Mumbai: India’s startup ecosystem is set to gain a significant new catalyst with the launch of The Foundery, a first-of-its-kind residential business launchpad co-founded by entrepreneur and investor Nikhil Kamath and retail pioneer Kishore Biyani. Designed as a co-founder factory, The Foundery aims to identify, mentor and co-build the next generation of Indian entrepreneurs.
Positioned at the intersection of a school, accelerator and venture studio, The Foundery compresses the early-stage startup journey into an intensive 90-day immersive programme. Participants move from idea to investible business by working closely with seasoned mentors, investors and operators, focusing on real-world execution rather than classroom theory.
Speaking on the vision behind the initiative, Nikhil Kamath said, “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”.
Kishore Biyani added, “This isn’t a classroom or an incubator. 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 collaborate with the in-house team and mentors to transform ideas into investment-ready ventures. Founders can retain up to 25% equity in the businesses they help create, while successful ventures are eligible for seed funding of up to ₹4 crore, along with continued strategic support post-graduation.
A Programme Built for Builders
The Foundery is open to aspiring entrepreneurs, mid-career professionals and early-stage founders who demonstrate creativity, conviction and a strong founder mindset. The selection process prioritises potential over polish, with applicants evaluated through idea articulation rounds, problem-solving challenges and interviews that assess resilience, originality and execution capability.
Explaining the selection philosophy, Santosh Desai, who helped conceptualise The Foundery, said, “We’re looking for people who combine imagination with intent — those who can think differently and act decisively.”
Guided by India’s Leading Business Minds
The Foundery’s mentor network brings together some of India’s most accomplished founders, operators and thinkers. The mentor roster includes 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), Rama Bijapurkar (Consumer Strategist and Author), and Aakrit Vaish (AI Entrepreneur & Investor), among others.
Each cohort concludes with a Demo Day, where participants present their ventures to a curated investor network. Selected startups receive seed investment and access to The Foundery’s broader ecosystem. Complementing the business-building journey is The School of Life, a reflective stream focused on the emotional and human dimensions of entrepreneurship, emphasising resilience, curiosity and purpose.
With its immersive, experience-led approach, The Foundery seeks to redefine how founders are built in India—by prioritising learning through doing, and forging entrepreneurs equipped for the realities of building businesses in a rapidly changing world.
