Company Description
Atal Incubation Centre (AIC) at the Indian School of Business is the incubation and acceleration arm of ISB, established in partnership with Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog. AIC ISB focuses on nurturing innovative early-stage startups and helping them become scalable, sustainable enterprises.
Located within ISB, Mohali campus, it offers a state-of-the-art incubation space where entrepreneurs engage with mentors, investors, industry experts, and academia. The centre hosts founders from incubation and accelerator cohorts, ISB alumni ventures, and selected high-impact external startups. AIC ISB provides a collaborative co-working environment that promotes creativity, innovation, and a vibrant startup community.
Role Description
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of AIC at the Indian School of Business will provide strategic leadership and overall management of the incubation and accelerator programs. This full-time, hybrid role is based in Mohali, with flexibility for some work-from-home arrangements as per organizational needs. The CEO will define and execute the strategic vision for AIC, oversee operations, financial planning, and program design, and ensure alignment with ISB and Atal Innovation Mission objectives.
Key responsibilities include building and managing relationships with startups, mentors, investors, industry partners, and government stakeholders; developing robust selection, incubation, and acceleration processes; and ensuring high-quality support services for portfolio ventures. The CEO will lead fundraising and partnership initiatives, represent AIC at ecosystem events, manage a high-performing team, track impact metrics, and report progress to the Board and advisory bodies.
Qualifications
- Minimum 7–12 years of professional experience, including at least 5 years in a leadership role within startups, venture capital, incubation, acceleration, innovation management, entrepreneurship development, or related sectors.
- Strong strategic leadership capabilities with experience in Strategic Planning and Business Planning to drive growth and impact for a startup or innovation-focused organization.
- Demonstrated proficiency in Finance, including budgeting, financial oversight, and resource allocation to ensure the incubator’s financial sustainability.
- Proven expertise in Operations Management, with the ability to design and manage incubation/acceleration processes, stakeholder engagement, and performance tracking.
- Experience in business development, strategic partnerships, and ecosystem building to develop relationships with investors, corporates, government agencies, and startup communities, while supporting startups in market access and growth.
- Prior leadership experience in entrepreneurship support, venture capital, startups, innovation ecosystems, incubators, or accelerators is highly desirable.
- Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and people leadership skills, with the ability to motivate diverse teams, founders, and ecosystem partners.
- Advanced degree in Business, Management, Entrepreneurship, Finance, or a related field from a reputed institution preferred.
- Familiarity with the Indian startup ecosystem, government innovation programs, and technology-driven ventures will be an advantage.
This is an exciting opportunity for a dynamic leader to drive innovation, entrepreneurship, and ecosystem development at one of India’s leading incubation centres.
Send your CV with a cover letter to [email protected] with the subject line “Application: [Position Name] – [Your Name]”
