Pune, July 17, 2025: In a major push to integrate entrepreneurship into higher education, the Wadhwani Foundation has partnered with Dr. Vishwanath Karad MIT World Peace University (MIT-WPU) to launch Wadhwani Ignite Bootcamp: RIDE 2025—a credited course for students of all courses in the university. The initiative will train over 7,500 second-year undergraduate students, spanning 30 departments across 12 schools at MIT-WPU. The goal: to create more than 1500 student-led ventures – a bold attempt to set a new Asia record for the highest number of digital venture registrations in a single day.
Launched under MIT-WPU’s flagship RIDE 2025 (Research, Innovation, Design, & Entrepreneurship) event, this aims to empower students to build real-world ventures through a structured learning journey. It is powered by Wadhwani Foundation’s Ignite program—already impacting 150,000+ students across 1000+ institutions across the world. Offered at zero cost to the university, the bootcamp combines hands-on mentorship and evaluation to nurture the next generation of entrepreneurial leaders.
“At Wadhwani Foundation, we believe in enabling individuals to realize their full potential and take the leap into entrepreneurship as a choice. This includes cultivating the entrepreneurial spirit in students, offering support where required and setting them up for accelerated growth. This partnership with MIT WPU is a reflection of our commitment towards providing students with real opportunities to experience entrepreneurship first-hand. By equipping them with the right tools, mentorship, and platforms, we aim to nurture a generation of job creators who can shape India’s economic future.” Said Rajeev Warrier, EVP, Entrepreneurship, Wadhwani Foundation.
In line with MIT-WPU’s strong focus on entrepreneurship and innovation, the university will lead the initiative to shortlist ventures, award ₹1 lakh seed funding to the top 10 for prototype development and provide incubation and acceleration support to help them grow. The program will culminate in Start-up Expo 2025 (Aug 11–14), where the top 150 ventures will be showcased to industry leaders, investors, and the wider community. The final three will pitch live for additional funding, incubation, prizes, and trophies—turning student ideas into real-world ventures.
Dr. Rahul Karad, Managing Trustee, MAEER’s MIT & Executive President, MAEER’s MIT and MIT World Peace University & Chief Initiator, MIT School of Government (1st School of Bharat for Political Leadership), Founder – NLC, BCS, NTC, NWP, Sarpanch Sansad at MIT World Peace University, said, “Through this collaboration with the Wadhwani Foundation, we’re taking a much-needed step towards creating impact beyond the classroom. We’re delighted to support our students to inculcate an entrepreneurial mindset, apply their knowledge in practical, high-stakes environments to solve real-life challenges. This initiative is not just about starting ventures, it’s about shaping confident, creative problem-solvers who are ready to lead in a rapidly changing world.”
As India increasingly prioritizes entrepreneurship as a catalyst for economic development, initiatives like the Wadhwani Ignite Bootcamp at MIT-WPU are critical in creating a pipeline of skilled innovators ready to meet growing market challenges and opportunities.
