Fueling New India: How New-age Education Is Shaping Gen Z Women Founders

“The rise of entrepreneurial campuses, mentorship, and innovative policies is fostering a 
new era of confident, talented, and innovative female founders ready to drive India's 
innovation economy.” 
The Indian higher education landscape is transforming beyond the traditional chalkboards and 
lecturing. It is now becoming an entrepreneurial force, particularly among women of Gen Z. 
These young entrepreneurs are rewriting India's entrepreneurial story, not just as bystanders 
but as confident leaders, with many choosing directly to entrepreneurship upon graduation. 
How has this revolution been made possible? A growing mix of academic innovation, 
institutional support, and a country-wide focus on inclusion is facilitating young women to 
fulfil their aspirations. 
As the Indian entrepreneurial ecosystem rapidly rising, women make up about 14% of 
entrepreneurs; the figure is also slowly rising. Education is at the forefront of this increase. The 
2020 National Education Policy (NEP) has made major emphasis on nurturing 
entrepreneurship through learning processes, experiential learning, and the cultivation of 
practical skills. Educational institutions have responded by incorporating entrepreneurship into 
their culture, going beyond business schools to other areas of study. 
"Our vision is education that actively cultivates leadership, where mentorship isn't optional 
but the cornerstone of learning." 
Universities across the nation are participating in collaborative initiatives with startup 
incubators, government schemes, and private foundations for empowering women 
entrepreneurs. For instance, the NSRCEL incubator of the Indian Institute of Management 
Bangalore offers the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women program, which offers promising women 
access to formal education, mentorship, and business networks. Similarly, the Indian Institute 
of Technology Delhi enables the Women Entrepreneurship and Empowerment (WEE) 
Foundation, where chosen female-led startups are offered incubation support with the help of 
NITI Aayog and the Department of Science & Technology. These efforts are not symbolic, 
since they have been able to empower women to set up high-technology, scalable enterprises 
across domains ranging from artificial intelligence to social impact technology. 
At the grassroots level, government initiatives such as Stand-Up India, Start-Up India, and 
Swavalambini are bringing entrepreneurship within the reach of women in college. 
Swavalambini, for instance, targets taking entrepreneurship modules to colleges in India's 
Northeast, followed by formal mentorship for six months. These programs ensure young 
women don't merely dream they do. They pitch, they build, and increasingly, they scale. 
One of the main drivers of this progress is the development of institutional mentorship. 
Students are paired with experienced mentors, such as faculty, industry professionals, and 
successful alumni, who provide frequent advice in institutions of higher education. The 
mentorship occurs across numerous stages, from ideation to business strategy formulation, 
market testing, and investor preparedness. Having incubators, startup communities, and 
innovation labs on campus offers students a sheltered space where they can try out ideas, learn 
rapidly from mistakes, and iterate according to data. 
At Universities, IIMs, and top Business Schools like Alliances School of Business (Alliance 
University), JEGSOM, MESA School of Business, Master's Union, etc, entrepreneurship is not 
an option, it's in the genetic code of learning. Through regular startup showcases, leadership 
labs, ideation workshops, and industry talks, students, especially young women, are 
encouraged to take charge of their careers by building enterprises. Academic mentors work 
hand-in-hand with visiting entrepreneurs, ensuring students are guided by theory and practice. 
“We are not merely educating for employment. We are educating students, and especially 
young women, to create employment.” 
Systemic education and mentorship programs in India are revealing profound transformative 
impacts for women entrepreneurs. For instance, the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women program, 
in partnership with the Indian School of Business, has yielded quantifiable impacts, graduates 
reported a four-fold increase in revenues of their businesses and doubling of their teams within  
18 months of graduation, generating over 12,000 new jobs in aggregate. This growth was 
realized through access to business education, strategic mentorship, and capital. Similarly, NITI 
Aayog's Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) has emerged as a nationwide resource hub, 
enabling thousands of women access to mentorship, capital, and training opportunities through 
a single integrated portal. To date, as of the latest reports, WEP has put more than 26,500 
women in touch with systemized entrepreneurship programs and has worked with the public 
as well as private sectors to increase coverage. These programs illustrate the specific and 
measurable impact of formal interventions on shaping the developmental pathways of women
owned businesses in India. 
Today, India does not wait idly to transform but actively becomes a part of the process of 
transformation. With determination, grit, and an unflinching resolve to lead, individuals are set 
to break down barriers and take bold initiatives. Not approvals, but collaboration is what is 
needed. When institutions of higher education respond to this desire by awarding not just 
qualifications, but also advice, mentoring, and experiential learning, they release a force of 
change. These women are not just emerging entrepreneurs; they are the architects of India's 
developmental story. Every classroom that empowers them is an investment in a nation of 
courage, innovation, and equality. 
And in this new India, Schools are not only teaching dreams. They are launching them.