A validated opportunity
A problem you have tested in the field, with insights you have gathered yourself.
View
Is your entrepreneurial dream looking like this?
See better.
When you want to start a business, but the plan looks hazy.
See better.
An Entrepreneurial Development Programme you shouldn't miss
A Programme designed to provide entrepreneurial clarity
The Idea Factory is a six-month, practice-first Entrepreneurial Development Programme for accomplished professionals who intend to build something of their own — whether you arrive with an idea or with none at all.
It's an intense in-person programme spread over 24 weeks (every Saturday) at the XIME (Xavier Institute of Management & Entrepreneurship) campus — an institute that counts Entrepreneurship in its name.
- Duration
- 6 months
- Format
- 24 Saturdays
- Campus
- XIME, Bengaluru
- Fee
- ₹75,000
- Batch 1
- 7 November 2026
- Cohort
- Capped at 20
₹75,000 for a team of up to 3 — that's just ₹25,000 per participant.
Your business idea — and the clarity and conviction to run it.
Six months in, you leave with an opportunity you have tested, and the conviction to act on it.
Conviction
The judgement to know why this idea and not the other nine — and the nerve that comes with it.
A co-founder
When you build alongside people, you will most likely tie up with another passionate individual you have seen up close.
A real pitch for capital
A funding narrative rehearsed and delivered to practising investors and mentors.
A Certificate in Entrepreneurship
Awarded by XIME, in partnership with TiE Bangalore and Wadhwani Foundation, on satisfactory completion.
“Whether or not a venture is worth it, you will leave knowing — with clarity — what you should do next.”
Some participants walk out with a company. Some walk out with clarity after two months instead of six years. Both are worth the Saturdays.
Batch 1 begins 7 November 2026.
Admission is interview-based and the cohort is capped at 20. If this method is what you have been missing, start there.
Who's The Idea Factory for?
Register for the programme now if you are any of the following.
You have 3–12 years of accumulating business experience but are using the expertise for your company, not your business. You have plans to start a business but need clarity before you can commit.
You have deep mastery over a domain and want to convert it into a venture.
You have been an entrepreneur, have had an exit, and want to build a second innings.
Six phases, four weeks each.
01
Weeks 1–4
Discover the Opportunity
Start from where you actually are — with an idea, or with none. Map problem spaces you have real access to, and separate ideas from opportunities.
02
Weeks 5–8
Validate the Opportunity
Get out and test. Evidence from customers, not opinions from friends. The World and Worth tests get applied here, in the field.
03
Weeks 9–12
Test Conviction
A checkpoint on the Person test. Is this yours to pursue for the next five years? Some conviction is built here. Some is honestly withdrawn.
04
Weeks 13–16
Build the Venture
Turn a validated opportunity into a working shape: offer, first version, economics, and the team it will take to run it.
05
Weeks 17–20
Go to Market
First customers, first channels, first revenue. TiE Bangalore's mentor and investor network joins the cohort from this phase.
06
Weeks 21–24
Pitch for Capital
Build and rehearse a real pitch — funding readiness, the narrative, the numbers — and take it to Demo Day in front of practising investors.
Built with the people who build entrepreneurs.
Xavier Institute of Management & Entrepreneurship
The Xavier Institute of Management and Entrepreneurship delivers management education across Bengaluru, Chennai and Kochi. Its External Programmes unit was built for exactly this kind of venture — practice-first programmes for working professionals, run on campus with resident faculty.
TiE Bangalore
Mentor and investor network
One of the largest chapters of the world's largest community of entrepreneurs. TiE Bangalore's mentors and investors join the cohort from the go-to-market phase through Demo Day, across GTM, funding and pitch themes.
Wadhwani Foundation
Ignite curriculum
Wadhwani Foundation contributes structured content modules and an AI co-pilot through its Ignite programme, running self-paced between Saturdays so that campus time stays reserved for practice and mentoring.
The Idea Factory programme is co-developed with TiE and is supported by Wadhwani Foundation. This partnership gives you access to entrepreneurs for shadowing, mentors, industry and investors with pathways to incubators and accelerators, and select talks and workshops.
Frequently asked questions
Anyone with the desire to build something of their own — graduates, postgraduates or working professionals. There is no sector restriction and no formal experience requirement. This is not a student programme, and you do not need to arrive with a business idea.
No. The programme is designed for both people who have an idea but don't know how to develop it, and people who want to build something but haven't found the idea yet. Everyone converges on a working opportunity by Week 4.
You apply as the primary participant and can optionally bring up to two more team members (maximum team size of three) at no extra fee. If you don't have a team, the programme runs a co-founder matching session in Week 11 to pair you with others in the cohort.
₹75,000 + GST per primary participant, with no additional charge for up to two team members — that's just ₹25,000 per participant for a team of three. It covers platform access, mentorship, programme materials and certificate costs.
Withdrawal 15 days or more before the programme start date is eligible for a full refund. Withdrawal less than 15 days before the start date is eligible for a 50% refund. Withdrawal on or after the start date is not eligible for a refund.
Saturdays only — four hours a session over six months (24 teaching Saturdays plus two buffer Saturdays), split into a 9:00–11:00 workshop block and an 11:15–1:00 mentor and clinic block. There is also work between sessions on the online learning platform.
Apply through this page or write to programs@xime.org. Applications close one day before the programme start date. There is one interview round, and selection assesses your commitment to complete the full six months — not your domain expertise or how developed your idea is. If you apply as a team, each member is expected to demonstrate that same commitment.
Yes. Support does not end at Demo Day — you continue to receive mentorship from XIME for one year after the programme concludes.
Yes — a tri-branded Certificate in Entrepreneurship from XIME, TiE Bangalore and Wadhwani Foundation, awarded on at least 80% attendance and completion of the full set of programme artifacts (opportunity statement, MVP, financial model, cap table, pitch deck and more). Top-ranked ventures from Demo Day are also referred to TiE for continued mentorship and incubation support.
A rare opportunity to bring your dream to life.
Start your application here. Admission is interview-based and the cohort is capped at 20.
Questions before you apply?
XIME External Programmes, XIME Campus, Electronics City Phase II, Bengaluru
programs@xime.org
Application received.
Thank you. The External Programmes team will reach out to schedule your interview. Batch 1 begins 7 November 2026.