Debating society

What Debating society does

Epigram is the recognised debating society of St. Joseph's University, Bengaluru, operating as a non-commercial student organisation that combines four functions under one public-record standard: a competitive debating chamber, an editorial publication house (The Josephite Weekly), a broadcast studio (Airwaves), and an institutional records desk. It serves St. Joseph's University students, partner departments and societies, and the broader campus community that consumes civic programmes such as the Dialogues of Democracy presidential and vice-presidential debates.

Its core "products" are programmes rather than software: British Parliamentary and Asian Parliamentary debate formats, the Inter-Class Debate League (ICDL), the Realta and Metaminds flagship debates, motion archives, workshops, election coverage, magazine issues, and Audio/Video broadcast episodes. Underlying infrastructure is a website (debsoc.in) that functions as both programme ledger and institutional archive: listings, dossiers, named leadership, a public constitution adopted 5 July 2025, and contributor pathways (submission portal) are all surfaced there. There is no proprietary technology platform; the moat is institutional mandate and accumulated public record rather than software.

The business model is explicitly non-commercial: no membership fees, no product sales, no sponsorships, and no external funding are described. Authority and continuity flow from university recognition (10 October 2023), a public constitution, and named office-bearers across the Debating, Publications, Airwaves, Liaison, Research, Public Relations, and Operations desks, supplemented by partnerships with the SJU Student Council, TEDx, and G20 University Connect.

Name

Debating society

Legal name

Epigram - St. Joseph's University Debating Society

Website

https://debsoc.in

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Epigram is the recognised debating society of St. Joseph's University, Bengaluru, running competitive debate, an editorial publication (The Josephite Weekly), and a broadcast studio (Airwaves) under a public constitution, serving students and the broader campus community.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Student Extracurricular Services

NAICS

Exam Preparation and Tutoring (611691)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Debate (Policy, Lincoln-Douglas, Parliamentary, Public Forum) (EDAMAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Speech & Debate Competition Preparation (Events, Extemp, Impromptu) (EDAMAOAF), Online Public Speaking & Debate Programs (Live/Recorded) (EDAMAOAD)

Keywords

• University debating society
• Student publications
• Civic discourse programs
• Campus broadcast media
• Academic debate league

Headquarters

HQ city

Bengaluru

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. No commercial revenue model: Epigram is a recognised university society at St. Joseph's University, Bengaluru. It operates as a non-commercial student organisation focused on debating, publications, and broadcast media. No revenue streams, funding models, or commercial transactions are described in the source material. The society maintains institutional standing through university recognition, not financial performance.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Epigram is a non-commercial, university-recognised student debating society at St. Joseph's University, Bengaluru, that runs structured debating programmes (BP and AP formats), publishes a weekly student newspaper (The Josephite Weekly), operates a broadcast studio (Airwaves), and maintains an institutional archive (Public Record). It delivers these offerings free of charge to student members and the wider campus community through four functional desks.

Product overview

Epigram is the recognised debating society of St. Joseph's University, Bengaluru, offering a unified platform built around three interconnected core desks: the Debating Desk (covering BP/AP parliamentary formats, ICDL tournament circuit, Realta flagship debates, Metaminds monthly debates, workshops, and motion preparation), the Editorial Desk/P Publications (publishing The Josephite Weekly magazine with essays, reports, debate analysis, and campus dispatches), and the Airwaves Studio (producing video, podcasts, interviews, and event coverage with transcripts). Supporting infrastructure includes the Public Record system (maintaining notices, offices, constitution, and institutional archives), the Motion Vault (searchable debate preparation library), the Liaison Network (partner collaboration programme), and the Submission Portal (moderated content intake). The society also runs the Dialogues of Democracy civic forum programme for presidential/vice-presidential debates and the Voices of the Silicon City flagship tournament. All components operate under a public constitution adopted July 2025 with documented governance and source-linked institutional memory.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Realta Debate A structured debating offering run by the Debating Desk in BP and AP formats, available to student members of St. Joseph's University.
• The Josephite Weekly A weekly student publication produced by the Editorial Desk, distributed in print and digital form to the St. Joseph's University community.
• Airwaves Studio A campus broadcast offering that produces recorded segments for distribution, operated by the Airwaves desk of the society.
• Public Record An institutional archive and records desk that preserves documentation of the society's and the university's activities.
• Inter-Class Debate League (ICDL) An inter-class debate league open to students of St. Joseph's University, structured as a recurring competitive debating offering.
• Dialogues of Democracy A civic discourse programme co-hosted with campus partners, focused on democratic and civic topics for the student community.
• Voices of the Silicon City A Bengaluru / Silicon City-themed discourse initiative by the society, addressing city-relevant topics for students.
• Metaminds and Monthly Debates A recurring monthly debate offering run by the society for its members and the wider campus community.
• Workshops Programme A workshop programme providing training in debating, writing, and related skills to student members.
• Motion Vault A repository of debate motions curated by the society, made available to debaters for practice and reference.

Quantifiable outcome

• 181 named roster records publicly attributable across the society's archive, demonstrating institutional scale and accountability
• +3 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• St. Joseph's University Student CouncilflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024The society conducts presidential and vice-presidential debates for the Student Council, transforming campus elections into structured civic forums with equal time, moderator questions, audience interventions, and public records. The first presidential debate on 26 July 2024 placed the society inside campus democratic life. These election debates give the society consequence beyond its own membership and establish it as the civic platform for campus democratic processes.
• St. Joseph's University, BengalurucoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 October 2023Formal university recognition on 10 October 2023 established Epigram as the recognised debating society of St. Joseph's University. This institutional mandate gives the society authority to act as the university's official debating body, stage election debates for student council races, maintain constitutional governance recognised by the institution, and operate with public accountability structures that would not be available to an informal student club. The partnership is foundational to the society's institutional legitimacy.
• G20 University ConnectminorGTM or Marketing PartnerThe society has participated in G20 University Connect media work, using the Airwaves desk to cover and broadcast related campus events. This external stage coverage demonstrates the society's capacity to handle more than internal promotion and provides visibility beyond the immediate university community.
• TEDx (St. Joseph's University)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerThe Airwaves desk has conducted TEDx interview coverage, providing broadcast and interview production support for TEDx events at the university. This establishes the media desk as capable of external-facing broadcast work and provides the society with association with prestigious external platforms.
• St. Joseph's University Departments and SocietiescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThe Liaison Network enables partner departments and societies to collaborate on debate events. The Liaison Office provides motion briefs, format control, speaker flow, moderation, adjudication, media capture, and archive handoff. Partner types include department seminars, society clash rooms, public forums, workshop exchanges, broadcast desk collaborations, and dossier packages connecting event, motion, people, media, report, and source records.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Cambridge Union Society: The Cambridge Union is a globally recognized university debating society that runs weekly debates, speaker training, and major televised events for Cambridge students. Comparable to Epigram in operating as a recognized student society with formal debating programmes, public records, and external-facing visibility.
• Yale Debate Association: One of the most prestigious university debating societies in the United States, the Yale Debate Association runs parliamentary and policy debate formats, hosts tournaments, and operates a structured training programme for Yale undergraduates - directly comparable to Epigram's debating chamber and ICDL formats.
• The Hindu College Debating Society: A leading debating society at one of India's most prominent undergraduate colleges (Delhi University), known for parliamentary debate training and inter-college tournaments. Directly comparable to Epigram as an Indian university society running structured debate programmes.
• St. Stephen's College Debating Society: St. Stephen's College in Delhi runs one of India's most respected university debating societies, competing in British Parliamentary and parliamentary formats. Directly comparable to Epigram as a prestigious Indian undergraduate debating society with structured programmes and tournament participation.
• IIT Delhi Debating Society: The debating society at IIT Delhi runs structured debating programmes, hosts tournaments, and competes nationally. Comparable to Epigram as an Indian undergraduate society with parliamentary debate focus and training infrastructure.
• Ashoka University Debating Society: Ashoka University runs an active debating society and hosts major debate tournaments in India, including the Ashoka Invitational. Comparable to Epigram as an Indian university society delivering parliamentary debate training and competitive pathways.
• Oxford Union: The Oxford Union is one of the world's oldest university debating societies, running prestigious debates, hosting external speakers, and operating structured governance. Comparable to Epigram in delivering parliamentary-style debates, election-style forums, and a public archive of proceedings.

Broad incumbents

• Debaters Association of India: Debaters Association of India is the national body coordinating parliamentary debate training, adjudication, and tournaments across Indian universities. Comparable to Epigram in training and competitive debate focus, but as an India-wide network rather than a single campus society.
• National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA): The NSDA is the largest US-based organization supporting high school and university speech and debate, providing curriculum, tournaments, and recognition. Comparable to Epigram's training and competition focus, but operates as a national governing body rather than a single campus society.
• World Universities Debating Championship (WUDC): The WUDC is the premier global university-level parliamentary debating championship, organizing annual tournaments and setting format standards. Comparable to Epigram in the British Parliamentary debate ecosystem, but as an international governing event rather than a single society.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/epigram_sju
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/debating-society

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Debating society