Entrepreneurs Nikhil Kamath and Kishore Biyani have joined hands to launch The Foundery, a residential business launchpad designed to build early-stage startups from the ground up in India.
Positioned as a co-founder factory, The Foundery aims to identify high-potential founders and transform raw ideas into investible businesses within 90 days.
A 90-Day Immersive Startup-Building Experience
The Foundery runs a campus-based, residential programme that blends elements of a school, accelerator, and venture studio. Unlike traditional incubators, the focus is firmly on execution over theory.
Participants work closely with seasoned operators, investors, and domain experts to validate ideas, build products, test market fit, and structure scalable companies. The programme prioritises hands-on building rather than classroom instruction.
Equity Retention and Seed Funding Support
Founders selected into the programme can retain up to 25% equity in the ventures they help create. Startups that meet internal benchmarks during the programme may receive seed funding of up to ₹4 crore.
In addition, teams receive ongoing strategic and operational support even after the programme concludes.
Each cohort culminates in a demo day, where startups pitch to a curated group of investors, founders, and ecosystem leaders.
Open to Founders Beyond Conventional Backgrounds
The Foundery is open to aspiring founders, early-stage entrepreneurs, and mid-career professionals. Notably, the selection process does not prioritise formal degrees or polished pitch decks.
Instead, applicants are evaluated on problem-solving ability, creativity, execution thinking, and resilience through multiple assessment rounds.
Strong Mentor Line-Up from India’s Startup Ecosystem
The initiative brings together a diverse group of mentors and advisors from India’s business and startup ecosystem, including:
- Vijay Shekhar Sharma
- Kunal Bahl
- Mithun Sacheti
- Varun Berry
- Rama Bijapurkar
- Aakrit Vaish, among others
Alongside venture creation, The Foundery also features a “School of Life” track, focusing on decision-making, founder psychology, and long-term resilience.
Founders on Building, Failing, and Rebuilding
Describing the initiative, Kishore Biyani said The Foundery is “a live business-building environment where entrepreneurs learn by creating, testing, failing, and evolving.”
Nikhil Kamath added that traditional education systems no longer align with how progress happens today.
“MBAs create managers. We need people who can build, break, fail, and rebuild. The Foundery is for those who’d rather make their own path than follow someone else’s,” Kamath said.
Building a Pipeline of Early-Stage Indian Startups
The Foundery plans to run multiple residential cohorts each year, with the goal of creating a steady pipeline of high-quality, early-stage startups in India.
By combining capital, mentorship, and real-world execution, the initiative aims to redefine how founders are built—not taught.
