Background

All change begins with an idea, one that offers something new, defamiliarizes something routine, or supplements new offerings, in the form of invention and innovation, in order to create socioeconomic value, which has the power to change the way people live. In the field of entrepreneurship, too, ideas are the core at the center of the creative process, which help us address challenges both that presently exist and those that might emerge in the future, thereby converting obstacles into sites of growth. This is why ideas are important: they must be kindled and cherished.

According to KPMG’s report titled “Democratization of Entrepreneurship in India”, India holds immense potential for entrepreneurial growth across socio-economic backgrounds. This raises hope, promising to change the socioeconomic horizon of one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, while foregrounding how the best entrepreneurial ideas do not necessarily come from institutional channels. Instead, ideas often sprout outside the classroom, in the real world, as a consequence of engaging with daily realities. Yet, systemic problems threaten to stagnate this rich potential, including challenges like the digital divide, lack of institutional support, and funding disparities, which ensure that most of these ideas do not receive the nurturing to develop into viable, implementable, and scalable solutions. 

This is why the need of the hour is to equip young people with skills that can generate income and employment, specifically in a country where plenty of high school students cannot afford to enroll in higher education and have to join the labor market prematurely. Entrepreneurship education, if started early on, can help many students from underserved communities who otherwise might not be able to take on the financial burden of undergraduate education to find an avenue to escape the cycle of poverty and make financial progress. 

With this in mind, Upstart aims to expand entrepreneurship education amongst the underserved, to bring experiential and hands-on learning in order to inculcate a strong entrepreneurial spirit in India’s youth.