E. Sarathbabu, 28, IIM-A

But it was enough to make him try his mother’s recipe for business. And his marketplace was his alma mater—his first break came in the form of an eatery in IIM-A, soon followed by BITS, Pilani. The biggest operation is at BITS campus in Goa where he operates the mess for 1,300 students. In just a year since starting Foodking Catering Services, Sarath has been able to repay half of the Rs 10 lakh loan he took. With his younger brother and a team of 160 helping him, he is looking to expand operations to cover the campuses of all major companies across the country and abroad. "Our daily turnover is around Rs 1.1 lakh from seven outlets in Gujarat, Rajasthan and Goa. In five years, my strategy is to expand operations on my own without any joint venture and have 10,000 people on the rolls," he predicts. He is already thinking of starting a new outlet in Chennai, and also in Dubai. "My motto is value for money. We are also looking for opportunities in the retail sector along with someIIM friends," says Sarath. Even today, he depends on his mother’s advice in selecting recipes to cater to the changing tastes.