Manager/ Sr. Manager - Student Startup & Incubation Center

Position Title: Manager/ Sr. Manager – Student Startup & Incubation Centre

Employment Type: Full-Time

Location: Ganpat University, Mehsana, Gujarat

About Ganpat University

Ganpat University is one of Gujarat's leading multidisciplinary universities, committed to academic excellence, innovation, research, industry collaboration, and holistic student development. The University promotes entrepreneurship and startup culture through industry-oriented education, innovation ecosystems, incubation support, and skill development initiatives.

The University aims to create an ecosystem that nurtures innovative ideas, supports student entrepreneurs, and transforms startups into sustainable ventures contributing to society and the economy.

About the Role

The Manager/ Sr. Manager – Student Startup & Incubation Centre will lead and strengthen the University's startup and innovation ecosystem by promoting entrepreneurship among students, faculty, alumni, and aspiring innovators. The role involves strategic leadership, incubation management, industry networking, startup mentoring, fundraising, policy implementation, and coordination with government and industry bodies.

The Manager/Sr. Manager will be responsible for creating a vibrant entrepreneurial culture within the University and ensuring the successful execution of incubation, innovation, and startup development programs.

Key Job Responsibilities:

Startup Ecosystem Development: Establish and strengthen university incubation centres and innovation ecosystems; develop startup pipelines from ideation to commercialization; design pre-incubation, incubation and acceleration programmes; create entrepreneurship pathways for students, faculty and alumni.

Incubation Expertise: Startup scouting, startup evaluation, idea validation, Lean Startup, Design Thinking, Customer Discovery, Product-Market Fit, Go-to-Market strategy, MVP development, technology commercialization, investor readiness, pitch preparation, Demo Day management and startup acceleration.

Funding & Grant Management: Mobilize and manage Startup India, SSIP, MSME, DST, BIRAC, CSR, Angel, VC and other funding; prepare DPRs, project proposals, grant applications, utilization certificates and compliance reports.

Industry Collaboration: Develop partnerships with industry, research institutions and government agencies for innovation, technology transfer and startup pilots.

IP & Commercialization: Support patenting, copyrights, trademarks, licensing, technology transfer and commercialization.

Entrepreneurship Programmes & Mentoring: Organize hackathons, ideathons, bootcamps, EDPs, FDPs, investor meets and mentor startups in business planning, legal compliance, fundraising, branding and scaling.

Research & Innovation: Promote innovation-led research, faculty/student startups, product development and industry-sponsored research.

Leadership & Preferred Exposure: Lead institutional innovation strategy with experience in TBI/IIC/NISP/SSIP/Startup India/MSME/DST/BIRAC/AIM/MeitY initiatives preferred.

Job Specifications

Educational Qualification

• Ph.D./ Masters in Management, Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Engineering, Technology, or related disciplines from a recognised university.
• Additional certifications/training in Startup Management, Innovation, Incubation, or Entrepreneurship Development will be preferred.

Experience

• Minimum 05-10 years of relevant experience.
• Experience in managing incubation centres, startup ecosystems, funded projects, or entrepreneurship initiatives is highly desirable.

Skills Required

Technical & Functional Skills

• Startup ecosystem development
• Incubation and accelerator management
• Entrepreneurship development
• Innovation management
• Industry collaboration and networking
• Business strategy and startup mentoring
• Fundraising and grant proposal development
• Policy implementation and compliance
• Intellectual Property (IP) and technology commercialization
• Project and stakeholder management

Behavioral & Leadership Skills

• Visionary leadership
• Strategic thinking
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Relationship management
• Team building and mentoring capabilities
• Problem-solving and decision-making
• Strong networking and collaboration abilities
• Result-oriented and innovative mindset

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Number of startups incubated and graduated
• Funding/grants secured for incubation activities
• Startup success and sustainability metrics
• Industry and investor partnerships established
• Innovation and patent outputs
• Student participation in entrepreneurship initiatives
• Revenue generation and ecosystem impact

Preferred Candidate Profile

• Passionate about innovation, startups, and entrepreneurship.
• Strong industry and startup ecosystem connections.
• Ability to build a nationally recognized incubation ecosystem.
• Experience in working with government innovation schemes and startup policies.
• Capable of mentoring young entrepreneurs and fostering innovation culture.

Skills Required
entrepreneurship development , Innovation Management