Get All Access for $5/mo

Does An A-League Institute Guarantee Entrepreneurial Success? An A-league institute gives you access to the best of netowrks

By Sneha Banerjee

You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.

Shutterstock

Does a background in IIT/IIM or any A-league business school really matter in the Indian startup space? Does it act like a "selling factor" to an investor who is willing to bet a fortune on an entrepreneur's vision?

On speaking to a couple of industry experts , we realised that an A-league institute does not carry the guarantee to success for entrepreneurs. However, a top A-league college definitely helps you slip into a influential and magnetic network.

Success stories like Infosys to startup barons like Ola, Flipkart, Zomato and many more, have stemmed from founders who hailed from A-league Indian institutes. This has lead to creation of generalization in the industry that top-notch college pass-outs have a higher success rate. So much so, that at a recent crowd pitch event, an entrepreneur introduced himself as an IITian first and then went on to speak about his product.

Does it matter at all?

College background does not come with the assurance of success in startups. Many startups, which recently shut shops like PepperTap and TalentPad, had founders belonging to top institutes. "A degree with a top notch institute indicates the fact that you've done really well at one point of time in your life. It's possibly an indicator of how you could do in the future, but it's not the only indicator. There are other indicators as well," Anup Vishwanathan, Venture Principal at Venture Factory said.

Success stories such as Paytm's Vijay Shekhar Sharma and Freshdesk's Girish MathruBootham, act as an inspiration for all non-IITians who want to enter the startup ecosystem in India.

Amit Somani, Managing Partner at Prime Venture Partners, said that entrepreneurship is not the proprietary of an IIT or an IIM student alone. Amit said that Prime Ventures, which is into seed funding, does not take its decisions based on college backgrounds alone. However, Amit also noted that some venture investors, who are flooded with thousands of funding requests, some of them could use the tag as a potential marker.

Access to the best of networks

More than influencing the investors' decision making, belonging to an ivy league colleges helps you get access to some of the most powerful networks, both national and internationally. A lot of references are made within alumni circles at top league institutes. It's what one student makes out of his time at these institutes that really matters.

Punit Soni, ex-chief product officer of Flipkart who also hails from Wharton School, said when one joins an A-league institute he basically becomes a part of a club. These clubs have their own advantages without any ill-intent and there is no harm in using that as a source of expanding ones network, he said.

John McEleney, CEO of Cambridge-based OnShape, said that more than where the degree comes from, it's the set of people one meets and the networks you create during your tenure at the institute which makes a difference.

Sneha Banerjee

Entrepreneur Staff

Former Staff, Entrepreneur India

She used to write for Entrepreneur India from Bangalore and other cities in South India. 

Business News

Apple Reportedly Isn't Paying OpenAI to Use ChatGPT in iPhones

The next big iPhone update brings ChatGPT directly to Apple devices.

Business News

Is the AI Industry Consolidating? Hugging Face CEO Says More AI Entrepreneurs Are Looking to Be Acquired

Clément Delangue, the CEO of Hugging Face, a $4.5 billion startup, says he gets at least 10 acquisition requests a week and it's "increased quite a lot."

News and Trends

Adani Group Aims To Be India's Largest Cement Manufacturer With $3 Billion Acquisition: Report

Adani Group is eyeing a potential $3 billion cement acquisition in lieu of recent boom in the infrastructure sector by the government.

Business News

'Passing By Wide Margins': Elon Musk Celebrates His 'Guaranteed Win' of the Highest Pay Package in U.S. Corporate History

Musk's Tesla pay package is almost 140 times higher than the annual pay of other high-performing CEOs.

Business News

Sony Pictures Entertainment Purchases Struggling, Cult-Favorite Movie Theater Chain

Alamo Drafthouse originally emerged from bankruptcy in June 2021.

Business News

Joey Chestnut Is Going From Nathan's to Netflix for a Competition 15 Years in the Making

Chestnut was banned from this year's Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest due to a "rival" contract. Now, he'll compete in a Netflix special instead.