IDEAS – Innovation, Development, and Entrepreneurship with Alumni Support

Launched in 2018, IDEAS is IIT Bombay’s flagship mentoring and pre-incubation program, supported by the Class of 1990 alumni. It accelerates hands-on learning for first-time entrepreneurs, helping them progress toward venture creation. Students, researchers, faculty, and alumni can engage with IDEAS at any stage of their entrepreneurial journey—whether they are exploring entrepreneurship, refining their idea, validating their concept, securing initial funding, or connecting with investors and incubators.

Structured Path to Venture Creation through Three Levels:

The IDEAS program is designed across three levels:

• Level 0 – Ideation & Team Formation
  Level 0 includes bootcamps, startup mixers, and unstructured mentoring through the Startup Clinic, where aspiring entrepreneurs receive guidance in the early discovery phase. Participants can access workshops, mentor hours, and alumni mentor connects to refine their ideas and build teams.
• Level 1 – Problem-Solution Fit (3-month program)
  A structured cohort-based program, Level 1 focuses on customer discovery, market research, unmet need identification, problem definition, and early-stage solution development. Teams of at least two students receive weekly coaching, mentorship from IITB alumni, and micro-grants to support prototyping, testing, travel, and business planning. The goal at this stage is evidence-based decision-making—whether to proceed, pivot, or stop.
• Level 2 – Product-Market Fit (12-month program)
  At Level 2, teams work on developing a minimum viable product (MVP) and testing it in the market. Each team is mentored by two alumni and gains exposure to critical business aspects, including legal, financial, leadership, marketing, and sales strategies. Micro-grants continue to support essential activities.

Pathway to Incubation at SINE

Level 2 teams ready for further growth present their ideas to the Society for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (SINE) Committee. Selected teams receive equity-free grants from SINE and gain access to structured incubation support.

Impact & Alumni Engagement

The IDEAS program has built a strong network of 100 IIT Bombay alumni mentors, many with 20+ years of industry experience or successful entrepreneurial ventures. Between 2018 and 2024, IDEAS has achieved:

• 750+ participants in the program
• 239 Level 1 teams formed
• 100 teams advanced to Level 2
• 21 teams selected by SINE
• 62 startups registered from IDEAS cohorts
• Teams incubated at Y Combinator, SINE, and other leading incubators
• Many startups successfully generating revenue through bootstrapping or angel investment

Through hands-on mentorship, structured programs, and access to critical resources, IDEAS is shaping the next generation of entrepreneurs at IIT Bombay.

Women in Entrepreneurship (WiE) program, supported by CGI’s CSR program, encourages and supports aspiring women entrepreneurs. It is meant for under-graduate and post-graduate students as well as the staff and residents of IIT Bombay. Women aspirants from outside IIT Bombay -have also been encouraged to participate.

The program was launched in August 2019, with a talk by Devdutt Pattnaik and panel discussion with women entrepreneurs Suhani Mohan, Zenobia Driver, Roli Gupta, Surabhi Shrivastava hosted by IITB alumnus Anu Narasimhan attended by over 100 participants.

This was followed by bootcamps, workshops and fireside chats with women leaders to build relevant skills including design thinking, legal aspects, finance, communication and leadership that were organized in the last few months. Further support includes mentoring by industry professionals, visits to start-ups, internships and seed grants for converting ideas into products and for creating business plans to market the products.

The program has been striving to build a community of women leaders and entrepreneurs who support each other. This community primarily on Whatsapp has  become a great resource for future partnerships, seeking constructive advice, and accessing a highly effective network.