CIIE.CO Launches India’s First People and Culture Accelerator to Empower 30 Startups

• ByStartupStory     |    August 1, 2023

CIIE.CO, based at IIM-Ahmedabad, has introduced a groundbreaking People and Culture Accelerator program to accelerate 30 startups. The three-month intensive program, catering to startups from pre-series A to series B stages, includes an immersive bootcamp at the IIM Ahmedabad campus, tailored mentoring, and various benefits to address critical HR-related challenges such as hiring, performance management, attrition, and formalization.

The accelerator program will feature an in-person bootcamp on the IIM Ahmedabad campus, along with bespoke consulting clinics, collaborative problem-solving sessions, and other advantages. Notably, this program is open to enrollment, meaning participating startups will pay a fee to join the cohort.

Supriya Sharma, Partner at CIIE.CO, emphasized the significance of addressing people-related challenges faced by startups, stating, “Building a startup is serious work, and people are at the center of everything that startups do. We designed this accelerator to help address a variety of people-related challenges that every other startup faces. Over our 20-year journey, we have intentionally built people and culture capacities in our supported startups. We are now opening this to the entire startup ecosystem, hoping to aid startups with tools that can enable them to build bigger and better.”

People and culture problems are known to be one of the leading causes of startup failure. Startups face unique challenges due to their hyper-dynamic environments, fluctuating finances, and limited leadership experience. Early-stage startups, in particular, often struggle with transitioning from a hustle-oriented, reactive team to a more formalized, agile, efficient, and well-organized organization.

CIIE.CO, established in 2002 as an academic center, has since evolved into India’s foremost and largest startup platform. With a rich history of mentoring, investing, and training thousands of startups, CIIE.CO has spearheaded innovative accelerator programs, including The Power of Ideas, India Innovation Growth Program, Financial Inclusion Lab, and Accenture Sustainability Accelerator. The upcoming People and Culture Accelerator aims to equip founders with foundational knowledge, tools, frameworks, and first principles to safely scale their startups to the next stage.

About CIIE.CO: CIIE.CO, known as The Innovation Continuum for fearless entrepreneurs, operates as a Center of Excellence recognized by the Department of Science and Technology, built at IIM Ahmedabad. Since its inception in 2002, CIIE.CO has expanded its scope to address critical gaps in India’s innovation-driven entrepreneurship ecosystem. The continuum encompasses incubation, acceleration, seed and growth funding, and research. To date, CIIE.CO has accelerated over 1200 startups, funded over 500 startups with 350+ at equity and 25+ at growth stage, mentored and coached over 5000 startups, and inspired over a million individuals through its publication “Stay Hungry Stay Foolish.”

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