Mayank Soni

Engineer, Event planner, Student, World traveler

I’m an engineering student and the Sponsorship Head at TEDxIIITR, where I work at the intersection of ideas, people, and resources. My role involves building partnerships that bring transformative conversations to life — from cold outreach to closing deals that fund speakers and stages. Beyond numbers and negotiations, I’m deeply curious about how technology reshapes industries and how entrepreneurial thinking can solve real-world problems. I believe the best events don’t just inform — they shift perspectives.

Organizing experiences that leave people thinking differently. Tech that solves unglamorous problems. Early-stage startups. The moment a cold email turns into a real conversation. Building things — events, ideas, collaborations — from scratch.

The most underrated skill for the next generation of engineers isn’t coding — it’s the ability to communicate value. Technical brilliance dies in silence. Teaching students to pitch, negotiate, and build relationships alongside their core skills could unlock a generation of builder-communicators who don’t just create solutions, but make the world adopt them.

AI & Future Tech, Business Development, Community Building, Corporate Partnerships, Emerging Technologies, Engineering & Problem Solving, Entrepreneurship & Startups, Event Strategy, Product Thinking, Tech Innovation

I joined TEDxIIITR because I wanted to do something that mattered beyond the classroom. As Sponsorship Head, I learned that bringing ideas to a stage requires much more than enthusiasm — it takes strategy, persistence, and the ability to make someone believe in your vision before it even exists. Every event we organize is proof that students can build something real.

Convincing people. Whether it’s a sponsor, a reluctant teammate, or a skeptical professor — I’ve learned that listening first is the most powerful negotiation tool there is.