FounderX C2 - Program Curriculum

THE GREAT INDIAN ENTREPRENEURSHIP DREAM

From less than 1000 startups in 2014 to having over 1.8 Lakh startups by 2030 –Indian entrepreneurship dream is just starting.

Startups will play a massive role in making India the 3rd largest economy in the world

Will You Become Part Of It?

EXPLORE FOUNDERX

OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Dreams Do Come True In The Indian Startup Ecosystem

• Coming from the small town of Harduaganj near Aligarh, Vijay started playing with software and internet technologies back in 1997. He started indiasite.net while in college and sold it two years later for US$1 million.

• He then started One97 Communications in 2000 and launched Paytm in 2010 which went on to become the star product of One97.

• Toiling for over a decade, he turned Paytm into a household brand, employing 10,000+ people.

Vijay Shekhar Sharma

Founder & CEO At

Paytm

• Born in Tamil Nadu’s Thanjavur, Sridhar started his schooling from a tamil-medium government school and later went on to study at IIT Madras and then at the prestigious Princeton University.

• Vembu started AdventNet in 1996 which was later rebranded to Zoho in 2009 when he started building a phenomenal team in Chennai.

• Today Zoho employs 12000+ people, has 75+ products and generates annual revenues of INR 6,711 Cr+

Sridhar Vembu

• Nithin was always a curious kid with an inclination towards entrepreneurship. He began managing his father's trading account at the age of 17.

• After managing a franchisee of Reliance Money for 6 years, he started Zerodha in 2010 which is now India’s largest stock broker firm with over 1 Cr clients and clocking revenues of INR 5000 Cr+

Nithin Kamath

Founder & CEO At Zerodha

THE OPPORTUNITY IN THE INDIAN STARTUP ECONOMY

68,000+ Tech Startups Launched To Date

5600+ Startups Funded To Date

800+ Startups Funded In CY 2023

111 Unicorns In India

21 Publicly Listed Tech Startups

With Such A Low Probability Of Success, New Age Founders Need To Equip Themselves With The Right Skills, Network And The Mindset Required To Flourish As A First-time Startup Founder

TOP 5 REASONS WHY

95% OF STARTUPS FAIL

Reason 1:

Lack of Market Demand

An incredible idea is worthless if it doesn't meet the market's genuine needs. Your belief in your product should be reflected in your target audience too.

Reason 2:

Flawed Business Model

A startup's business model is the blueprint for how it creates, delivers, and captures value. A flawed or non-existent business model invites challenges like difficulty in attracting investors, inability to scale, or failure to generate sustainable revenue.

Reason 3:

Incorrect Go-To-Market (GTM) Strategy

With the right GTM strategy, you can reach your target customers in the right place, at the right time, and in the right way. Without it, you risk wasting resources and missing opportunities.

Reason 4:

Unable to Raise Money

Capital is the lifeblood of any business and that’s why many startups fail in its absence. To raise capital, you need a deep understanding of various funding avenues, a compelling business idea backed by a solid pitch, and a robust business plan.

Reason 5:

Building A Wrong Team

A startup is as good as its team. You need to carefully select individuals who not only have the required skills and experience, but also share the startup's vision and values.

Glimpse From First Cohort

0-3 Years

PAST FELLOWS PROFILES

3-7 Years

12+ Years

7 - 12 Years

TOP FUNCTIONS

Product Management

Tech & Engineering

Marketing Sales

TOP SECTORS OF INTEREST

FROM COMPANIES

THE FOUNDERX EXPERIENCE THROUGH THE EYES OF OUR FELLOWS

Thanks for making the cohort engaging, enlightening and an eye-opening experience. I'm definitely taking away a new perspective towards building businesses and meaningful relationships that'll help me level up at ever step of my journey.

Thanks to the Inc42 team for creating this program which was filled with new learnings and knowledge every weekend!

Thanks for arranging such a great initiative. I'm now more aware of the startup ecosystem and how to think like an entrepreneur.

Anushka Gupta

The Whole Truth Foods

The whole process helped me think through some elements in great detail than before and reinforcing the things I did right the first time. Really appreciate the intention & effort Inc42 has put into this!

Krishnakumar Maurya

Bigiota Analytics LLP

In such a short span of time FounderX added a lot of value in terms of knowledge, relationships and growth. It was 100% one of the best learning experiences I've had. The memories from the course will always remain with me.

Sarthak Madan Playground Outdoors LLP

Lavanya Tallury Neev Systems

Apoorv Goyal Orocorp

WHAT SETS FOUNDERX APART?

Learn By Doing –

Coached By India’s Top 1% Founders

Hands-On Workshops With Assignments

With 30+ hands-on sessions & workshops, FounderX helps you master the a-to-z of starting up –from ideation to validation, from business models to fundraising, and much more.

Capstone Project

Work on a real idea from week 1 itself and pitch to investors at the in-person Demo Day.

Get Direct Access To Investors And The Startup Ecosystem

Faculty Of India's Top 1%

From unicorn founders to successful bootstrapped founders, get coached by an unmatched faculty of India's top entrepreneurs and investors.

Multiple Networking Events

Expand your network in the startup ecosystem across multiple networking events curated exclusively for fellows of the cohort.

Team Mentorship

Receive specific insights on your unique idea through team mentorship sessions with top founders. Get personalised guidance to enhance your startup's potential.

Become Part Of A Lifelong Community

Ambitious Peers & Alumni Group

Learn alongside a group of professionals from startups & corporates who come with extensive domain experience and specialised skill sets – driven to build successful businesses.

Find Your Perfect Co-Founder

Discover potential co-founders who share your vision and complement your skill set.

Grand Convocation & Startup Tour

Visit prominent startup offices to meet founders & CXOs. Attend the private networking hosted at the Convocation to meet the who's who of the Indian startup ecosystem.

Unlimited Peer Learning

Upgrade your knowledge and skills across domains and business functions by learning from your peers who are masters of their craft.

TAUGHT BY INDIA'S BEST FOUNDERS

Meet the speakers & mentors of FounderX Cohort 2

Haptik

Shally Modi Cofounder & Product Head Pratilipi

Cofounder & CEO InsuranceDekho

Co CEO WOW Skin Science

Ashwin Raguraman Cofounder & Partner Bharat Innovation Fund

VP Prime Venture Partners

Suraj Malik Managing Partner Legacy Growth Partners Cofounder Cashfree Payments Digital

Venus Dhuria Cofounder Phot.AI, Appyhigh.com, Veda.VC

APPLY TO FOUNDERX

Huddle

Merak Ventures

WEEK 1

24TH FEBRUARY

SATURDAY

Understanding The Startup Journey & The Founder's Mindset

IN-PERSON Orientation Day

WELCOME NOTE

FIRESIDE

Seize The Moment: Why Now Is The Best Time To Launch Your Startup

PANEL

Uncovering The Hard & Ugly Truths Of Founderʼs Journey

NETWORKING

Ice Breaking + Speed Networking

OPEN NETWORKING

MASTERCLASS

25TH FEBRUARY

SUNDAY

Idea Genesis: How To Find Startup Ideas

WEEK 3

WEEK 4

16TH MARCH

SATURDAY

17TH MARCH

Mentorship On Startup Ideas

MENTORSHIP SESSION Mentorship Session For Each Team

MENTORSHIP SESSION Mentorship Session For Each Team

WEEK 5

23RD MARCH

24TH MARCH

SUNDAY

SUNDAY NETWORKING

Idea Validation Through User Research

User Research 101: Turning User Feedback Into Gold WORKSHOP

SATURDAY Mastering The Art Of Storytelling For Founders MASTERCLASS

WEEK 6

Designing Your Business Model

MASTERCLASS

30TH MARCH

SATURDAY

MASTERCLASS

31ST MARCH

SUNDAY

WEEK 7

MENTORSHIP SESSIONS

Deconstructing Businesses Using Lean Startup Canvas

Discovering The Right Business Model For Your Startup Idea

Internal Mentorship By FounderX Team

Sales, Marketing & Building Your GTM Strategy

WORKSHOP

6TH APRIL

SATURDAY

MASTERCLASS

7TH APRIL

SUNDAY

PANEL

The GTM Blueprint: Developing A Winning Go-To-Market Strategy

Developing A Solid Customer Acquisition Plan

The Challenges Of B2B & B2C Sales In GTM Strategy

WEEK 8

MVP & Product Development Fundamentals

MASTERCLASS

13TH APRIL

SATURDAY

MASTERCLASS

WORKSHOP

14TH APRIL

SUNDAY

WEEK 9

NETWORKING

Understanding User Experience & Designing Human-Centric Solutions

Unlocking Growth: Product Engagement And Retention

No-Code Mastery: Crafting Your Startup

MVP Without A Single Line Of Code

Fundraising & Pitching 101

PANEL

20TH APRIL

SATURDAY

21ST APRIL SUNDAY

MASTERCLASS

Solving The Dilemma Of Bootstrapping vs Fundraising

The A To Z Of Term Sheets

MASTERCLASS

Seal the Deal: Perfecting Your Fundraising Strategy

MASTERCLASS

How To Make A Winning Pitch Deck

WEEK 10

Mentorship Week

MENTORSHIP SESSIONS

27TH APRIL

SATURDAY

MENTORSHIP SESSIONS

28TH APRIL

SUNDAY

WEEK 11

Developing Core Founder Skills

PANEL

4TH MAY

SATURDAY

5TH MAY

SUNDAY

The Dos & Don'ts Of Building A Strong Initial Team

101 For Founders MASTERCLASS

Legal & Finance

Mastering The Art Of Public Speaking WORKSHOP

How To Build Your Personal Brand MASTERCLASS

9TH MAY

THURSDAY

INTERNAL PRACTICE

Pitching Practice For Your Startup Idea

Internal Pitching In Front Of Mentors

10TH MAY FRIDAY

11TH MAY SATURDAY

FIELD TOUR

WORKSHOP NETWORKING Networking Dinner Startup Tour

Convocation

WELCOME NOTE

SESSION 1

Mistakes & Learnings For Founders During First Round Fundraising

SESSION 2 To Be Decided

EXCLUSIVE NETWORKING Meet The Who's Who Of The Indian Startup Ecosystem