29 out of 63 – this may not be a stellar performance in a class exam, but in the business of entrepreneurship, it’s simply magical!

When world over the success rate of start-ups is a mere 10 percent, TiE Pune’s Nurture Accelerator program posts 46 percent this year! What’s the secret sauce that is used to deliver such results?

“It begins with weeding out non-serious entrepreneurs. This year we had 400 applications, but we selected only 63. Founders who know where their company is today and where they want it to be in the future are selected. The Nurture Program only helps you carve out that path to where you want your company to be. Those that are not clear about this are not selected.” says Jitendra Tanna, mentor and founder Eternus Solutions.

Once selected, the Nurture mentees go through hands-on training from mentors who are successful entrepreneurs themselves. “This I think is the reason why our program is so successful. Learning from theory and practice makes all the difference” says Darshana Jain, Partner & CEO, Snapper Future Tech.

After one year of mentoring, start-ups graduate based on how far their companies have reached on the path they define at the start of the program. Says Hemant Jalan, mentor and founder Indigo Paints, “generally we used to have companies mainly from the IT sector. But this year was a refreshing change. We had companies from varied sectors like IT, tourism, healthcare, social sector and so on. Also, many of them had already achieved some growth and were at revenues of Rs. One Crore or more. Times are changing!”

Given the calibre of the mentees, 46% of them graduated. The rest go back to their business and can access the lessons and mentors for advice anytime. “Moreover, they can enrol for the next Nurture program. Of course, they do not have to go through the selection process again. But get a chance at success once again.

Chetan Kanani, (www.alpino.store) founder Alpino Health Foods, “I wanted to build an ideal organization that would then be funded.”

Sudhir Patil, (https://elitedali.com) founder Elite Dali says, “the best advice I got from my mentor Anil Tabib was regarding my Sales and Marketing Strategy. He said, “Think Big. And build a dedicated team to realize that dream.”

Nakul Agarwal, (www.uhum.in) founder Uhum whose goal is to ‘democratize happiness, kindness and greatness’ says “my mentors emphasized the importance of launching my app and to keep planning along the way. Also, I was working with volunteers and part-time workers and was shown the need for committed full-time workers.”

Akshay Poorey, (https://dingg.app) co-founder Dingg says, “the best advice I got from my mentors is don’t give up, find a way out for your problem.”

Sagar Godbole, (www.poultryos.com) founder Poultryos a poultry ERP software says, “This program helped me validate my strategy and vision by gurus who have a bird’s eye view and have walked this path at the highest level.”

Sumant Kachru, (www.digiqc.com) founder, Spaceify that’s developed DigiQC that provides digital solutions for authentic inspections that provide actionable insights, says “three words best describe my Nurture experience – the advice was actionable, provided great insights and gave proper guidance.”

Hetal Soni, (www.captainegg.co.in) founder Sunny Side Hospitality says “what really helped my business is to learn and understand all aspects of my niche business that specializes in egg dishes.”

Rajesh Nair (https://earnwealth.in) founder Earn Wealth Solutions P Ltd: “The most valuable advice I got was that I should have a distinct hook that attracts customers and investors to our services.”

Prakash Prajapati and Sushma Patel, (www.restinpee.com) co-founders, RestInPee: “we learnt that success in business is never an accident. It is a result of a structured roadmap that one has to define and follow”