After moving to Delhi from Darbhanga, Bihar, at four, Chandrashekhar Mandal grew up watching daily wage workers gather at roadside labour chowks, waiting for hours in scorching heat to get a daily wage job, only to return home with money that barely made ends meet. This harsh reality stayed with him throughout his schooling, Chartered Accountancy preparation, and subsequent MCom degree at the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU).
Driven by a desire to restore dignity to daily labour, Chandrashekhar, 29, quit his banking job after nine months in 2023 to launch ‘Gaudrika Digital Labour Chowk Private Limited’, a venture registered in Bihar and operating out of Noida. Through its multilingual mobile application, ‘Digital Labour Chowk’, several skilled workers such as carpenters, plumbers, and electricians can find nearby employment opportunities in just a few taps.
“We create digital profiles for workers and connect them to people looking for their services nearby, eliminating the need to wait endlessly at labour markets. Their profiles are linked directly to major projects undertaken by companies such as Tata, Reliance, and Godrej,” says Chandrashekhar. Having connected over 3 lakh workers across 31 states and Union Territories, his venture is now valued at Rs 25 crore. “IGNOU supported us at a critical stage by sponsoring exhibition stalls at major national events and nominating us for awards, giving us vital visibility, networking opportunities, and media coverage,” he adds.
Kannur native Robin Kanattu Thomas, 30, saw his grandfather suffer after a major accident left him immobile due to a lack of proper post-operative care. Holding a BTech in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Kannur University (2014–2018) and an MA in Economics from IGNOU (2021), Robin combined his technical background to design the device with his economics training to shape its financial and pricing model. He launched Astrek Innovations in 2018 in Kannur overcoming early financial hurdles to secure grants for a deep-tech startup.
Robin developed ‘Unik Exo’ – a modular robotic exoskeleton suit designed for mobility rehabilitation in patients with lower-limb impairments. Sold directly to hospitals and rehabilitation centres in Kerala where patients use the device during clinical treatment, the suit costs just a quarter of the price of imported alternatives. Expanding beyond Kerala, Astrek launched a branch in the UAE last year alongside operations in Japan, with its patented suit already helping 72 patients walk again. “IGNOU’s entrepreneurship programmes connected us with experienced founders who guided us through operational hurdles,” says Robin. “Beyond mentorship and IP protection, the university helped me refine our financial planning, from establishing the right pricing strategy to calculating return on investment for long-term sustainability,” he adds.
A similar spirit of problem-solving drives 30-year-old Delhi-born IGNOU alumna Hemlata, who completed her BCA and MCA degrees between 2013 and 2018, turning a frustrating consumer experience into a manufacturing startup. After purchasing an electric scooter from a local vendor for Rs 85,000, she was left stranded when the vehicle broke down and the dealer offered zero after-sales support and limited availability of spare parts.
Hemlata teamed with her batchmate, Ujjaval Kapoor, to strip the vehicle down and reverse-engineer its components. Realising that small vendors lacked indigenous parts and struggled with battery and energy efficiency, the duo saw an opportunity to engineer motor-drive chain systems, a complex domain typically restricted to major automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). In 2025, she founded Metropod EV Private Limited. Registered in Amritsar and operating out of Ghaziabad, the startup customises EVs, including ‘Electra’ for delivery boys and high-power vehicles for tourist rentals in hilly regions.
“IGNOU played a crucial role in protecting our intellectual property by assigning professional attorneys and IP experts from their incubation centre’s panel. They guided us through the process of drafting and filing our applications for patent and design protection,” says Ujjaval Kapoor, CEO, Metropod EV Private Limited.
Breaking Geographic Barriers
The entrepreneurial journey highlights IGNOU’s support that expands beyond traditional tier-I technology hubs. These innovations are largely spearheaded by founders hailing from tier-II and tier-III towns, rural pockets, and remote regions, including Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, the North-East, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
“IGNOU’s National Centre for Innovation in Distance Education (NCIDE) acts as the nodal centre for identifying, training, mentoring and showcasing student and alumni innovators, working in tandem with a nationwide network of 58 regional centres. By drawing on its open, distributed, and technology-enabled learning framework, IGNOU brings learners scattered across the country into a single, connected entrepreneurial ecosystem,” says Prof Uma Kanjilal, vice-chancellor, IGNOU.
“Learners enter this ecosystem through several channels, including the IGNOU Udyami portal, the Virtual Resource and Incubator for Entrepreneurship, Training and Innovation (NVRIETI), startup contests, hackathons, and pre-incubation programmes. Additionally, digital platforms, online workshops, Gyan Darshan broadcasts, and the Virtual Training Lounge allow learners to take part from anywhere in the country,” adds Prof Kanjilal.
Wide Sector Spread
To support the innovators, NCIDE runs structured pre-incubation programmes designed to guide learners from initial ideation to market readiness. These modules cover design thinking, market validation, financial planning, fundraising, legal compliance, and intellectual property protection.
“Learners get the opportunity to present their ventures at demo days, innovators’ meets, exhibitions, Swadeshipreneur Mahotsavs, startup fests and expert evaluation sessions. This gives selected founders an opening to connect with external incubators, government programmes, industry experts, and specialised institutions,” says Jyotsna Dikshit, director, NCIDE, IGNOU.
Currently, as many as 100 student and alumni entrepreneurs are associated with IGNOU, while close to 5,000 students nationwide have participated in capacity-building programmes, mentorship drives, and regional innovation competitions. “Learners are working across an evolving range of sectors, such as sustainable agriculture, healthcare, assistive technologies, mental health, waste management, EdTech, and artificial intelligence,” adds Dikshit.
Next Phase Expansion
To further strengthen this network, IGNOU has setting up an incubation centre at its New Delhi HQ, operating on a hub-and-spoke model linked with innovation hubs across selected regional centres. “The upcoming incubation centre will offer facilities including co-working spaces, mentoring, legal guidance, prototype development, technology transfer, IP support, and direct investor connections,” says Prof Kanjilal.
“The university has already allocated dedicated space at its headquarters, which will house specialised laboratories in EdTech, AI and machine learning, IoT, robotics, 3D printing, and renewable energy,” she adds.
