Bring your startup dreams to life with ‘Vidyashilp University's Start-up Founders Program’

India boasts the third largest startup ecosystem in the world, after the US and China. The country has over 59,000 DPIIT-recognised startups, with many turning into unicorns. As per a recent Hurun report, in 2021 itself, India added three unicorns per month, doubling the overall number of startups valued at $1 billion. As investors are seeing potential in every sector - from fintech to edtech - startups too are expanding, thereby giving rise to more employment opportunities.

Today, the ecosystem is showing no signs of slowing down, with at least two-three startups being born each day. Despite these leaps, 90 percent of Indian startups end up failing due to lack of support, clear vision, and understanding of the market. Founders often end up setting unrealistic expectations for their startups. It is therefore important to have the right resources and direction to realize your vision.

A startup journey requires industry knowledge, honed skills, financial support, networking, and more, to truly perform well. And to help aspiring startup founders with that, Vidyashilp University is launching the Start-up Founders Program, set to kick off in January 2022.

What is the Start-up Founders Program?

Vidyashilp University’s Start-up Founders Program is a zero-to-one educational experience for aspiring founders to learn 'how to start a start-up' from faculty and mentors who are founders of successful startups. The 10-month long program will help you build on your idea from day 1, with mentors constantly ensuring that your ideas are refined, even if it means revisiting the drawing board.

The Start-up Founders Program is rigorous, yet highly experiential. It will help you step into the startup ecosystem with a strong foundation in design thinking, startup methodology, and exposure to real-world dynamics.

What’s in store?

The programme will give you a deep understanding of the market through interactions with customers, industry experts, domain specialists, and mentors. From identifying unmet customer needs and exploring means to address them, to testing the proposed solutions, the programme will mentor you through your startup journey.

Key advantages:

Get access to faculty and mentors who are founders themselves: This provides you with a platform to share your elevator pitch with a jury of giants from the startup world. If they pass your venture idea, you are virtually assured of a red-carpet welcome by leading incubators and accelerators in India, and abroad.

• Go from ideation to creation: Right from identifying the idea to creating the final investor pitch, go through the founders’ journey using frameworks of Design Thinking and Lean Start-up Canvas.
• Understand the building blocks to launch a startup: You will understand what it takes to build a startup. From exploring the market and analyzing competition to pitching ideas, and raising funds, the programme will cover it all.
• Get access to a network of founders, venture capitalists, and investors: Build your professional network through formal and informal networking events, hosted by Vidyashilp University and 256 Network. The 256 Network is an exclusive invite-only network of global decision-makers and investors in the Indian start-up ecosystem. Vidyashilp University has collaborated with various partners to provide exciting networking opportunities, mentorship, and real-world exposure.
• Get access to Vidyashilp Incubation Center: The Vidyashilp University’s Incubation Center invests intense effort, resources and time, to help you transition from an aspiring founder to a successful entrepreneur in the start-up world. Through the center, you get access to mentors and resources. If the team spots a great idea, they will invest in it even as you begin your journey at the Start-up Founders Program. You can also apply to any of Vidyashilp University’s partner incubators for support.
• Get a chance to join a thriving start-up: Get matched with a compatible founder and collaborate as a part of their founding team.

Who should apply?

Young brilliant minds with the dream of starting their own venture can apply.

Register now: Vidyashilp University Start-up Founders Program