BusinessWire India
Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], November 6: CMS Business School, JAIN (Deemed-to-be University), launched Crucible on 2 November 2026, an entrepreneurship programme that turns students with founder potential into founders of real ventures. The programme was inaugurated in the presence of Dr. Chenraj Roychand, Chairman, JAIN University, Dr. Krishna Koppa, Director, CMS Business School, faculty and students, together with partners and advisors of Ascendia Global and EcoDev Solutions, who deliver the programme.
The first cohort of 60 students was selected from over 1,000 who took mpower-u, an AI-assisted assessment of entrepreneurial ability. Working in 12 to 15 balanced teams, they will build ventures over the coming months and pitch them to investors.
Crucible brings to the campus a method that Ascendia Global and EcoDev Solutions have used to develop entrepreneurs in 16 countries across Asia, Africa, Europe and Australia, where more than 5 lakh people have been assessed with mpower-u.
Talent, not transcripts
Most programmes pick students by marks or pitch contests. Crucible picks them by how they make decisions. mpower-u combines behavioural economics, psychology and machine learning to read 12 innate traits behind risk-taking, follow-through and learning. It predicts entrepreneurial ability with over 95% accuracy, verified on data from more than 5 lakh people. Students from any discipline can qualify.
“We want our students to see entrepreneurship as a real path. There are many problems around us that need solving, and many ideas that can become ventures. Society needs more entrepreneurs, and universities have an important role in developing them,” said Dr. Chenraj Roychand, Chairman, JAIN University.
From classroom to investor pitch
The programme begins with 56 hours of hands-on workshops in four parts: discovering each student's strengths; building a founder's mindset and credibility; developing core skills such as leadership, financial acumen, negotiation and resilience; and moving from idea to business model and pitch. Every session uses role-play, case discussions and simulations, with a workbook students keep.
Teams then take their ideas into the field to interview customers, test demand and build a minimum viable product. After investor-readiness training, they pitch to investors. Where a venture fits its goals, Ascendia Global may invest. Teams are mentored throughout by practitioners who have built and run businesses, and support continues as ventures grow.
“A lot of work has gone into creating Crucible. CMS is committed to giving students the support they need to succeed,” said Dr. Krishna Koppa, Director, CMS Business School.
The launch comes as Indian universities are increasingly judged on the founders they produce, not only on placements. In the NIRF Innovation ranking, 36 of 100 points relate to startups and incubation.
“Talent for entrepreneurship is everywhere, but it rarely shows up in a marksheet. We chose these students not for their marks but for the behaviours they show. It is going to be an exciting learning journey: from each other, from entrepreneurs and from investors. Crucible is a safe place to try out ideas, fail and finally get it right, and we will be there to support them throughout,” said Suprita Sinha and Supriyo Guharoy, Partners, Ascendia Global.
“We have spent years finding and building entrepreneurs in 16 countries. Crucible brings that experience to the campus, so students can build real ventures while they study, with people who have built businesses themselves,” said Subrata Rana, Managing Director, EcoDev Solutions.
Developing entrepreneurs in 16 countries
The method behind Crucible has been used at national scale. With BRAC in Bangladesh, one of the world's largest microfinance organisations, mpower-u profiled 1.56 lakh prospective borrowers and selected 1 lakh for loans. It has also been used with the CRISIL Foundation in India and in a livelihoods programme in Sri Lanka. In all, the work of Ascendia Global and EcoDev Solutions has reached 16 countries: India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Laos, Indonesia, Australia, the United Kingdom, Senegal, Ghana, Nigeria, Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique and South Africa.
Speaking to the students, Anirban Banerjee, Advisor, Ascendia Global, said: “A salary is instant gratification; wealth is delayed gratification, and there is no better route to wealth creation than entrepreneurship. Get your first five customers, and it becomes addictive. Keep at it, and there's no reason you can't succeed.”
Students in the first cohort said they were glad to be selected and to learn from people who have built businesses themselves.
For more information, visit www.ascendiaglobal.org
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