Billionaire Nikhil Kamath and Kishore Biyani launch The Foundery, a 90-day startup program

Entrepreneurs Nikhil Kamath and Kishore Biyani have jointly launched The Foundery, a residential business launchpad aimed at identifying and building early-stage startups in India.

Positioned as a co-founder factory, The Foundery runs a 90-day immersive, campus-based programme designed to take ideas from concept to an investible business. The model blends elements of a school, accelerator and venture studio, with a strong emphasis on hands-on execution over classroom instruction. Participants work closely with experienced operators, investors and domain experts to validate ideas, build products, test market fit and structure companies.

Those selected for the programme can retain up to 25% equity in the ventures they help create. Startups that meet internal milestones may receive seed funding of up to Rs 4 crore, along with continued strategic support beyond the programme. Each cohort concludes with a demo day where teams pitch to a curated group of investors.

The Foundery is open to aspiring founders, early-stage entrepreneurs and mid-career professionals. The selection process prioritises problem-solving ability, creativity and founder mindset rather than formal qualifications or polished pitches. Applicants are assessed across multiple rounds focused on idea clarity, execution thinking and resilience.

Mentors associated with the initiative include Vijay Shekhar Sharma, Kunal Bahl, Mithun Sacheti, Varun Berry, Rama Bijapurkar and Aakrit Vaish, among others. Alongside venture creation, the programme also includes a “School of Life” track that focuses on decision-making, resilience and founder psychology.

Kishore Biyani described The Foundery as “a live business-building environment where entrepreneurs learn by creating, testing, failing, and evolving.” Nikhil Kamath said, “Most of what we call education was built for a world that doesn’t exist anymore. It teaches people to fit in when progress comes from those who don’t. MBAs create managers. We need people who can build, break, fail and rebuild. The Foundery is for them - the ones who’d rather make their own path than follow someone else’s.”

The Foundery plans to run multiple residential cohorts each year as it looks to build a steady pipeline of early-stage Indian startups.