AI Summer Residency by IIMA Ventures

The AI Summer Residency is an intensive 4–6 week programme hosted in-person at the IIM Ahmedabad campus, built for STEM undergraduates eager to develop AI-first products. Organised by IIMA Ventures together with the Krishnamurthy Tandon School of Artificial Intelligence, the residency brings the rigour of an AI lab together with the structure of a top accelerator.

Participants move through three clear phases. During the initial phase, they form teams, discover ideas, assess whitespaces, evaluate use cases, and refine their problem statements. Weak ideas are deliberately challenged and killed early. The second phase is a focused build sprint where the team designs and launches a functional MVP in just a few weeks. Technical mentorship covers LLM operations, vector databases, agentic workflows, infrastructure trade-offs, and AI tooling — far beyond hackathon prototypes. In the third phase, teams run validation sprints, track usage metrics, refine pitches, and build data rooms, ending with a presentation to founders, corporate executives, and ecosystem partners linked to IIMA Ventures.

Alongside mentorship, participants receive cloud credits, AI tool credits, and LLM / API credits. They also get direct exposure to AI founders, technical architects, and go-to-market specialists. By focusing on in-person collaboration and real-user feedback, the programme helps undergraduates turn their curiosity into robust, AI-driven innovation.

• Residency lasts 4–6 weeks in person at the IIM Ahmedabad campus.
• Open exclusively to STEM undergraduate students.
• Programme covers AI-first idea discovery, MVP building, and validation sprints.
• Includes cloud credits, AI tool credits, and LLM/API credits.
• Access to AI founders, technical architects, and GTM specialists.
• Networking with corporate executives and ecosystem partners.

The programme is open to STEM undergraduate students who are comfortable building end-to-end prototypes and serious about pursuing AI-first use cases. It suits undergraduates interested in either entrepreneurship or early-stage AI roles. All participants must commit to the entire 4–6 week in-person residency at IIM Ahmedabad.

Eligibility details:

• Education level: Undergraduate STEM students.
• Stage of venture: Idea or product stage (no established companies).
• Entity type: Individuals only (no registered companies).
• DPIIT registration: Not required.
• MSME registration: Not applicable.
• Geographic limits: Pan-India – there is no state restriction.
• Industries focused: AI-first products, particularly AI SaaS and enterprise applications.
• Founder requirement: Must be a student.

AI Summer Residency by IIMA Ventures is open to startups at the idea and product stage working in ai saas enterprise. It is open to startups registered anywhere in India. Applicants should be registered as individual.

AI Summer Residency by IIMA Ventures accepts applications on a rolling basis — there is no fixed cut-off date, so eligible startups can apply at any time. Because rolling programmes can pause without notice, confirm the window is still open on the official site before you start.

Chosen participants gain:

• A 4–6 week in-person residency at IIM Ahmedabad with a structured curriculum of idea discovery, MVP development, and validation sprints.
• Hands-on technical mentorship covering LLM operations, vector databases, agentic workflows, infrastructure trade-offs, and AI tooling.
• Cloud credits, AI tool credits, and LLM/API credits to support building and testing.
• Direct access to AI founders, technical architects, and go-to-market specialists.
• Networking opportunities with corporate executives and ecosystem stakeholders connected to IIMA Ventures.
• An immersive environment similar to a global AI lab and accelerator, enabling the creation of use cases that can spin out into independent products or companies.

Note: This is a grant-based programme. No equity is taken. The amount of direct cash funding is not disclosed — benefits are primarily credits, mentorship, and resources.

AI Summer Residency by IIMA Ventures is offered by IIMA Ventures, an academic institution. It is delivered directly by IIMA Ventures as a grant. You can verify current details and timelines on the provider's official website before applying.

Applications are reviewed by IIMA Ventures. The evaluation looks at each applicant’s STEM background and genuine enthusiasm for building AI-first solutions. Candidates who are shortlisted are assessed on their ability to succeed through all three stages of the residency: idea discovery, MVP building, and validation. A small cohort comprising only exceptional STEM undergraduates is then selected for the in-person programme at IIM Ahmedabad.

Before you apply to AI Summer Residency by IIMA Ventures, keep these documents ready — note the program-specific requirements at the top:

• Certificate of incorporation showing your startup is registered as individual
• A pitch deck or short business plan describing the problem, product and traction
• Company registration documents and PAN
• Founder identification (PAN / Aadhaar) and brief profiles
• Recent financial statements or projections
• Product details — a demo, prototype or working link if available

Exact requirements are confirmed on the official application portal — treat this as a preparation checklist.

AI Summer Residency by IIMA Ventures is best suited for idea and product-stage ai saas enterprise startups in India seeking non-dilutive funding. If that describes your startup, review the eligibility criteria above before applying.