The next cohort will begin on 15 January 2027 at The Foundery Sanctum in Alibaug, bringing a new group of co-founders together for an intensive venture-building experience. The Foundery operates as a venture builder, creating new companies alongside the entrepreneurs who will lead them.
Unlike conventional programmes that begin with pitch competitions or require participants to arrive with fully developed business plans, The Foundery enables prospective co-founders to explore opportunities from its Idea Vault. Participants are matched according to their experience, strengths, conviction and category fit before moving from an initial business thesis to product development, consumer validation and an operating business.
The programme brings together capital, practitioners, operators and shared infrastructure from the outset. Its model recognises that product development, consumer insights, branding, distribution, technology, culture and capital are interconnected, with decisions in one area often influencing others. The Foundery aims to bring these disciplines together around entrepreneurs rather than leaving them to assemble the necessary resources independently.
Ronnie Screwvala, Co-founder, The Foundery, said, “Capital alone has never built anything that lasts. Founders can lose their first year assembling all the pieces they need to get moving. At The Foundery, those pieces are around them from day one, a head start that helps them move faster, get to market sooner and keep pace with how quickly the world is changing.”
The announcement follows the first cohort's completion of its 90-day residential programme in Alibaug, during which matched co-founders progressed from early business theses to 18 companies ready to face investors at The Foundery FWD in Mumbai in July 2026.
The first cohort's residency brought founders into close proximity with entrepreneurs, investors, operators, creators and cultural voices, including Santosh Desai, Rajan Anandan, Aakash Chaudhry, Prasoon Joshi, Garima D. Bahl, Aditya Sehgal, Harsh Mariwala, Diipa Khosla, Rana Daggubati, Jonty Rhodes, Ranveer Singh, Falguni Nayar and Anil Agarwal, among others. Their perspectives covered consumer behaviour, leadership, design, capital, culture, media and company-building.
At The Foundery FWD, the 18 companies generated more than Rs. 550 crore in non-binding expressions of investment interest, with indicated valuations exceeding Rs. 1,400 crore. For businesses that had begun taking shape only months earlier, the figures provided an early indication of investor interest in both the companies and the venture-building model.
The first cohort's work has continued beyond the residency. Its companies are now moving full steam towards the market, with launches planned through the remainder of 2026 as founders continue developing products, building teams, establishing distribution and preparing go-to-market plans.
Cohort 2 will build on this foundation by bringing the same concentration of people, capital, expertise and infrastructure around a new group of co-founders. The programme will also raise the bar for the entrepreneurial experience and operating capabilities of those entering the venture-building environment.
Kishore Biyani, Co-founder, The Foundery, said, “India is changing fast, and so is its consumer. After three decades of building consumer businesses, one thing I have learnt is that understanding the Indian consumer cannot be inherited as instinct, it has to be relearned continuously. The next generation of entrepreneurs will need to build for where India is going, not where it has been.”
Nikhil Kamath, Co-founder, The Foundery, said, “Everyone in China says ‘ecosystem, ecosystem, ecosystem.’ Foundery is a small attempt at trying to build that for consumer brands in India. It’s not about how many of the 20 brands per batch succeed or what valuations they achieve, but about the fact that, in 10 years, we would have built the rails and the ‘ecosystem’ by attempting to create 200 Indian brands with the potential to sell globally.”
The Foundery describes itself as a venture builder that develops entrepreneurs into co-founders and builds companies with them from the ground up. Each co-founder is matched with an idea from its Idea Vault based on their strengths, experience and conviction. During the 90-day venture-building programme at The Foundery Sanctum in Alibaug, participants work towards establishing operating companies with support from capital, operators, mentors and execution infrastructure from day zero.
With applications for Cohort 2 now open and the programme scheduled to begin on 15 January 2027, The Foundery is continuing its effort to develop consumer businesses by combining entrepreneurial talent with the resources and operational support needed to build companies from their earliest stages.
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