions and well established grass root and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs). We give assistance to help formulate these proposals. The screening process, done by an Entrepreneur Selection Panel, (ESP), comprises of experts from the industry in marketing, finance, management, etc. On approval of the proposal by them, we provide a whole range of Business Development Services along with a Mentor, who gives guidance until the venture takes off. Presently BYST is operational in six regions of India - Delhi, Chennai, Rural Haryana, Pune, Hyderabad and Rural Maharashtra. Out of these six regions four regions run the urban programme, while two regions run the rural programme.

Objectives: To empower young dynamic micro-entrepreneurs, who are disadvantaged and integrate them into the economic mainstream. To be a role model, nationally and internationally, for mentoring and nurturing small start up businesses through the active involvement of the corporate sector.

Long Term Objectives:  

To be in the forefront of entrepreneurship development for the underprivileged youth and create employment opportunities for others and thus contribute to national development.

Develop and nurture qualities of initiative, motivation and enterprise among young entrepreneurs of India.

Support self-employment in the manufacturing and service sectors that develop entrepreneurial skills and create employment opportunities, thereby converting job seekers into job creators.

Provide high quality human resource inputs to the development of small enterprises through mentors/volunteers who can provide timely advice and enterprise specific information.

Immediate objectives To create awareness among young people and businesspersons regarding opportunities in

entrepreneurship as a means to achieving sustainability for national development. To finance & support young entrepreneurs for their development.

At BYST, we want to help the disadvantaged youth through a whole new philosophy of Guru-Shishya Parampara (Mentor-Mentee Tradition). We extend support through a combination of money and mentor, thereby giving total assistance to disadvantaged youths who wish to set up, or develop, their own business. This assistance includes finance, professional advice, training, education and guidance till the venture takes off. It is "people helping people" - which is what BYST is all about.

Aspirations: Over the past couple of years, the success of BYST's regional programmes has generated a lot of demand at the grassroot level for BYST's entrepreneurship model. The private sector is playing an ever-increasing role along with the Government and civil society groups, in addressing unemployment issues. Hence there is a growing demand for BYST type of models from the private sectors as well. Large-scale companies such as TISCO, Dempo Group, Shell, etc. have exhibited considerable interest. During his visit to BYST - Hyderabad in March 2001, the United Nations Secretary General, Mr. Kofi Annan said that he was delighted to see the key role being played by the Indian private sector in BYST's mentoring programme. He asked whether Africa could apply this model and was interested in seeing this concept spread to other parts of the world. This attests to the measure of interest in mentoring at all levels and in all countries. BYST is keen to see it's model benefit young entrepreneurs both in India and world-wide. The pressure on BYST to help more young people in India and to extend the mentoring model to other developing countries is increasing.

Future Plans: In India, over the next five years BYST plans to increase the number of regions served from six to twelve, which will substantially increase the number of young entrepreneur supported from 700 to 2000. These in turn will employ more than 6500 people. On the global front BYST is working with Youth Business International (YBI), International Labour Organisation (ILO) and other like-minded organisations to help more than forty countries currently implementing youth enterprise programmes.Putting these plans into practice poses certain challenges: keeping the quality up while expanding geographically and supporting an ever growing number of entrepreneurs; obtaining large scale continuous support from the business community; providing effective and flexible training to business volunteers and sustaining the programme over a period of time. Perhaps, BYST's on-line mentor training and other internet driven mentoring programmes around the world could help in scaling up and in building a global community of mentors for benchmarking and sharing best practices. Across the globe, the mentoring movement is gathering momentum rapidly. Business mentoring is emerging as a cornerstone for developing young entrepreneurs. Capturing the spirit of business volunteers the legendary Indian corporate captain, Mr. JRD Tata said, "no success or achievement is worth while unless it serves the needs and interests of the country and its people".

Frequently asked questions by Budding Entrepreneurs:

Q. How can I share my idea with BYST? (I have not understood question)

A. If you want to share your idea with BYST and are keen to set up your own business, please do contact us at the addresses given.

Q. How can BYST help me? What support does BYST provide?

A. If you are falling in the criteria led down by BYST then BYST can support you with:

Loans to start or expand business to the extent of Rs 50 lacs at low interest rates

Mentoring Support to each entrepreneur

Networking, marketing & participation in business exhibitions.

Need based, business management training programs & exposure to latest business trends.

Recognition through awards

Q. How do I apply for a loan at BYST?

A. Based on your city of residence, you can either write a mail to the concerned official at BYST or call them to take an appointment to discuss and take the proposal further.

Q. Whom do I contact for donations?

A. You can send a mail to the BYST Admin and the concerned person will contact you at the earliest or you can speak to one of our officers at our Head office in Delhi.

Q. What is the eligibility criterion to get a loan and Mentor in BYST?

A. Eligibility criteria is:

Youth in age group of 18-35 years

Youth with viable business idea

Resident of Delhi, Haryana, Chennai, Kancheepuram, Hyderabad, Pune and near by rural areas,  Purandar Taluka, Haveli Taluka, Shirval Taluka, Baramati Taluka, Daund Taluka

Business should be either Manufacturing or Service. Trading Business not encouraged.

A. What is the amount I can apply for? Minimum loan amount is Rs 1 lakh and maximum is Rs 50 lakhs

Q. What are the businesses supported by BYST?

A. Any business which is either in field of Manufacturing or Service Industry can be supported by BYST. For example: Businesses like plastic molding, engineering works, IT business, doll making, readymade garments, 2 or 4 wheeler repairing garage, handicraft, herbal products etc. We do not encourage businesses that are trading in nature.

Q. What experience should I have for being supported by BYST?

A. One should be having the business idea for starting a business and /or for expansion for business with relevant experience to run it.

Q. What support can I get if I do not belong to present operational areas of BYST?

A. If you are not in our operational area, it will not be possible for us to support you directly. However, we can refer you to our mentors and if they are interested to mentor you, we will inform you regarding the same.

A. How Mentors can be approached? They can be approached through BYST.

Q. How BYST is different from the Banks in supporting Entrepreneurs?

A. BYST is a not for profit organisation committed to promoting entrepreneurship development. BYST not only provides funding at very low interest rates, but it provides mentoring and end-to-end support system to ensure success of the upcoming entrepreneurs. BYST’s aim is to help entrepreneur create employment and wealth for those supported by them.

Q. What is the minimum time duration to get a loan from BYST?

A. We conduct our evaluations in the third week of every month and would be able to process it in a months time provided we get the applications in time for the evaluations.

Frequently asked questions by People interested in Mentoring:

Q. How to become a BYST Mentor?

A. You can get in touch with BYST local office (near your city) regarding your interest in becoming a mentor.  BYST staff then will send you the registration form, which you should fill in and send back along with your brief profile and passport photo. BYST committee will respond on your request within time period of 15 to 30 days.

A. How can I help BYST? You can help BYST:

Associate yourself with BYST as mentors to guide the youth. 

Refer potential and deserving entrepreneurs to BYST to get supported by this model.

Support our existing entrepreneurs for vendor development

Donate generously to the cause

A. How much time a Mentor requires to spend for Mentoring? 2 hours in a month

Q. What are the basic qualifications required to become a Mentor?

A. A professional with experience in business and a willingness to contribute back to the society.

A. Is there any type of financial liability of a Mentor towards the Bank? No

Q. Any Mentor Guidance provided for Mentoring by BYST?

A. There is a Mentor Online Training Program (MOL), which all the new mentors have to go through, which helps them in understanding the mentoring in BYST.  Each new mentor is given one senior mentor as a buddy mentor, who helps him to learn more on mentoring.

Q. What are the benefits for a BYST Mentor?

o Self Satisfaction

o Networking

o Accreditation certificate given by international orgnasiation

A. What are the ways in which I can offer my services as a mentor if I do not belong to the present operational areas of BYST?

Vendor development for BYST entrepreneurs

Writing success stories of BYST entrepreneurs

Be part of the BYST chat session and contribute in the topics

Training programs for BYST entrepreneurs (if you can travel to the city of operation)

Contribue article for BYST Entrepreneur Newsletter

Donation

Frequently asked questions in General:

Q. What support BYST provides?

A. If you are falling in the criteria led down by BYST then BYST can support you with:

Loans to start or expand business to the extent of Rs 50 lacs at low interest rates

Mentoring Support to each entrepreneur

Networking, marketing & participation in business exhibitions.

Need based, business management training programs & exposure to latest business trends.

Recognition through awards

A. Where can I find current press releases? Weblink to our website can be added to Media coverage page

A. How do I reach you? Call and or write to us.

Q. In what regions do BYST exists?

A. Resident of Delhi, Haryana, Chennai, Kancheepuram, Hyderabad, Pune and near by rural areas,  Purandar Taluka, Haveli Taluka, Shirval Taluka, Baramati Taluka, Daund Taluka

A. As a NGO can I refer Entrepreneurs to BYST directly? Yes

A. How can I partner with BYST? Can call and/or write to us with your area of interest and the scope of work can be discussed.

http://www.bystonline.org/byst/faqs.html

Career@ BYST: At Bharatiya Yuva Shakti Trust (BYST), our high achieving staff is dedicated to a variety of youth development causes, all of us are committed to excellence.  We are always looking for the brightest talent to join us. With six offices spread around the country, BYST is a role model in developing youth entrepreneurship for other developing countries around the world and we are spreading our wings and expanding fast. BYST fosters the entrepreneurial dreams of the young people in India, It has built up strong partnerships with the Private Sector, Grass root organizations and the Government, with its decade of experience.

 BYST: Bharatiya Yuva Shakti Trust (BYST) is a non-profit that primarily assists disadvantaged Indian youth to develop business ideas into viable enterprises under the guidance of a mentor, the main idea being assisting job seekers become job creators. The programs include supporting young underprivileged entrepreneurs by supplementing financing of up to Rs. 50,00,000 with training, support, monitoring, mentoring and networking. The young entrepreneurs are nurtured till they reach a level where not only are they self-sufficient, but they in turn make a valuable contribution to society through creating wealth and employment.BYST has supported over 1885 entrepreneurs in 7 urban and rural regions around the country, viz., Delhi, Chennai, Rural Haryana, Pune, Hyderabad & Rural Maharashtra, Rural TamilNadu creating direct & indirect employment for about 20000 people. Internationally BYST is a founding member of Youth Business International (YBI) and plays an important role is assisting similar trusts around Asia and Africa.