Looking for the best entrepreneurship schools in India? You have come to the right place. We live in an age where startups are compared to guitars, every college student wants to have one. We recently wrote about why people are crazy about IAS, but honestly, startups are something people are equally crazy about. After all, who wouldn’t be lured by the chances of creating something of their own, leading a team, solving problems and making money in the process. The success stories of Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Sachin & Binny Bansal etc. are so ingrained in our brains by now, that we can’t resist the temptation of living their life anymore.
But just like most of the opportunities in life, there are more failures than success. And this is where formal education about entrepreneurship comes in. You get mentoring and industry insights that help you go a long way. Sure, a course about entrepreneurship is neither a must nor it guarantees success but it can help you get an edge over others in terms of avoiding key mistakes, connecting with influential people, understanding the market and more. But before we dive right into the list of best entrepreneurship schools in India, let’s first look at what all other methods can we use to become a better entrepreneur.
Accelerators and incubators
Accelerators and incubators are institutions that support you in your entrepreneurial journey by providing access to mentors, working space, legal and I.P support, market validation and research, early customer traction, and in many cases, funding. Most of the accelerators have certain focus areas (Think “A.I, Real Estate, Education, IoT” etc.). Start reading about them, check startups who have been part of these programs, and apply to the ones you seem fit for your startup. Accelerators and incubators are the fastest way to add credibility to your startup as well.
Start your own thing
It is said that entrepreneurship is just like swimming, you can’t learn about it until you actually do it. If you are in college or have less responsibilities and liabilities, you should consider starting up yourself. The first hand experience you will get in terms of building your own team, executing plans, generating business, scaling things is hard to get anywhere else.
Join a startup
One of the best ways to learn how to run a startup is to work with people who are running one. You will realise that what you read and what actually happens is a lot different. The amount of hard work required, the responsibilities one has to take, the irregular hours, the hustle, you will get a good experience regarding all these when you join a good startup. One thing to keep in mind, join a decent startup. There are many people who are doing startup just for the sake of it wanting to hire people at nominal or no cost, completely avoid these kind of startups and people running them.
Best entrepreneurship schools in India
The National Institute for Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development (Niesbud)
Based in Delhi NCR, it is an organisation of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and aims to promote entrepreneurship throughout the country along with small businesses. Here is a formal description : –
The National Institute for Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development is a premier organisation of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, engaged in training, consultancy, research, etc. in order to promote entrepreneurship. The major activities of the Institute are Training of Trainers, Management Development Programmes, Entrepreneurship-cum-Skill Development Programmes, Entrepreneurship Development Programmes and Cluster Intervention. NIESBUD has provided training to 9,43,625 persons as of March 31, 2016 through 36,877 different training programmes since inception. This includes 3,194 international participants hailing from more than 130 countries throughout the globe.
iSEED
We have previously interviewed Dr. Harsh Mishra from iSEED, an organisation based in Gurgaon which conducts programs for entrepreneurs at different stages of their journey and definitely deserves a place on our list of best entrepreneurship schools in India.
One of its kind for entrepreneurs, iSEED is committed to revolutionizing the emergence, growth, success, and sustainability of startups. It conducts programs for entrepreneurs at different stages of their journey. Using an innovative methodology of “Horizontal learning” and “learned doing” developed by successful entrepreneurs and experts from across the globe, learning at iSEED substantially reduces common and costly mistakes and improves chances of success. Entrepreneurs are able to develop clear mental models crucially needed to transform their ideas into successful ventures.
Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India
Founded in 1983 and supported by the Government of Gujarat, EDII provides a range of courses in entrepreneurship ( even women entrepreneurship specific courses) and is responsible for creating curricula for the 11th and 12th grade textbooks.
Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII), an autonomous and not-for-profit institute, set up in 1983, is sponsored by apex financial institutions – the IDBI Bank Ltd., IFCI Ltd., ICICI Bank Ltd. and the State Bank of India (SBI). The Government of Gujarat pledged twenty-three acres of land on which stands the majestic and sprawling EDII campus. To pursue its mission, EDII has helped set up twelve state-level exclusive entrepreneurship development centres and institutes.
Indian Institute Of Entrepreneurship Management And Technology
If you are based out of Mumbai, you might be interested in IIEMT. The institute which claims to be India’s 1st Entrepreneurial school offers an extensive course designed by experienced entrepreneurs.
The flagship Entrepreneurship program has been designed, conceived and conducted by a group of entrepreneurs who have decades of experience in strategic consulting and technology across every domain. The major objective of this program is to enlighten the budding entrepreneurs by instilling in them an entrepreneur’s frame of mind. The mission of this program is to guide the entrepreneurs survive the first three years; this being a critical milestone for every new business venture.
Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship
If you live in Northeast, don’t lose heart, you have Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship, another organisation managed by Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.
Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship (IIE) is an autonomous organization under the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship. The main aim of the Institute is to provide training, research and consultancy activities in Small and Micro Enterprises (SME),with special focus on entrepreneurship development.
Rest of colleges
If you are looking for courses from other established institutions that are solely not dedicated to entrepreneurship , check out this list of best entrepreneurship schools in India as well : –
1) Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDI), Gandhinagar – Post Graduate Diploma in Management – Business Entrepreneurship (PGDM-BE)
2) Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS), Mumbai – Full Time Master of Business Administration (Entrepreneurship & Family Business), Part Time MBA (Social Entrepreneurship)
3) Nirma Institute of Management, Ahmedabad – MBA (Family Business & Entrepreneurship)
4) IIM Bangalore, NSRCEL – Management Programme for Women Entrepreneurs (MPWE), Management Programme for Entrepreneurs and Family Business (MPEFB)
5) XLRI, Jamshedpur – Post Graduate Programme for Certificate in Entrepreneurship Management (PGPCEM)
6) S.P. Jain Institute of Management & Research (SPJIMR), Mumbai – Start Your Business Certification Program (SYB), Grow Your Business Certification Program (GYB), The Entrepreneurial Manager (TEM)
7) Xavier Institute of Management & Entrepreneurship (XIME), Bangalore – Entrepreneurial Development Programme (EDP)
8) Amity Business School, Noida – MBA (Entrepreneurship)
Furthermore, several other IIMs, TISS, ISB and many other reputed business schools provide courses in entrepreneurship as well.
Remember, becoming an entrepreneur is a full-time job as well where you don’t have one boss but several (investors, clients etc.). Becoming an entrepreneur can be the best thing you might do for yourself, but do it with all seriousness and most importantly, stay persistent. Hope the list of best entrepreneurship schools in India helps you out in your journey.
