Why India must integrate entrepreneurship education across all colleges now

The Hindu

4 days ago

Entrepreneurship is no longer the domain of MBA classrooms or corporate boardrooms. It has transformed into a global, interdisciplinary, and socially conscious movement, empowering individuals to address economic, environmental, and humanitarian challenges through innovation. As the world's most populous youth nation, India finds itself at a pivotal moment—where the integration of entrepreneurship education across academic disciplines could reshape its future.
Entrepreneurial education is no longer optional—it is essential for a future-ready India. By embedding structured, flexible, and tech-enabled entrepreneurship training into every stream of study, Indian colleges can empower the next generation of innovators and changemakers. This is our opportunity to transform India from a nation of job seekers into a nation of job creators, from a workforce of followers into a community of bold, ethical, and purpose-driven entrepreneurs. Innovation thrives at the edges of organizations, driven by diverse, mission-driven founders.
Global trends in entrepreneurial education
In the past two decades, leading global institutions such as Stanford University have pioneered new ways of teaching entrepreneurship. The traditional model of business-plan writing has been replaced by dynamic ecosystems that encourage students to develop ventures through hands-on experience, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and societal purpose. At Stanford, students from engineering, AI, sustainability, and design thinking backgrounds co-create solutions addressing challenges like climate change, health inequity, and social injustice.
This evolution is marked by four major shifts. First, experiential learning has become the cornerstone, allowing students to build real startups and pivot based on user feedback. Second, interdisciplinary integration ensures that technology, humanities, and science are interwoven to nurture ethical and creative entrepreneurs. Third, a global and purpose-driven outlook has replaced the profit-first mindset, and finally, tech-enabled tools, especially generative AI, are being used to simulate customer interactions, test products, and automate early-stage processes—speeding up the entrepreneurial journey.
The results are inspiring. Stanford alumni have launched over 40,000 ventures, generating $2.7 trillion in annual revenues and employing more than 5 million people. Over half of these founders participated in structured entrepreneurship programs—underscoring the transformative power of educational ecosystems.
India at a tipping point
India, too, is witnessing an entrepreneurial surge. Initiatives like Startup India, Make in India, Digital India, and the Atal Innovation Mission have laid a robust foundation. With more than 100 unicorns and thousands of high-growth startups emerging from cities beyond the metros, India has become the world's third-largest startup ecosystem. However, this growth is lopsided. Despite national momentum, structured entrepreneurship education remains largely confined to top-tier business schools and accelerators. The vast majority of undergraduate institutions, especially those offering non-business degrees, do not provide systematic training in venture creation, ideation, or risk-taking—limiting the entrepreneurial potential of millions.
If India hopes to fully harness its demographic dividend, it must bring entrepreneurship into the mainstream curriculum. Unlike traditional job-oriented education, entrepreneurial training prepares students to become job creators. It also taps into the unique insights of students in rural and semi-urban areas who understand local problems intimately and can develop grassroots solutions.
Moreover, such training aligns with government schemes like Stand-Up India and Prime Minister's Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP), guiding students toward funding, incubation, and mentorship opportunities. Making entrepreneurship accessible across disciplines—Arts, Commerce, Science, and Engineering—also brings in the diversity of thought needed for robust innovation.
As the global model has shown, ethical and sustainable innovation is no longer a luxury but a necessity. Instilling these values early ensures that ventures contribute meaningfully to society.
What should Indian entrepreneurship education look like
An ideal entrepreneurship curriculum in India should reflect global best practices but be rooted in local realities. It should include experiential modules where students develop real ventures and engage with users. Classroom learning should revolve around real challenges—such as water scarcity, climate change, or the informal economy—to cultivate problem-solving skills. Cross-disciplinary collaboration must be encouraged, enabling students from business, engineering, design, and social sciences to work together on venture ideas.
Close integration with government initiatives and industry support will further empower students. Institutions can connect learners to mentors, incubators, and programs under Startup India or Atal Innovation Mission.
Moreover, digital tools like ChatGPT, Canva AI, Microsoft Copilot, and Lean Canvas should become part of the startup toolkit. Students must learn how to use AI for rapid prototyping, customer simulations, and business automation—while being reminded that genuine user feedback is irreplaceable. Finally, mindset development—focusing on resilience, ethics, and purpose—must be at the heart of entrepreneurial training.
Where India stands today
Historically, entrepreneurship was seen as a last resort in India. The focus of higher education was on securing jobs in government, engineering, or corporate sectors. Entrepreneurship training was limited to premier institutions like IIMs and ISB.
This began to change post-2016, when Startup India was launched, signalling a policy shift in favour of innovation. AICTE followed in 2017 by mandating technical colleges to promote student entrepreneurship. The 2020 National Education Policy further recognized the need for creativity, vocational training, and entrepreneurship. By 2022, UGC allowed colleges to offer multidisciplinary minors—including entrepreneurship—marking a significant step forward.
Today, institutions like IIT Madras, with programs like Nirmaan and the GDC, and IIM Bangalore, with its NS Raghavan Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning (NSRCEL) incubator, lead the charge. BITS Pilani offers a minor in New Venture Creation, supported by its innovation foundation Pilani Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Society (PIEDS). Universities such as Delhi University, JNU, and Anna University now have dedicated entrepreneurship courses and innovation hubs. State universities like AKTU and JNTU have introduced mandatory modules on design thinking and entrepreneurship.
National programs like the Atal Innovation Mission support over 10,000 Atal Tinkering Labs and 100+ Atal Incubation Centres. The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship works through NSDC and other partners to deliver training and mentorship. Additionally, over 3,000 engineering colleges now host AICTE-mandated IDEA Labs and Institution Innovation Councils.
Despite this progress, a large section of India's educational institutions, particularly in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, lag behind. One major issue is the lack of trained faculty familiar with innovation pedagogy and Lean Startup methods. In many places, entrepreneurship is still taught as dry theory. Cross-disciplinary collaboration is rare, and support systems like incubators, mentors, or startup networks are either absent or underdeveloped. Language and access barriers further alienate rural and non-English-speaking students.
There are, however, exciting new trends. AI-driven tools such as ChatGPT, Notion, and Microsoft Copilot are being used for content creation, business simulations, and productivity. Online platforms like Coursera, Swayam, and NPTEL offer short-term certifications in entrepreneurship.
Sector-specific ventures are booming—especially in Agri-tech, health-tech, climate-tech, and social innovation. National hackathons like Smart India Hackathon and Toycathon have become important launchpads. Entrepreneurship and Skill Development Programs (ESDPs) and MSME-backed initiatives are also creating pathways for students and alumni to enter the startup world.
How colleges can lead the change
To transform the landscape, a comprehensive entrepreneurship curriculum can be structured into three integrated layers. Foundation courses introduce students to the essentials of entrepreneurship and innovation, covering startup thinking, opportunity identification, and real-world Indian case studies from sectors like agri-tech, edtech, and fintech.
Design thinking and creative problem-solving are emphasized through empathy, ideation, and prototyping exercises, while the Lean Startup methodology is used to teach business model development, including the Business Model Canvas, value proposition design, and customer validation. Key financial concepts such as bootstrapping, angel investing, venture capital, crowdfunding, and access to government grants and MSME funding are also covered.
Interdisciplinary and technology-driven courses equip students with skills in IP and technology commercialization, licensing, and startup IP strategy. Digital tools like Canva AI, Notion, ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, and Bubble.io are integrated for productivity, content creation, and business automation. Other important components include social entrepreneurship aligned with sustainable development goals, and environment, social, and governance principles, legal compliance, company formation, and benefits under Startup India policies.
Specialized tracks, offered as minors or honours programs, deepen focus on entrepreneurship in the digital economy, e-commerce, and creator-led platforms like YouTube, Substack, and Shopify. Practicum-based incubation modules allow students to develop and pitch live startup ideas with mentorship over 12–16 weeks.
Emerging topics like AI for startups explore rapid prototyping, customer simulation, and ethical AI use, while sectoral innovation labs foster entrepreneurship in key areas such as agriculture, healthtech, climate innovation, and bio-enterprise. Partnering with state incubators like T-Hub or the Kerala Startup Mission can bring real-world mentorship and funding access
Sectoral innovation labs focused on agriculture, health, and climate entrepreneurship can create focused ecosystems for students. Colleges should establish product development labs and recognize credits for participating in startup internships, business plan contests, and accelerator programs. Micro-credentials and digital badges earned through online platforms can provide additional flexibility and validation.
(The author is Retired Professor of Mechanical Engineering, IIT Madras)