What is EDGE?

Idea-Market Validation Program for early-stage entrepreneurs

Launching a startup is like assembling IKEA furniture without instructions!

Except the furniture is your dream and the screws your sanity. But what if you can get your hands on the instruction manual? Cut to …

… EDGE!

An idea-market validation program for early-stage entrepreneurs. We at EDGE acknowledge that starting a business as a first-gen entrepreneur is a bold step and that 90% of startups fail within a year due to lacking product-market fit. But we also believe that,

Entrepreneurs are not born but created! 

With support from Deshpande Startups, mentors, and our startup community, we are working harder than ever to understand and tackle the challenges, innovators face and help them build viable ventures. 

Since we run a cohort-based program, we actively encourage community building and collaboration.

You can tap this opportunity to connect with our existing network of founders, seasoned mentors, investors, and industry experts to build on your professional relationships.

So, What Sets Us Apart From Other Pre-incubators?

The most common difficulty we see founders encounter is transitioning from the mindset of their previous professions.

Our solution?

Founders for Founders!

Confused?

Let us explain.

EDGE enables the shift towards an entrepreneurial mindset by providing founders with a team of facilitators and mentors who are entrepreneurs themselves!

They act as sounding boards and nudge you to pick up on the nuances of starting a business.

We also believe in striking a balance between structure and flexibility!

If you are used to structured processes, we give you controlled chaos and help you evolve as an adaptable visionary. And conversely, provide the young guns who are just starting with some framework to help them find their footing in the business landscape.

The workshops, mentoring sessions, and feedback mechanisms all contribute to refining your ideas.

But we don’t just stop at theory! We are there as your extended co-founders every step of the way.

EDGE provides you a gateway to state-of-the-art infrastructure, like Mechanical Lab, ESDM Cluster, Infinity Studio, and Co-working space to experiment and validate ideas. Saving you the resources, time, and effort in case you decide to pivot.

We have also partnered with leading tech giants to provide you with offerings like AWS, Google for Startups, and many more.

Stay tuned for updates, as we are committed to ensuring you have every advantage possible to thrive in the startup ecosystem!

The Impact We Create

Throughout 16 cohorts, we have launched 100 startups, and our portfolio has collectively raised over $1 million in fundraising! These numbers indeed provide a measure of our performance, but we also consider guiding the founders who decide their ideas are not feasible a success!

As Richard Branson, Founder of Virgin Group, says

“ A big business starts small ”

So, if you have a light bulb moment and want to take the first step in the entrepreneurial journey, reach out to us, and we’ll take it from there!

You can apply for the program using this Application Form or visit our Website for more information!

Cheers!