The Indian School of Business (ISB) Hyderabad campus celebrated the graduation of 50 startups from the second cohort of its I-Venture Immersive (ivi) programme, with 35% of the founders being women. The six-month programme guided founders through intensive mentorship, learning, and venture development, preparing them for the next stage of growth.
The graduating startups span a wide range of sectors, including consumer technology, D2C, edtech, agri-tech, health-tech, and AI-powered SaaS platforms. The cohort reflects India’s diverse entrepreneurial landscape, with founders aged 18 to 49 years. Some ventures are already revenue-generating, while others are promising early-stage ideas, highlighting the programme’s broad reach and impact.
Selected startups will now enter Phase 2, receiving up to Rs 40 lakh in funding and extended support from ISB to refine business models, develop prototypes, and scale their operations.
Addressing the Graduates, the Chief Guest, Kavikrut, CEO of T-Hub, urged the founders to embrace versatility and take bold risks. He said that skills learned in one context can be applied widely, and even if most bold moves fail, one success can transform a venture. Kavikrut advised the graduates to focus on talent with high intent rather than just experience and added that consistent daily efforts often lead to big outcomes.
Meanwhile, Professor Madan Pillutla, Dean of ISB, appreciated entrepreneurship as a noble pursuit in India. He said that graduates should practice generosity by bringing others along, surround themselves with ambitious and supportive people, and maintain integrity while taking risks.
Professor Bhagwan Chowdhry, Faculty Director of ISB I-Venture, described the graduation as a commencement and emphasized that the entrepreneurs’ real journey was just beginning.
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