Entrepreneurs Nikhil Kamath and Kishore Biyani have launched The Foundery, a new programme to help aspiring startup founders turn ideas into real businesses. Unlike traditional courses, this is a 90‑day hands-on, residential programme where participants live and work together on building startups. The goal is to learn by doing, with guidance from experienced entrepreneurs, investors, and industry experts.
The Foundery is based in Alibaug, Maharashtra, where selected participants will focus on validating ideas, developing products, testing the market, and shaping business strategies. Instead of classroom lessons, the programme emphasizes practical work to prepare startups for real-world challenges.
A key feature is the equity structure: participants who help build startups can retain up to 25% ownership. Promising startups may also receive seed funding up to ₹4 crore and continued support after the programme.
Applications are open until mid‑January 2026, with a non-refundable ₹5,000 registration fee. The first batch will include around 30 co-founders, and roughly 20 business ideas will be selected for development.
The selection process focuses on creativity, problem-solving, resilience, and a founder mindset, rather than formal degrees or polished presentations. Participants can be aspiring founders, mid-career professionals, or early-stage entrepreneurs ready to relocate for the residential programme.
Mentors include notable names such as Vijay Shekhar Sharma (Paytm), Kunal Bahl (Snapdeal), Mithun Sacheti (CaratLane), and Varun Berry (Britannia), who will guide participants on idea design, execution, and growth.
Each cohort will end with a Demo Day, where startups pitch to investors and explore funding and partnership opportunities.
The Foundery aims to provide a supportive environment for founders to learn, experiment, and scale their ideas into successful startups, bridging the gap between vision and execution in India’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
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