We are proud to announce our association with Suru Fest. Prospus founder Marc Ragsdale spent over a week attending the festival in Ladakh in late August. Uniting climbers globally since 2016, Suru has since become a festival celebrating the power of youth and adventure. Suru is held annually from late August until the first week of September. It’s a force that brings both athletes and creatives together to create inspiring content.
This year’s title sponsor was Tata Motors, an Indian-based multinational conglomerate with hundreds of well-known brands and properties, including the recently-acquired Jaguar Land Rover. Tata generously provided 10 2018 Tata Hexas to help convey people, equipment, and supplies back and forth from Leh, the nearest large city in the region. To Suru Fest founder Tenzin Jamyang and Suhail Kakpori, it is important to include smaller and startup sponsors in the space as well. “We want to give some exposure to promising companies just entering this space”, remarked Jamyang. This year’s sponsor also included outdoor camping supplies provider Gipfel, American equipment provider Mishimi Takin, and legendary Japanese climbing chalk manufacturer Tokyo Powder Industries.
Furthermore, this years Suru Fest was by far the most successful for both attendance and corporate sponsorship. The growing strength and purchasing power of the youth market in India has attracted many large global brands. International corporates have showered young athletes and organizers, such as Jamyang, with lucrative sponsorship deals. Pepsi, Nike, Mountain Dew, and Red Bull are just to name a few. Also Tata and Wipro, homegrown multinationals, are getting in on the game. “I have been in India now for 14 years, and over the past few years, I have seen an explosion of corporate activity around this particular group in India”, remarked Ragsdale.
A participant and observer, Ragsdale sensed an opportunity and approached Jamyang about the festival. After learning more about Jamyang’s story, Ragsdale inquired about openings for corporate sponsors from the tech industry. The two brainstormed for some time. The need for technology to assist attendees with the various climbing and bouldering options in the area was apparent. “Most of the rocks here have been climbed, graded and documented. Providing the topography to this area in an app will be a great asset to the festival,” said Jamyang. With additional dialogue, it became clear that Prospus could contribute under the 5-year Prospus Fund initiative.
Prospus has a long history of supporting local efforts at trade shows and other organized events. Under the Prospus fund, Prospus has committed to partner with and sponsor the Suru Fest from the tech side. Prospus will be the first technology company for Suru Fest. Ragsdale is looking forward to the festival and will contribute the necessary expertise to assist Jamyang and team in streamlining operations, assisting attendees, and supporting sponsorships. As we move closer to the fourth year of Suru Fest, we will share regular progress updates.
