For a long time, the startup world and the classroom lived in separate buildings. Students studied, graduated, and only then went looking for a first job, and if they dreamed of building something of their own, that came later still. Founders and investors, meanwhile, spent their time backing people who were already well into their careers. That gap is starting to close. With the launch of The Anandi Fellowship, a new initiative from Bombay Shaving Company, some of India’s best-known founders and investors are choosing to back students while they are still in Class 11, Class 12 or the first year of college.
Quick Overview:
The Anandi Fellowship is a new programme that finds young people with entrepreneurial potential through the Anandi-NEAT test, then backs 10 of them every year with a college scholarship, paid summer internships at top startups and VC firms, a job offer on graduation, and seed funding if they start a company. No startup or prior experience is needed, and NEXIS School of Business in Siliguri is a venue partner for the test.
In this Article:
What Is The Anandi Fellowship?
The Anandi Fellowship is an initiative of Bombay Shaving Company, led by founder and CEO Shantanu Deshpande. Its idea is simple: entrepreneurship is usually discovered much later than it should be, and by then, access, networks and money have already decided who gets a shot at building something.
So the fellowship looks earlier. It is open to students in Class 11, Class 12 and the first year of undergraduate study, at any school or college in India. Every year, it selects 10 students who show strong entrepreneurial acumen, and it stays with them through college. The stated mission is that the top startups of 2037 should have been founded by Anandi Fellows.
It is also not a replacement for college. Fellows pursue the course and institution of their choice, and the programme actively discourages dropping out.
Why Backing Students Early Changes the Game
Traditionally, students meet the startup world through a final-year internship, a campus placement, or not at all. Investing in them before graduation shifts three things:
- Exposure starts earlier: Instead of learning how a company runs from a textbook, students spend every summer inside one.
- Potential matters more than a pedigree: Selection is built around acumen and grit, not a ready-made startup, a prototype or a network.
- The path becomes long-term: The fellowship treats entrepreneurship as a long game, with selection, apprenticeship, inspiration and perseverance as four stages, and supports the first two during college.
The result is a different kind of graduate, one who has already worked with founders, seen how decisions get made, and built a network before the first day of a full-time job.
What Anandi Fellows Actually Get
The package is built to support a student from college through to their first company:
A College Scholarship
₹1 lakh per year for every year of college, whichever college and course the fellow chooses, as long as they graduate.
Paid Pit-Stop Internships
Three to four rotational summer internships, called Pit-Stop Internships, with 30+ partner mentor organisations including startups, established companies and venture capital firms. The stipend is ₹1 lakh per month, or ₹2 lakh per summer. Partner mentors include founders and leaders from companies such as Urban Company, boAt, Country Delight, Mosaic Wellness, Atomberg and Z47.
A Job Offer on Graduation
On completing college and the internships, fellows are offered a fast-track Entrepreneur-in-Residence role at Bombay Shaving Company at ₹25 lakh per annum. A partner mentor organisation can also offer an equivalent role.
Seed Funding for Their Own Startup
If a fellow founds a company before turning 27, Bombay Shaving Company will invest ₹1 crore for 10% equity, with no questions asked, if the fellow chooses to take it.
How Selection Works: Anandi-NEAT and the Grit Bootcamp
Getting in happens in two stages.
Stage 1: Anandi-NEAT 2026
The Nationwide Entrepreneurial Acumen Test is a 2-hour pen-and-paper exam in the first week of December, with a mix of multiple-choice and subjective questions. It covers quantitative reasoning, logic and inferencing, data interpretation and verbal reasoning, general awareness and business judgement. There is no coaching requirement. The official advice on how to prepare is a single word: read.
Stage 2: The Grit Bootcamp
The top 50 rankers are invited to Gurgaon from 7 to 9 May 2027 for a three-day in-person evaluation with group discussions, personal interviews, case study competitions, business simulations and physical endurance circuits. Partner mentors sit on the evaluation team. It tests resilience, perseverance, toughness, positivity, ambiguity management and character. Travel and stay are covered, including one parent or guardian per invitee.
At the end, 10 students become Anandi Fellows. The other 40 receive a Certificate of Excellence and a one-time cash prize of ₹20,000, and stay on the network’s radar through college.
Where NEXIS Fits In
For students in North Bengal, Sikkim and the surrounding hills, a national test can feel far away. NEXIS School of Business in Siliguri is a venue partner for the programme, helping bring the opportunity closer to students in this part of the country.
It is a natural fit. The fellowship’s belief that students learn best by working alongside real businesses, and as early as possible, is one we recognise from our own classrooms, where first-year internships, weekly masterclasses and live consulting projects have always been part of the plan. You can read how that plays out in our post on first-year internships at NEXIS.
What to Know Before You Register
The official website, theanandifellowship.com, is the best place to get accurate, up-to-date information. Here is what students and parents should check there:
- Eligibility: Students in Class 11, Class 12 and the first year of undergraduate study. No startup, revenue or experience is required.
- Dates and fee: Registrations close on 15 October 2026, and the registration fee is ₹199 (non-refundable). Anandi-NEAT is held in the first week of December.
- What to keep ready: Your 10th standard marksheet, a passport photo and a parent or guardian’s consent. Your phone number is your registration ID and is verified by OTP.
- Exam clashes: The test and bootcamp dates have been planned around board and competitive exams.
- Help: The team can be reached at support@theanandifellowship.com if you run into problems registering.
One more thing worth knowing: the fellowship explicitly discourages performative entrepreneurship, meaning rushed prototypes or projects built only for social media or a resume. What it looks for is curiosity, reasoning, judgement and grit, and these are built through reading, real experience and real problems.
Whether or not you become one of the 10, preparing for a test like this, and thinking seriously about business this early, puts you ahead. If you’d like to see where a hands-on business education can take you next, explore admissions at NEXIS or book a campus tour.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is The Anandi Fellowship?
An initiative of Bombay Shaving Company that selects 10 students a year from Class 11, Class 12 and first-year undergraduates, and supports them with a scholarship, paid internships, a job offer and seed funding.
Who can register for Anandi-NEAT 2026?
Students in Class 11, Class 12 and the first year of undergraduate study at any school or college in India. No startup or prior experience is needed.
Do I need coaching to prepare?
No. The fellowship does not require coaching or a prep course. The official advice is to read widely and build strong reasoning and business judgement.
Can I still go to any college and study any course?
Yes. Fellows choose their own college and course, and the fellowship discourages dropping out.
How much do fellows earn during internships?
Pit-Stop Internships pay a stipend of ₹1 lakh per month, which is ₹2 lakh per summer.
What is NEXIS’s role in Anandi-NEAT?
NEXIS School of Business in Siliguri is a venue partner for the programme, helping make the test more accessible to students in North Bengal, Sikkim and nearby regions.
