Mumbai, April 26, 2025: What happens when over 30 of Mumbai and Pune’s most forward-thinking school principals gather in one room? Ideas spark. Conversations flow. And most importantly, the future of student career guidance starts to shift. This is exactly what unfolded at The Westin Goregaon during the Principals’ Conclave hosted by Expify on April 26, 2025.
The conclave was more than just an education meet-up. It was a call to action. The goal? To kickstart the creation of India’s very first white paper on Experiential Counseling—a model that goes beyond textbooks and brings real-world career exploration directly to students.
The day kicked off with an eye-opening panel discussion titled “Reimagining Career Readiness through Experiential Counseling”. Moderated by Mukti Bajaria, an expert trainer and public speaker, the panel featured voices that truly know the pulse of students and the demands of the future. Dr. Rishi S. Kapal, a LinkedIn Top Voice and former CXO with corporate giants like Sony and Ericsson, emphasized, “One who hasn’t experienced a career shouldn’t guide students.” His words struck a chord.
Joining him were Pooja Gupta, a passionate career coach and college admissions mentor, and Anuradha Sinha, an award-winning principal and social worker. They echoed the same belief: students need access to mentors who’ve actually walked the talk. The panelists explored why traditional career counseling just isn’t cutting it anymore and why a fresh, immersive approach is the need of the hour.
After the discussion, the energy only grew. Educators broke into roundtable conversations, sharing honest perspectives on questions that rarely get asked: Why do students still rely on guesswork or pressure to pick careers? Why aren’t schools engaging more with industry mentors? What could an ideal experiential system look like in a typical school?
These conversations weren’t just for the sake of debate—they were the foundation of a white paper that promises to shape how India supports its next generation of professionals. Every insight, idea, and challenge raised is being compiled as primary research for this transformative document.
Then came a highlight moment—when Vedant Bajaria, Expify’s Co-founder and Director, took the stage to show how the future is already here. He introduced Expify’s three innovative programs that are bringing career dreams to life:
● Mentor Fair: Students from grades 8 to 12 get to meet and speak with professionals from fields they’re curious about—think of it as speed-dating for career inspiration.
● Experiential Counseling: Rather than sitting through lectures, students dive into hands-on activities aligned with careers like medicine, design, engineering, and more.
● Outstation Experiences: Imagine spending a week living like a college student, exploring over 20 engineering fields at places like MIT Manipal. That’s exactly what students experience here.
Best part? These programs are surprisingly affordable, starting at just ₹600 per student. That means even more schools can offer this kind of deep, life-changing exploration without stretching budgets.
Expify, headquartered in Mumbai, and co-founded by Vedant Bajaria, Tanay Makhecha, and Mihir Rambhiya, is already making waves in career readiness. Partnering with institutions like MIT Manipal, KRVIA, and Ecole Intuit Lab, they’re proving that it’s not only possible to rethink career counseling—it’s essential.
The Principals’ Conclave was more than just another conference. It was a moment of clarity. A realization that we don’t have to wait to improve how students prepare for life after school. We can start today.
As the conversations winded down and connections were made, one thing became clear: the future of career guidance in India is experiential, immersive, and mentorship-driven. And with the upcoming white paper, schools across the country will soon have a powerful playbook to help every student dream bigger and choose smarter.
For more information, media inquiries, or to bring Expify to your school, contact: Email: [email protected] | Phone: +91 7977179874
Website: www.expify.in
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LinkedIn: Expify on LinkedIn
The conclave was curated by T. Aswini Patro of Sanaj Ventures reachable at [email protected]