IIMA Ventures, an early-stage entrepreneurship and technology investment platform at the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIM Ahmedabad), has launched an AI Residency Program for student founders building artificial intelligence-led startups. According to reports from Business Standard, the initiative received more than 11,000 applications from students across 3,200 colleges for its inaugural cohort. Of these applicants, 43 students were selected to participate in the fully funded month-long residential programme at the IIM Ahmedabad campus.
As reported by Business Standard, the selected cohort reflects IIMA Ventures' commitment to merit-based selection and broad access. Around 35% of participants are from Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), while the programme maintains strong representation from Tier-II and Tier-III institutions. The selected students include researchers publishing international papers, full-stack product builders, AI practitioners and aspiring entrepreneurs. The programme aims to bridge the gap between India's large pool of engineering and technical talent and the need for structured entrepreneurship exposure at an early stage.
According to Business Standard, throughout the residency programme, participants engage with a network of founders, investors, faculty members and industry leaders. Speakers include Akshay Akash, CEO of Stimuler; Naman Pushp of Airbound; Anurag Goel of Render; Prateek Sharma of Ahead VC; Prashant Singh of Jar; Vipul Vachhani, Founder and CEO of Jaivel Aerospace; and Surbhi Patni, Country Head at NovaSpace. The programme focuses on helping students learn how to identify meaningful opportunities, validate them rigorously, and build solutions with long-term impact.
As reported by Business Standard, venture capital interest in AI startups continues to grow, creating demand for founders who can combine technical expertise with a deep understanding of real-world problems. Priyanka Agarwal Chopra, Managing Partner at IIMA Ventures, stated that while India has an extraordinary pool of young technical talent, talent alone does not create companies. The AI Residency Program aims to create a platform where students can learn how to identify meaningful opportunities, validate them rigorously, and build solutions with long-term impact, nurturing a pipeline of AI-native entrepreneurs capable of building globally relevant companies from India.
