Masai School Launches LEAP Founders’ Cohort: A Build-First Journey for India’s Next Startup Leaders. Image caption - First row: Ishendra Agarwal, Amit Agarwal and Ankush Sachdeva; second row: Farid Ahsan, Harshvardhan Lunia and Arpita Aditi; third row: Abhishek Goyal. Bangalore, October 19, 2026 - Masai School today announced LEAP Founders’ Cohort, an immersive, build-first programme for aspiring founders. No theory, just real problems and real solutions in front of real people where Masai takes 0% equity and 0% revenue share. The programme follows a three-phase journey. Three days in person in Goa, six weeks of online building, and two days in Bangalore, where teams that clear the qualifying criteria pitch directly to investors.
Admission is selective, and every application is reviewed thoroughly. Once inside, participants learn from founders who have collectively raised over $2.4 billion, and work in mentor pods of 10 -15 founders at a similar stage. The roster includes Farid Ahsan (ShareChat co-founder; General Autonomy), Ankush Sachdeva (ShareChat), Amit Agarwal (NoBroker), Harshvardhan Lunia (Lendingkart), Ishendra Agarwal (GIVA), Arpita Aditi (Dil Foods) and Abhishek Goyal (Tracxn, NSE-listed).
The cohort comes at a time when India's startup story is shifting from who can raise to who can build. The founders teaching in the programme built their companies here, across social media, proptech, lending, jewellery, food and startup data. Investors expected at the Pitch event include India Quotient, Capria Ventures and Prana Ventures. Funding is however not guaranteed; the pitch is the point.
Prateek Shukla, CEO and Founder of Masai School, said, "Starting a company cannot be learnt in a classroom. Founders need to make decisions with real constraints, build something people will use and learn from those results. The LEAP Founders’ Cohort creates that environment: founders learn alongside people who have built companies in India, test their ideas with users and earn the right to pitch to investors what they have built. Masai's bet is that the next generation of Indian companies shouldn't need a famous address, an insider network or a stake given away up front. "
LEAP Founders Cohort: https://www.masaischool.com/leap/founders-cohort
About Masai School
Masai School is an outcome-driven career institute committed to unlocking India’s untapped and underutilised talent. Through an innovative approach to higher education and career-focused learning, Masai equips individuals with the skills and practical experience required to pursue some of the most in-demand roles in the global job market. Its mission is to make education outcome-driven, expanding access to meaningful career opportunities and enabling individuals to realise their full potential.
Extending its commitment beyond career readiness, Masai also offers a build-first programme for aspiring founders, enabling learners to identify and solve real-world problems through practical, hands-on execution. The initiative provides a structured pathway from skill development to entrepreneurship, without taking any equity or revenue share. By supporting both professional and entrepreneurial aspirations, Masai continues to focus on creating meaningful, long-term outcomes for its learners. https://www.masaischool.com/