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Entrepreneurship Courses and Colleges in India That Offer Startup Incubation Support Copy
India’s startup ecosystem has undergone a remarkable transformation over the last decade. From just a handful of tech ventures in the early 2000s, the country today boasts over 110 unicorns
05 September 2025
TL;DR
While premier institutions like the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) have pioneered incubation support for years, their programs are largely accessible only to students in engineering, technology, or management. A new wave of universities is now breaking this mold by offering entrepreneurship courses after the 12th grade or equivalent degrees like the IB Diploma Program.
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Entrepreneurship Courses and Colleges in India That Offer Startup
India’s startup ecosystem has undergone a remarkable transformation over the last decade. From just a handful of tech ventures in the early 2000s, the country today boasts over 110 unicorns across diverse sectors, making it the third-largest startup hub in the world. This boom has been fueled not only by young entrepreneurial talent but also by the supportive role of universities and incubation centers that help nurture ideas into viable businesses.
While premier institutions like the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) have pioneered incubation support for years, their programs are largely accessible only to students in engineering, technology, or management. A new wave of universities is now breaking this mold by offering entrepreneurship courses after the 12th grade or equivalent degrees like the IB Diploma Program. Proactive from the get go, these programs are rendered to be hands-on and practical, integrating incubation, mentorship, and funding right from the undergraduate level. In the same stead, Rishihood University’s Makers BBA and its Utsaha Incubation Centre stand out for providing a systemic ecosystem dedicated to student innovation and entrepreneurial impact.
The Rise of University-Led Startups in India
Incubation support within higher education institutions has played a crucial role in shifting the erstwhile largely professional Indian mindset towards an entrepreneurial one in the last decade and a half. At the forefront were IITs and IIMs who established incubation facilities long before startups became mainstream. Some stellar institutions and their renowned incubation facilities include:
IIT Bombay (SINE – Society for Innovation and Entrepreneurship): A leading incubation center in India, SINE supports tech-driven startups with seed funding, mentorship, and access to world-class labs.
IIT Delhi (FITT – Foundation for Innovation and Technology Transfer): This center bridges the gap between academia and industry, offering research-driven support and seed funding opportunities.
IIT Madras (Incubation Cell): Known for fostering deep-tech startups, this unit provides mentorship and connections with investors.
IIM Ahmedabad (CIIE.CO): The Centre for Innovation, Incubation, and Entrepreneurship has helped scale some of India’s most successful ventures.
IIM Bangalore (NSRCEL): One of the largest incubation facilities in the country, supporting both student and alumni startups.
Indian universities, particularly the IITs and IIMs, have produced some of the country’s most celebrated startups through their incubation programs. IIT Bombay’s SINE has supported ventures like Gupshup, the AI-powered messaging platform that became the first unicorn to emerge from an academia-backed incubator, IdeaForge, a drone manufacturer that went public on the BSE and NSE, and Atomberg, known for its energy-efficient fans. IIM Ahmedabad’s CIIEnurtured Razorpay, now a fintech unicorn, alongside ventures like CreditVidya and Detect Technologies. Similarly, the IIT Madras Incubation Cell has been the launchpad for companies such as Ather Energy, which is leading India’s EV revolution, and Uniphore, a conversational AI unicorn.
The Indian Unicorn Born at a University
One of the most celebrated examples of a university-incubated unicorn is Razorpay. The fintech giant was incubated at Startup Oasis, a Jaipur-based incubator created by CIIE (IIM Ahmedabad) and RIICO. Early incubation support provided the founders, Harshil Mathur and Shashank Kumar, with mentorship, resources, and the confidence to pursue their vision—even after being rejected by nearly 100 banks in their initial days. Today, Razorpay is valued at over $7 billion, underlining the transformative role of university-led incubation.
Did Global Universities Serve as Launchpads for Startups?
Some of the world’s most iconic companies began as student projects within university campuses. Google was developed at Stanford University, where Larry Page and Sergey Brin created their first search engine prototype with the support of faculty mentorship and university servers, before securing a $100,000 investment through Stanford’s network. At Harvard, Mark Zuckerberg built Facebook from his dorm room, relying on university resources and the exclusivity of the Harvard student network to fuel its early adoption. Similarly, Dropbox, founded by MIT students Drew Houston and Arash Ferdowsi, gained visibility through MIT’s demo culture and alumni connections, which helped them attract seed funding. Snapchat, born at Stanford, also benefitted from the university’s entrepreneurial ecosystem and its close proximity to Silicon Valley investors.
Another classic example is Dell Technologies, founded by Michael Dell while still a student at the University of Texas. Operating from his dorm, Dell built customized PCs that quickly gained traction. Although the university didn’t fund him directly, it gave him the flexibility to take a leave of absence to scale his venture. These examples illustrate that while direct university funding was rare, the ecosystems, mentorship, and networks provided by global universities were critical springboards that enabled student-led ventures to grow into global enterprises. In contrast, institutions like Rishihood University are now going a step further by committing direct resources through initiatives such as the $5 million Makers Fund, ensuring young entrepreneurs have both the support and capital to bring their ideas to
The Gap in Traditional Incubation Models
While IITs and IIMs have been instrumental, their incubation ecosystems primarily benefit students from technology and business administration programs. For students outside these domains—those pursuing design, liberal arts, or other undergraduate streams—opportunities for structured entrepreneurial support remain limited.
This is where a new generation of institutions is stepping in. Universities like Rishihood, through outcome driven entrepreneurial education ensure that incubation support is not restricted to postgraduates or tech graduates alone. Instead, it is available right from the undergraduate stage through specialized programs like the Makers BBA in Entrepreneurship.
Rishihood University’s Makers BBA: A New Model for Entrepreneurial Education
Rishihood University has pioneered a unique approach through its Makers BBA program. Unlike traditional business programs, this course integrates entrepreneurial practice into the curriculum from day one. Positioned as one of the most innovative options for entrepreneurship courses after the 12th, the Makers BBA combines classroom learning with real-world venture building.
Key Features of the Makers BBA
$5 Million Makers Fund: Rishihood has set up a dedicated pool for startup funding, making it one of the few undergraduate programs in India where students can directly access capital for their ventures.
Mentorship and Coaching: Students receive guidance from experienced founders, investors, and industry leaders.
Networking Opportunities: The program ensures access to a strong network of investors and innovators.
Makers Lab and Incubation Centre: State-of-the-art resources in 3D printing, robotics, and digital media creation equip students with hands-on prototyping and innovation experience.
Academic Curriculum: With modules on venture capital, private equity, and fundraising strategies, the program covers essential BBA course details that prepare students for entrepreneurial success.
This integration of education, incubation, and investment makes the Makers BBA a strong contender for students looking for the best BBA college in India with an entrepreneurial focus.
Utsaha Incubation Centre: Powering Student Startups
Complementing the Makers BBA is the Utsaha Incubation Centre at Rishihood University. The name “Utsaha” comes from Sanskrit, meaning courage, energy, and the power to venture—perfectly capturing the spirit of entrepreneurship.
Vision and Purpose of Utsaha
Makers Spirit: Programs and workshops designed to ignite entrepreneurial ambition.
Financial Resources: Direct support through the Makers Fund.
Research-Based Entrepreneurship: Incentivizing research-driven ventures that solve real-world problems.
Empowerment and Support: Policies for student and faculty-led startups, including grace marks, course credits, and attendance waivers.
Alumni and Industry Connect: Strong ties with industry professionals, investors, and the alumni community.
Ethical and Social Impact Focus: Encouraging ventures that prioritize social responsibility alongside business growth.
The incubation center also extends its resources to external entrepreneurs and established ventures, ensuring a holistic ecosystem. Its governance framework, policies, and guidelines for intellectual property and conflict resolution further institutionalize startup support.
Student Success Stories from Rishihood
Rishihood’s approach has already begun yielding impactful results, with several student-led ventures gaining national recognition:
Trupahadi (link): A venture rooted in sustainable development and local empowerment.
Inculcate App: Built by RUFP students, this app brings Bharat’s civilizational wisdom to Gen Z in a digital format. Selected by ISB I-Ventures (Top 50 out of 5,000+) and showcased at IIT techfests, it exemplifies how innovation at Rishihood blends tradition with modernity.
More student success stories: From ed-tech to social impact initiatives, the diversity of ventures highlights the university’s entrepreneurial culture.
These stories are but a few examples of how incubation is not just theoretical at Rishihood—it actively fuels student ideas into actualising scalable ventures that drive change and create opportunities.
India’s entrepreneurial wave is being powered not just by individual ambition but also by supportive ecosystems within universities. From IITs and IIMs incubating unicorns like Razorpay to emerging universities like Rishihood building undergraduate-focused models, the landscape of entrepreneurial education is expanding rapidly.
For aspiring founders who want a structured journey into startups, exploring the right program is critical. The combination of funding, mentorship, and incubation at Rishihood University’s Makers BBA and Utsaha Centre represents a forward-looking model for the future of higher education.
As India cements its place among the world’s top startup nations, universities with integrated entrepreneurial ecosystems will be key to producing the next generation of innovators, changemakers, and unicorn builders.
