Building young entrepreneurs, one idea at a time.
AIC-GIM brings the frameworks we use with early-stage founders into the classroom — adapted for school students. Students learn to spot problems, shape ideas, and pitch solutions with confidence, long before they choose a career path.
On our campus, or in your school
Choose the format that best fits your school's calendar and your students' goals.
Startup Paathshala
Interactive, activity-based entrepreneurship sessions for school groups, held at the Atal Incubation Centre on the Goa Institute of Management campus.
About Startup Paathshala →Skill Upgrade & Entrepreneurship Program
A structured, modular program delivered within your school through monthly sessions, designed to complement — not disrupt — the existing curriculum.
About the in-school program →
Entrepreneurship beyond the classroom
Startup Paathshala is an entrepreneurship learning initiative by the AIC-GIM Foundation for school students in Classes 8 to 12. It introduces students to entrepreneurship, innovation and startups through practical, engaging learning experiences.
Students explore their own ideas, understand how businesses are built, and develop the confidence to turn everyday problems into viable solutions.
The program is open to students with an interest in entrepreneurship, innovation, business, technology, or solving real-world problems.
Idea Generation
Identifying problems in their surroundings and generating innovative ideas to solve them.
Startup Fundamentals
The basics of startups, innovation, customers, markets and business models.
Building a Business Plan
Developing an idea into a simple, well-structured business plan.
Pitching Skills
Structuring a pitch and presenting a business concept with clarity and confidence.
Why Startup Paathshala?
The years when an entrepreneurial mindset is easiest to build
Between Classes 7 and 12, students' curiosity is at its peak and their ideas are not yet constrained by exam pressure. It is the window in which the ability to spot a problem, imagine a solution and act on it is easiest to build.
Yet most students encounter entrepreneurship, financial literacy, negotiation and pitching only as abstract concepts — often not until college or the workplace. By then, many have already decided they are “not the entrepreneurial type”, simply because they never had a structured, supportive space to try, fail and try again.
Our school programs close that gap early, so that entrepreneurship becomes a skill students practise, not a career label they discover too late.
- Idea to actionStudents take a raw idea through validation, planning and a first real attempt at execution — not just a classroom exercise.
- Learning by doingHands-on workshops, live demonstrations and real-world case studies replace theory-only instruction.
- A safe space to fail earlyMistakes made on a school project cost far less than those made later in life — and teach far more.
- Confidence before career choiceStudents who have built and pitched something choose their future direction with clarity, not by default.
Skill Upgrade & Entrepreneurship Program
Future-ready skills that prepare students to think and act like founders. Delivered through structured, age-appropriate sessions across six core skill areas.
AI for Daily Work
Practical AI tools and prompting techniques that make everyday study and work more effective.
Entrepreneurship
How to build, validate and grow a venture idea from scratch.
Mediation & Negotiation
Resolving disagreements constructively and negotiating with confidence.
Marketing & Communication
Building a personal or brand voice and reaching the right audience.
Business Proposals & Pitching
Crafting proposals and pitches that earn attention and support.
Financial Planning & Execution
Budgeting, forecasting and managing funds responsibly.
| Class | Focus Area | Cadence | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class 7 | Idea awareness and creative thinking | Monthly | Workshop and activity |
| Class 8 | Problem-spotting and basic business concepts | Monthly | Workshop and activity |
| Class 9 | Idea validation, communication and pitching | Monthly | Workshop and mentoring |
| Classes 10–12 | Execution, planning and venture pitch | Monthly | Workshop, mentoring and certification |
As students progress from Class 7 to Class 12, the focus shifts deliberately from awareness and creative thinking towards validation, planning and real execution — mirroring a founder's journey at a pace suited to each age group. The program is modular and scheduled around your school's academic calendar.
Not every student will become a founder. Every student gains the option.
The program gives students practical experience, confidence and the vocabulary of building something real — so that whichever direction they choose, they choose it deliberately.
An entrepreneurial path, early
Students who test and refine ideas in school carry that clarity into their next decisions.
Better-informed choices
Practical exposure helps students choose a field of higher education that matches their strengths.
A problem-solving mindset
Whether founder, professional or specialist, students learn to identify problems and act on them.
Certified achievement
Hands-on project experience and certification that add real substance to an academic profile.
How we get started
Introductory Meeting
We meet your school leadership to align on objectives and fit with the academic calendar.
Pilot Session
A pilot session for one grade, so you can experience the format and its impact first-hand.
Program Rollout
We finalise a monthly schedule for Classes 7 to 12, tailored to your school's vision.
Founder frameworks, adapted for young minds
The Atal Incubation Centre – Goa Institute of Management (AIC-GIM) is supported by Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog, and is dedicated to building a stronger startup ecosystem. Our sessions are led by practitioners with direct experience in startups, mentoring and incubation, and draw on the same frameworks we use with early-stage founders — adapted for a school audience.
Bring entrepreneurship to your students.
Speak to our team to register for Startup Paathshala, or to explore a Skill Upgrade & Entrepreneurship Program tailored to your school.
Email startups@aicgim.in · AIC-GIM, Goa Institute of Management Campus, Poriem, Sanquelim, Goa
