Levelling the playing field
Claris’ community outreach strategy is based on our vision to equalise success by providing opportunities that can help level the field. Since 2012, we’ve strived to create avenues that can help talent shine as well as gain the experience it takes to catapult growth. We think of our involvement in projects as strategic social investments: intervention that is grounded in empathy, which impacts by delivering access, inclusion and collaboration.
Sport & Fitness
As part of our philosophy to foster a physical being/sporting culture in the society at large, we support several sports and fitness events by way of sponsorship, mentoring and participation. At Claris, we’ve imbibed the many qualities our preferred sport has taught us: from team work, strategy and discipline to endurance, work ethic and community spirit.
TOI Claris T20 School Soccer Tournament
Though football remains one of the most popular sports globally, it is side-lined in India, especially in Gujarat. Claris Vice Chairman and MD Arjun Handa is a strong advocate for the sport, a former National level player and the President of the Ahmedabad District Football Association (ADFA). Arjun credits The Beautiful Game for teaching him the team-building spirit and strategies that pushed Claris into accelerated growth. His passion for the game is equalled by his determination to ensure that talented footballers, male and female alike, receive the opportunities that will help them reach the global stage. One such opportunity is the TOI Claris T20 School Soccer Tournament, organised by the Times of India and the ADFA in association with Claris. An annual, ten-day sporting event, it has school teams from across Gujarat play-off each other. Claris has been a proud initiator, sponsor and supporter of the tournament, headlining it in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2018 and 2019. We also sponsor a soccer team, the Claris Soccer Academy, which participates at district-level inter-club competitions.
BSafal Marathon
The annual BSafal Marathon Ahmedabad is powered by Claris, since 2015. The event brings together tens of thousands of participants, including many from the Claris family, as they partake in the community spirit of running for health. With awards in various categories, the marathon sees a diverse participation across genders and age groups.
SugarFree Cyclothon
The annual SugarFree Cyclothon Ahmedabad is powered by Claris, since 2016. Thousands of passionate cyclists from all walks of life, and of diverse age groups, compete for various race categories in the event.
Pinkathon
Claris has co-sponsored and participated in the Pinkathon in 2014 and 2020. As India’s biggest multi-city women’s running event, Pinkathon aims to encourage and promote fitness and health among women, and raise awareness about breast cancer. The popular event sees thousands of female participants, including differently-abled runners, babywearing mothers, senior citizens and members of the Claris family, run not just for themselves, but for a greater cause.
Art & Culture
Claris associates with relevant platforms and initiatives that celebrate art, as well as those who create it, particularly to promote talent that struggles for visibility due to lack of access to an interested audience.
First Take
An initiative by ABIR, First Take provides a platform to rural artists whose work has never been exhibited. Claris has been a proud presenter of the annual event’s 2018 and 2019 shows. The week-long art exhibition typically receives scores of artworks from across India, including smaller towns and rural areas. An eminent jury narrows the selection down to around 100 artworks, including paintings, prints, ceramics and sculptures, out of which 10 artists are awarded. The acclaimed show brings together art lovers with dialogues, discussions and demonstrations with senior artists, art historians, art critics, curators and investors.
Samraga Music Festival
An annual Indian classical music festival, Samraga aims to connect students and music aficionados in Ahmedabad with elite musicians from across the country. Claris was a sponsor of the 2017 edition, which celebrated Indian classical schools of music.
FICCI FLO International Dance Festival
In 2017 FLO, the women’s wing of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI), curated a one-of-a-kind dance festival, celebrating global cultural exchange, in association with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) and sponsored by Claris. Featuring international dance troupes from Mexico and Columbia along with those from Indian states such as Manipur, Gujarat, Karnataka and Assam, the festival cut across gender and age groups to present an amalgamation of talent that was universal in appeal.
Business & Entrepreneurship
Ram Charan GCCI Knowledge Sharing Seminar
The Youth Wing of the Gujarat Chamber of Commerce & Industry (GCCI) organised a knowledge sharing seminar and an interactive session on ‘Building The Future: Winning In The Evolving Global Game’ with Dr Ram Charan, cited as the ‘Most Influential Consultant Alive’ by Fortune Magazine. The 2017 event, sponsored by Claris, explored the significance of digitalisation as well as its challenges and solutions. Claris Vice Chairman and MD Arjun Handa was one of the panellists at the event, alongside Dr Charan, and had an interactive question and answer session with the audience. Arjun highlighted the importance of a team’s motivation when it came to growing as an organisation, and the Claris philosophy of talent above technology.
TiECON Ahmedabad
TiE (The Indus Entrepreneurs) is a global not-for-profit organisation that works towards fostering the next generation of entrepreneurs. TiE provides a platform for mentoring, networking and education, to budding entrepreneurs and professionals.
TiECON 2017
The Ahmedabad chapter’s TiECON, supported by Claris, was themed on ‘Think. Dare. Succeed.’ and was attended by more than 650 participants, hosting 30 eminent speakers and about 15 exhibitors, spanning the fields of FinTech, HealthTech, Design & Innovation and Family Business. Claris Vice Chairman and MD Arjun Handa, was one of the key speakers at the conference. His session, ‘Marking a New Trail’ in conversation with noted journalist turned politician Shazia Ilmi, focused on his experience on building and growing a family business as well as his philosophy to chase creativity rather than scale. And because no success story can be complete without the transformation from an aspiring entrepreneur to a leader, the session touched upon his life-defining moments and his passion for sports.
TiECON 2018
The Ahmedabad chapter’s TiECON event in 2018, supported by Claris, was themed on ‘Building Tomorrow, Today’, with focus on FinTech, Exits, Big Data AI/ML, and Investments, was attended by more than 700 participants and 30+ speakers. Claris Vice Chairman and MD Arjun Handa, was one of the panellists at the event, and he spoke extensively about his journey: from joining Claris to bringing in private equity, going public, what investors can teach entrepreneurs and what entrepreneurs should keep in mind when taking investments.
TiE Enterprising Giants
In 2019, TiE Ahmedabad organised the ‘Enterprising Giants’ event, that featured home-grown successful entrepreneurs, inviting them to share experiences on building value, staying ahead, and surviving tough times. As one of the two speakers at the event, Claris Vice Chairman and MD Arjun Handa shared how focus on generating capital, along with focus on quality of management, helps in building value. Encouraging the audience to dwell more on execution rather than innovation alone, Arjun highlighted that staying ahead of competition requires focus on product quality and people quality, with flexibility and speed. An entrepreneur’s journey is filled with stumbling blocks; Arjun’s mantra to survive tough times includes transparency, facing the truth and taking decisions, boldly. He spoke extensively on the need to hire the ‘right’ people, to look for hunger and flexibility, rather than knowledge and capabilities.
CII Yi Summit
The Confederation of Indian Industry’s Young Indians Summit (CII Yi), held in 2017, on the theme of ‘PathBreakers’ was supported by Claris and featured business leaders from across the country, who had contributed towards ‘nation building.’ At the event, acknowledged as ‘The Billionaire Who Never Lost His Cool,’ Claris Vice Chairman and MD Arjun Handa shared the company’s growth journey, dwelling upon the importance of taking a path that was challenging, rather than easy.
FICCI FLO
The women’s wing of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry, the FICCI FLO organises various programmes on themes relevant to the interest of women entrepreneurs. Claris was a proud supporter of the Sambhavaa Women Achievers Awards 2016 and the In Conversation with Twinkle Khanna event in 2018. The annual Achiever Awards recognises the achievements of women who have excelled in their fields and are icons of inspiration for society. The In Conversation events typically feature inspiring icons and celebrities whose personal journeys encourage women to face challenges and emerge victorious, with confidence.
