IIM-K graduate Amit Kourav  wants to lead by example. When most of his classmates lapped up high paying jobs with MNCs and leading corporates, Amit decided to stay back on campus to prove a point in entrepreneurship.

Originally from Madhya Pradesh, Amit, who passed out in March 2011, has been staying back at the student's hostel for the past one year to run High Octane, a boutique cafe-food court- bookshop combine, which has been a big hit with the students and faculty on the campus.

Buoyed by the success of the plush outlet, Amit is currently in talks with banks and consultants to roll out a cafe chain on campuses and educational institutions in other parts of the country. Amit has also been advising many current students on starting new enterprises. "I was the coordinator of the entrepreneur cell on the campus in my final year and we used to hold regular events and talks for fostering entrepreneurship among students. I had always wanted to start something on my own ever since my college days. It was a private talk with a Harvard professor who visited the IIM-K campus for a guest lecture series which really stirred me to take the plunge," Amit said.

Though he initially toyed with many project ideas, the cafe- bookshop-food court combination emerged as the most viable project as there was a huge demand for such a place on the campus. "Our idea was to create a place which the campus community could relate to and think of as their own. I did not want to open just another cafe but a place which was in sync with the campus mood," Amit reminisced. The IIM-K authorities also responded positively to the campus start-up initiative and Amit was able to get a space in the heart of the campus on rent. The cafe was set up with an investment outlay of Rs 10 lakh which he raised with the help of his parents and a friend.