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National, 22nd December: India’s startup ecosystem is set to gain a powerful new catalyst as Nikhil Kamath and Kishore Biyani have joined hands to launch The Foundery — a first-of-its-kind business launchpad built to identify, mentor, and co-build the next generation of Indian entrepreneurs.
Conceived as a co-founder factory, The Foundery is part school, part accelerator, and part venture studio, compressing the early-stage startup journey into a 90-day immersive program. Participants move from concept to investible business, guided by accomplished mentors, investors, and operators.
“Most of what we call education was built for a world that doesn’t exist anymore. It teaches people to fit in when progress comes from those who don’t. MBAs create managers. We need people who can build, break,fail and rebuild. The Foundery is for them — the ones who’d rather make their own path than follow someone else’s”, said Nikhil Kamath.
“This isn’t a classroom or an incubator,” added Kishore Biyani. “It’s a live business-building environment where entrepreneurs learn by creating, testing, failing, and evolving. We’re forging founders through experience, not theory.”
At The Foundery, participants work alongside the Foundery team and mentors to turn ideas into investment-ready ventures. Selected participants retain up to 25% equity in the businesses they help create, and successful ventures receive seed funding of up to ₹4 crore with continued strategic support post-graduation.
A Program for Builders
The Foundery invites aspiring entrepreneurs, mid-career professionals, and early-stage founders who combine creativity with conviction. The selection process is designed to identify potential over polish, with applicants going through idea articulation rounds, problem-solving challenges, and interviews assessing creativity, resilience, and founder mindset. The process is built to find founders who can grow, not just those who can pitch.
“We’re looking for people who combine imagination with intent — those who can think differently and act decisively,” said Santosh Desai, who helped conceptualise The Foundery.
Guided by India’s Best Business Minds
Mentors include Vijay Shekhar Sharma (Founder & Operator, Paytm), Kunal Bahl (Founder & Investor, Snapdeal and Titan Capital), Aakash Chaudhry (Education Entrepreneur, Aakash), Mithun Sacheti (Consumer Brand Builder, CaratLane), Varun Berry (FMCG Operator, Britannia), Haresh Chawla (Media and Consumer Investor, True North and Viacom18), Aditya Sehgal (Global Operator, former FTSE 20 COO), Garima Deveshwar Bahl (Leadership and Culture Coach), Jacob Mathew (Design and Innovation Thinker), Ireena Vittal (Board Advisor), and Rama Bijapurkar (Consumer Strategist and Author), Aakrit Vaish (AI Entrepreneur & Investor) among others. They will guide founders across opportunity design, validation, execution, and scale.
Each cohort culminates in a Demo Day, where participants pitch their ventures to a curated investor network. Selected businesses will receive seed investment and access to The Foundery’s wider ecosystem. Complementing the business curriculum is The School of Life — a reflective stream exploring the emotional and human side of entrepreneurship, focusing on resilience, curiosity, and purpose.
