Students other than those living in big cities are often just as ambitious and capable, but their journeys look very different. Many study in Tier 2 and Tier 3 towns where access to startup networks, mentors, funding conversations and industry exposure is limited. Their ideas may be strong, practical and rooted in real community problems, but they often lack the structured guidance needed to turn those ideas into scalable ventures.
If India is serious about building inclusive innovation, support cannot remain limited to metro cities alone. Students in smaller districts need consistent mentorship, practical exposure and structured opportunities that allow them to test ideas, make mistakes, build prototypes and gradually grow with confidence.
Recognising this gap, WE Hub Foundation, India’s first state-led nodal organisation for women entrepreneurs under the Government of Telangana, has launched its flagship student entrepreneurship initiative, Campuspreneur, under the Grassroot Youth Innovation Program (GYIP). The structured 12-week ideation-to-prototype journey is designed to strengthen the campus innovation ecosystem, particularly across Tier 2 and Tier 3 regions of Telangana.
With youth as the driving force of tomorrow, GYIP focuses on enabling students through structured mentorship, industry exposure and institutional support. Campuspreneur received 112 idea registrations, selecting 57 high-potential teams comprising 143 student entrepreneurs for Cohort 1. Representing 26 colleges across 9 districts of Telangana, with participation extending to Pune and Navi Mumbai, the program reflects growing cross-regional collaboration.
Students from institutions including Maulana Azad National Urdu University, Sreenidhi Institute of Science and Technology, CMR Engineering College, Vardhaman College of Engineering, RGUKT Basar, and GITAM University, among others, are part of the cohort. Participation also extends beyond Telangana to Newton School of Technology and DY Patil University.
As part of its next strategic step, Campuspreneur will also support academic institutions in establishing and managing their own incubation centres. This initiative began with the signing of a Memorandum of Implementation between WE Hub and Kommuri Pratap Reddy Institute of Technology, marking the start of institutional incubation collaboration.
Meanwhile, Sita Pallacholla, CEO of WE Hub, stated, “Campuspreneur is about empowering young girls to see themselves not just as job seekers, but as job creators, especially in Tier 2 and Tier 3 regions.”
Through Campuspreneur, WE Hub strengthens its commitment to building an inclusive, innovation-driven campus ecosystem that unlocks potential beyond metropolitan centres and nurtures the next generation of women entrepreneurs.
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