Student entrepreneurship has become a trending concept over the last two decades. Young entrepreneurs are taking on projects that start as a committed passion but can be much more than that! They can be the foundation of successful business pursuits that grow and evolve alongside their education.

Entrepreneurship as a concept has existed for time immemorial. People with a penchant to create, manage, and scale new businesses, which involve taking risks and reaping the profits in equal parts, have taught us life’s most challenging lessons through the process of building new ventures.

The Growing Culture of Student Entrepreneurship in India

India has seen a steep rise in the startup ecosystem in the past decade, making it the 3^rd largest in the world after the US and the UK.

The startups have significantly contributed to its GDP by generating 600,000 direct jobs and 1.3 million jobs indirectly (as per the 2020 survey).

As of June 2025, India has about 1.8 lakh DPIIT (Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade)-recognised startups. And the founders for about 25% of these ventures are under 25, indicating a growing culture of student entrepreneurship. The new ways of thinking about risk and innovation development help explain this developing trend.

The Startup India Seed Fund Scheme (approved funding approx. INR 841.8 crores) enables 217 incubators to provide financial support for new startups to achieve proof of concept, product development, and market entry.

This growth results from improved technological access and rising digital payment adoption through UPI and extensive use of social media networks. The entrepreneurial ecosystem of India is supported by institutions including, IITs, IIMs, and BITS Pilani, which operate incubation centres, E-cells, and accelerators that provide new businesses with mentorship, seed funding, and physical resources.

Turning passion into thriving businesses

Indian student entrepreneurs launch their businesses through projects that mostly stem from their individual passions and creative interests. Projects such as affordable renewable energy solutions, eco-friendly products, educational technology tools, and content platforms for young audiences. Recent studies also show that students are now interested in tech-based ventures like edtech, healthtech, fintech, and e-commerce, as well as sustainable solutions and social impact startup ideas.

Building businesses from scratch demands a process -

• Identifying gaps and turning them into opportunities: Every business starts with identifying a market gap. Student entrepreneurs should also look for such gaps or problem areas that they can address through their skills and personal interests.
• Evaluate the idea: To validate an idea or concept, student entrepreneurs must test it with potential customers and collect their feedback to develop a viable solution.
• Utilise institutional resources and seek guidance from support networks: Many Indian colleges provide their students with expert mentors, conduct workshops and startup competitions, such as Smart India Hackathon and Atal Innovation Mission, which offer recognition and funding opportunities.
• Build a Network: Students who wish to scale their business should establish strong relationships with peers, alumni, investors, and industry professionals, as these connections can provide essential resources and guidance.

Let’s understand how incubation centres can support the entrepreneurial journey

University incubation centres are dedicated spaces within their ecosystem that offer students and faculty essential resources, mentorship, funding access, and networking opportunities to launch their startups.

1. With a comprehensive support system, students can start and transform their businesses. With guidance from mentors during every step, they can refine their business models and navigate challenges efficiently.
2. Early-stage investments and funding are necessary for any kind of business. Incubation centres can help students with access to necessary funding, legal, and technical support (by conducting workshops and training programs) to create an MVP (Minimum Viable Product)
3. These centres provide excellent networking opportunities by organising networking events and opening doors to meet potential investors, customers, and partners.

Success stories

We have seen several student entrepreneurs in India who established startups with the support of their university incubation centres that developed into market-leading businesses. For instance, Sachin and Binny Bansal, IIT Delhi alumni, founded Flipkart in 2007 and transformed their business into India's leading e-commerce company. The fintech unicorn Razorpay started by IIT Roorkee graduates Harshil Mathur and Shashank Kumar as a college project was supported by the IIT Madras incubation cell. Ather Energy, started by IIT Madras students Tarun Mehta and Swapnil Jain, reshaped India’s EV landscape. Innov8, a co-working space chain, was incubated at IIT Ahmedabad, which scaled massively. A few other brands that used the university incubation centre resources to make it big include Unacademy, SigTuple, Niramai, Ola Cabs, Phool.co, and Paytm.

Best lessons as student entrepreneurs

Starting a business venture while studying provides a host of advantages –

• It is a great way to learn on the job! It teaches skills like critical thinking, problem-solving, leadership, financial management, accounting, battling time constraints, courage to take risks, adaptability, discipline, the art of resilience or bouncing back after setbacks, confidence to take up bigger ventures, and so much more that set the foundation for success.
• Unlike working professionals, who might not have the time and resources to experiment, commit mistakes, and learn from failures, students have this freedom. With the right guidance from mentors and peer networks, students can refine their ideas and restart stronger.

Conclusion

Entrepreneurs are dreamers who strive to make their ideas work. They inspire others, create jobs, and come up with solutions to everyday problems. Student entrepreneurs are a promise to a country that aims to create a self-reliant future. University incubation centres provide significant support to student entrepreneurs, enable innovation, and drive national startup ecosystem expansion.