ISB Partners with SAP to Accelerate Social Entrepreneurs in India

The Indian School of Business (ISB) and the Indian innovation lab of German software giant SAP have partnered to nurture tech startups pushing social impact on the Indian Subcontinent – the latest global b-school initiative to boost social entrepreneurs and innovators. 

The deal highlights the lengths business schools are going to accelerate social enterprises which seek to make a measurable impact on society or the environment, not just turn a profit. 

Called ‘Jumpstart Social Enterprise Accelerator’, the program aims to identify and support 10 early-stage and five growth-stage ventures with the potential to bring about a large-scale impact on the lives of people by providing guidance and mentorship. 

Startups in sectors such as education, healthcare, energy, agriculture, financial technology, infrastructure, water and sanitation, among others are eligible to apply. Startups will be shortlisted through a nationwide selection process based on their innovativeness, social impact and scalability. Shortlisted finalists will be invited to pitch their business plan to a panel of investors, ISB faculty, SAP employees, and staff at the Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at ISB. 

Professor Rajendra Srivastava, dean of the b-school said: “ISB is committed to its goal of taking on a larger role of incubating and supporting entrepreneurial ideas as well as scaling up ventures that will potentially generate employment, foster economic and social progress, and create significant social value for the country.” 

“The ISB SAP Jumpstart accelerator program is one such initiative to support promising entrepreneurs in thinking big, [which will] help scale their businesses, create impact in areas of national priority, and help build a better tomorrow,” he said.

“Through this initiative, we are supporting in creating investible- and growth-oriented social enterprises which can contribute to the economic development of our country,” added Dilipkumar Khandelwal, managing director of SAP Labs India.

ISB, based in Hyderabad and Mohali, offers a range of management degree programs and is also one of the largest providers of executive education in Asia, as well as being a prolific research institution.