Nikhil Kamath, Kishore Biyani launch startup venture platform The Foundery

Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath and Future Group founder Kishore Biyani have launched The Foundery, a 90-day co-building programme offering seed funding of up to ₹4 crore

Entrepreneurs Nikhil Kamath and Kishore Biyani have joined hands to launch The Foundery — a business launchpad built to identify, mentor and co-build the next generation of Indian entrepreneurs.

 

What is The Foundery and how does the 90-day programme work? 

Conceived as a co-founder factory, The Foundery is part school, part accelerator and part venture studio, compressing the early-stage startup journey into a 90-day immersive programme. Participants move from concept to an investible business, guided by mentors, investors and operators.

 

“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,” said Nikhil Kamath, co-founder of discount broker Zerodha.

 

“This isn’t a classroom or an incubator,” added Kishore Biyani, who founded retail conglomerate Future Group. “It’s a live business-building environment where entrepreneurs learn by creating, testing, failing and evolving. We’re forging founders through experience, not theory.”

 

What equity and funding terms does The Foundery offer? 

At The Foundery, participants work alongside the Foundery team and mentors to turn ideas into investment-ready ventures. Selected participants retain up to 25 per cent equity in the businesses they help create, and successful ventures receive seed funding of up to ₹4 crore with continued strategic support after the programme.

 

Who can apply and how will candidates be selected? 

The Foundery invites aspiring entrepreneurs, mid-career professionals and early-stage founders who combine creativity with conviction. The selection process is designed to identify potential over polish, with applicants going through idea articulation rounds, problem-solving challenges and interviews assessing creativity, resilience and founder mindset. The process is built to find founders who can grow, not just those who can pitch.

 

“We’re looking for people who combine imagination with intent — those who can think differently and act decisively,” said Santosh Desai, who helped conceptualise The Foundery.

 

Who are the mentors backing the programme? 

Mentors include Vijay Shekhar Sharma (founder and operator, Paytm), Kunal Bahl (founder and investor, Snapdeal and Titan Capital), Aakash Chaudhry (education entrepreneur, Aakash), Mithun Sacheti (consumer brand builder, CaratLane), Varun Berry (FMCG operator, Britannia), Haresh Chawla (media and consumer investor, True North and Viacom18), Aditya Sehgal (global operator, former FTSE 20 chief operating officer), Garima Deveshwar Bahl (leadership and culture coach), Jacob Mathew (design and innovation thinker), Ireena Vittal (board advisor), Rama Bijapurkar (consumer strategist and author), and Aakrit Vaish (AI entrepreneur and investor), among others. They will guide founders across opportunity design, validation, execution and scale.

 

What happens at the end of the programme? 

Each cohort culminates in a Demo Day, where participants pitch their ventures to a curated investor network. Selected businesses will receive seed investment and access to The Foundery’s wider ecosystem. Complementing the business curriculum is The School of Life — a reflective stream exploring the emotional and human side of entrepreneurship, focusing on resilience, curiosity and purpose.