Did you come across our physical card game Heuristic and the packaging it comes in? If yes, you are about to explore the most interesting facts about our design process. If you have not checked it out yet, here is the reference attached for you. It has been designed exclusively by Team Skilleit for the world's first start-up physical card game, Heuristic.
Heuristic is a physical card game that teaches 13-stages of the start-up journey and entrepreneurship development using interactive learning for students and faculties. The logo of the game box depicts the famous bird- OWL. Many people have been curious since the inception of Heuristic to know why we use the symbol of owls on our logo .
In this blog, let us delve deeper into understanding the owl's significance and how the owl's characteristics depict that of an entrepreneur.
Owl in Mythologies:
Owls have a presence in almost all mythologies around the world. Many consider the bird good luck, while others relate superstitious beliefs to the nocturnal creature. However, with modernisation in today's world and superstitions fading away, owls have been more or less regaining the wisdom beliefs that had been there for centuries.
Indian Mythology
In Indian mythology, owls are treated with respect, and the scriptures, along with past beliefs, have given a lot of prestige to owls. Indians revere Devi Lakshmi (goddess of wealth), and the owl is considered her vehicle and worshipped along with her during special occasions. While many people believe that it is a symbol of wealth and prosperity, others believe that the bird can ward off bad luck associated with someone. You would even be amazed to know that the round eye possessed by owls is considered equivalent to Lord Jagannath (a form of Lord Vishnu worshipped in the coastal town of Puri, Odisha). Such stary round eyes also symbolise wisdom within them.
Greek Mythology
Many gods and goddesses in Greek mythology have been shown accompanied by owls. For example, Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom, and Minerva have been shown with owls. It is believed that not only do they impart wisdom and knowledge, but they also depict any changes to come. One of the very famous examples we can infer is from Shakespeare's one of the finest plays - Julius Caesar which takes place in ancient Rome. One of the scenes during Act I of the play mentions how two inhabitants, Cicero and Casca of Rome, discuss their foresight- a warning for the coming times after spotting an owl during broad daylight in the marketplace.
Owl holds a prominent position in most of the mythologies and is shown together as a symbol of imparting wisdom and knowledge.
You would be amazed to know that even the small pack of owls together are called Parliament- a name attributed to some of the country's legislative houses where the decisions are made by some of the wisest and most knowledgeable people in the countries like India, Australia, Britain, Canada, New Zealand, and South Africa.
Characteristics of Heuristic Owls
So, the real question arises why we have chosen owls for our physical card game, Heuristic? For a card game dedicated to the knowledge enhancement of school and college students or faculty members and helping them achieve the aspiration of becoming an entrepreneur through entrepreneurship development programs, we had to come up with something exciting and catchy. After several brainstorming workshops with the team and intensive research, we came up with the idea of using an owl as a symbol.
“The characteristic of owls is a lot similar to an entrepreneur and the letters were perfectly fitting into an owl shaped logo.”, says Ritu Srivaastava, Founder of Skilleit.
Here, we discuss the qualities of the Heuristic owl that reverberates with the very idea of good entrepreneurs:
Symbol of wisdom and knowledge: Just like owls are considered wise and knowledgeable, so are good entrepreneurs. They are the most intelligible people among the lot who try to think differently and are highly skilled too. Like owls are rare to find, so are good entrepreneurs too!
Strategist: One of the characteristics of an excellent entrepreneur is being a good strategist, which means their job is not limited to identifying the problems but planning around them and building a good solution. This is in cognisance of the feature of the owl, which not only observes the prey but also decides its next move accordingly.
Works in absolute silence: Owls are the night birds; they stay silent most of the time and are never seen in large numbers like other birds such as crows, pigeons, etc. Similarly, good entrepreneurs take time and work in absolute silence away from the normal hustles. They even choose odd hours of the day when no one can disturb them, and they can work in solace.
Excellent defender and attacker: Owls have an incredible ability to defend and attack. It is known to be a good defender as it can escape from a predator by hearing noises from far distances and even flying vertically. This feature also makes them a good attacker. In a start-up journey, entrepreneurs should have the know-how of both and be able to protect their businesses and themselves from any situation.
Receptive: Owls are birds that can easily rotate 270 degrees horizontally and 180 degrees vertically, making them adaptive in every situation. They hear their prey from a distance and determine them even when it is out of sight. Through rigorous years of work, entrepreneurs develop the talent of understanding people and learning to be receptive towards them; they are also open to feedback and criticism.
Achiever: Only birds to fly vertically are owls, giving them a huge edge to defend themselves from other predators. They can move out of the vision by flying vertically, unlike other birds who can fly horizontally. The unique qualities of entrepreneurs make them good achievers and mark themselves from others due to their characteristics.
Smart worker: Are you aware that most birds like eagles use speed to attack their prey? But owls work smart and stealthily attack their prey without letting them know about the move. Instead of making a sound or working hard like eagles or falcons, owls work 'smart.' So does an excellent entrepreneur who knows how the best work can be done efficiently without burning the midnight oil and performing 'smart work.'
Highly focussed: Owls are the best observers and remain alert throughout the day and night. In a similar fashion, excellent entrepreneurs are a calm personality who knows not only to speak but to listen to others and understand their problems.
High convertibility: Just like the owls are considered the most flexible birds due to their physical characteristics, good entrepreneurs are believed to be highly flexible in any situation. They can pivot their life towards what changes are needed. Often, entrepreneurs have to adapt to changes in the industry or any customer requirement, and it is here where the feature is a great help.
Do Owls Win Entrepreneurial Race?
Excellent entrepreneurs are often compared to the night owls, sturdy, adaptive, and focused on achieving what they want. They can visualise their goals and make strategies accordingly to achieve the desired result. The wee hours of night signify how these entrepreneurs can make time out of their busy schedule to make a plan and generate ideas, get updates on the work progress that happened throughout the day and decide on their next steps also, as defensive characteristics can be used to alert oneself and generate more creative ideas for the business in coming times.
About the world's first game-based start-up Heuristic:
Heuristic, the world's start-up game designed specifically for entrepreneurship programs, has become popular among youngsters due to its extreme usefulness and relatability. The 'owl' which makes up the image of Heuristic is the correct depiction of a successful and wise entrepreneur that Team Skilleit is striving to prepare. Our game not only allows one to learn about the different 13-stages of the start-up journey, but it also makes one aware of the terminology, definitions, problems, challenges, and solutions related to a start-up journey. This makes our game even more exciting and relatable in real-world scenarios.
As the world is moving towards the need for greater entrepreneurship values and skills, our programs are designed to achieve the same. Through our highly immersive and interactive entrepreneurship development program, we try to inculcate 21st-century entrepreneurship and innovation skills at the grassroots level.
Broadly, our vision is to-
Nurture entrepreneurship, intrapreneurship, and 21st-century skills at a global level.
Offer innovative training tools for teachers and students for future skilling
Create a culture of start-up and innovation on a global level.
Our vision is in close cognisance of Sustainable Development Goal SDG 9, which aims to build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation, and foster an innovation culture throughout the world. Besides, to make India self-resilient/ Aatma-nirbhar as per the vision of the Government of India, it is high time that we switch to the culture of becoming job-generators rather than becoming job-seekers.
With the highest demographic dividend in the world, the working-age population grew by 115.5 million between 2017 and 2021 (data by State of Working India Report). Still, the labour force grew by only 7.7 million, and the workforce was reduced by 11.3 million, presenting a grim situation to the country's employment numbers.
The demographic dividend has to be provided not only with higher education but also with quality education focusing on entrepreneurship development. This will ensure the progress of their career and that of society as they start recognising problems surrounding them and start to create opportunities for them.
Imagination, Creativity, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship are amalgamated through our Heuristic (physical card game) program, which helps them play, think, and act like entrepreneurs.
If you are looking for a similar solution or conducting an entrepreneurship development program for students and faculties in the coming times, please reach out to us at: teamskilleit@gmail.com
After all, you should not miss out on an opportunity to use our #Heuristic owl and help budding entrepreneurs carve a sustainable future for themselves from a young age.