Entrepreneurial Mindset Certification Programme (EMCP)
16 March 2026, Monday
16 March 2026, Monday
11:00 AM
01:00 PM
School of Management, IILM University, Gurugram
IILM University, Gurugram
The four-day Entrepreneurial Mindset Certification Programme (EMCP), spanning 16–19 March 2026, was designed to equip students with a comprehensive understanding of entrepreneurial thinking across six focused expert-led sessions covering opportunity recognition, creativity and ideation, customer discovery, risk management, team building, and pitching — bringing together industry practitioners from technology, FMCG, renewable energy, and creative industries. The inauguration by the Vice Chancellor (Officiating), with an address by Dr. Saurabh Trivedi (CEO – Incubator and President, IIC, IILM University) on the IILM Incubation Centre and funding opportunities of up to ₹25 lakh for student startup ideas, grounded the programme in tangible institutional support and real entrepreneurial opportunity. A distinctive outcome of the competition segment was that the 1st and Runner-Up positions were secured by teams from the Department of Design, and the 2nd Runner-Up by a team from the Department of Psychology, with top three teams awarded prizes of ₹5,100, ₹2,100, and ₹1,100 respectively — and all 34 participating teams receiving Certificates of Participation. The programme delivered cross-sectoral professional exposure through six speakers from diverse industry backgrounds — a co-founder of a startup, an SVP at an FMCG-adjacent firm, a business analyst at Amazon, a DGM in renewable energy at Havells, a founder of an AI-powered edtech platform, and the founder of a neurodesign studio — providing students with a multi-dimensional view of entrepreneurship that transcended any single sector or business model. The programme reinforced IILM’s commitment to fostering an entrepreneurial culture among students through structured, industry-led learning, combining conceptual frameworks with real-world practitioner insights, incubation support awareness, and a competitive pitching component that tested students’ ability to apply all six session themes in an integrated startup pitch.
Students gained actionable insights into entrepreneurial thinking from ideation and opportunity recognition through to pitching and team building, across six expert-led sessions delivered by practitioners from diverse sectors including technology, FMCG, renewable energy, AI-powered edtech, and neurodesign. Students were made aware of incubation support and funding opportunities of up to ₹25 lakh available through the IILM Incubation Centre — transforming the programme from a learning experience into a potential launchpad for student ventures. The competitive pitching segment saw 34 teams present their startup ideas to a jury, with the 1st and Runner-Up positions won by Department of Design teams and the 2nd Runner-Up by a Department of Psychology team — demonstrating cross-disciplinary entrepreneurial capability and the practical applicability of session learnings. All participating teams received Certificates of Participation, with the top three teams awarded cash prizes of ₹5,100, ₹2,100, and ₹1,100, providing tangible recognition of entrepreneurial effort and achievement. The programme reinforced IILM’s commitment to fostering an entrepreneurial culture through structured, industry-led learning, equipping students with a concrete entrepreneurial toolkit — from customer discovery and risk management to team building and pitching — applicable to both startup ventures and intrapreneurial roles in established organisations.