Campus Founders, a GPS Fellows initiative, is a four-month incubation program through which student entrepreneurs across universities can develop their innovative ideas, receive hands-on mentorship, develop their business acumen, and advance on their startup journey.
NSRCEL, the incubation arm of IIM Bangalore (IIM-B), has partnered with GPS Renewables, India’s premier full-stack, clean fuels technology and engineering company, to introduce Campus Founders, a student entrepreneurship program aimed at supporting college-based startup founders and recent graduates in transforming their startup ideas into thriving businesses.
This collaboration holds special significance as GPS Renewables was co-founded 12 years ago by two IIMB graduates, Mainak Chakraborty and Sreekrishna Sankar, who also founded a company as a student on campus.
This incubation program will focus on innovative solutions in sustainability, climate change, and hardware development. The four-month program is tailored to students’ needs, allowing them to evolve their ventures while still pursuing their studies.
Campus Founders is uniquely designed for students from various academic disciplines, putting innovation from universities on a path to commercialization and scale. Participants with startup ideas or working prototypes will swiftly explore MVP and the path to product-market fit. Alongside workshops and hands-on mentorship throughout the four-month duration, they will interact with seasoned entrepreneurs and industry experts who will guide them through their entrepreneurial journey. The program aims to enable entrepreneurship as a lucrative and sustaining career for campus graduates, fostering an ecosystem where college graduates can transform into venture CEOs.
GPS Renewables’ CEO and co-founder, Mainak Chakraborty, said the program aligned perfectly with the company’s commitment to climate-forward and sustainability-focused innovations. “By providing access to expert mentorship, valuable resources, and a supportive network, this initiative will empower young entrepreneurs to turn their innovative ideas into impactful solutions that address critical challenges in sustainability and climate change,” he added.
Anand Sri Ganesh, CEO of NSRCEL, IIM Bangalore, expressed his enthusiasm for the launch, stating, “We’re excited to team up with GPS Renewables for the second Campus Founders cohort. Together, we provide students with the necessary guidance, mentorship, and connections to transform their business ideas into successful ventures. We look forward to nurturing bright minds to tackle challenges and scale their ventures toward a more sustainable future.”
This marks the second cohort of NSRCEL’s Campus Founders initiative. In the previous cohort, 16 startups were incubated, representing diverse sectors, including Deep Tech, Agritech, Health, and Consumer industries. Originating from 6 states and 5 universities, these entrepreneurs are significantly impacting their respective fields.
By the end of the program, participants will benefit from guidance aimed at refining their business models, establishing validated revenue streams, developing growth-driven product roadmaps, achieving product-market fit, exploring funding opportunities, and building a loyal customer base. Additionally, the program will instill a sense of responsibility and resilience in participants to effectively build and manage their business ventures for growth.
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