Mesa School of Business Raises ₹110 Crore in Series A Funding
Mesa School of Business, an Indian startup‑focused business school based in Bengaluru and founded in 2023 by Ankit Agarwal and Varun Limaye, announced the closing of a ₹110 crore Series A round. The round comprises approximately ₹85 crore of equity financing co‑led by Dharana Capital and existing investor Elevation Capital, together with ₹25 crore of venture debt provided by InnoVen Capital and Alteria Capital.
The capital will be allocated across three strategic pillars: (i) strengthening the leadership team and building capabilities for AI‑first programme design and delivery; (ii) deepening strategic partnerships with leading startups to shape curricula, provide industry‑led projects, mentorship and job opportunities; and (iii) launching and scaling new programmes aimed at the AI era.
Mesa’s educational model is residential and experiential; every student builds and runs a small business and applies AI to develop a tech product. Since its inception, the school has expanded from a single postgraduate cohort to more than 550 students enrolled in three programmes: a one‑year Post‑Graduate Programme in Startup Leadership, a four‑year undergraduate programme in Business & Entrepreneurship, and “Forge,” a one‑year programme for fresh graduates.
Alumni outcomes show an average cost‑to‑company (CTC) of ₹26 lakh, with the top 25 percent earning an average of ₹36.5 lakh. All placed graduates joined top startups such as Zomato, Zepto, Urban Company, Scapia and Comet, with 58 percent taking founder‑facing roles and nearly 20 percent launching their own ventures.
The Mesa Startup Lab, an in‑house residency, currently incubates over 50 student‑run startups. Collectively, these ventures have raised more than ₹25 crore in external funding and grants and report an annual revenue run‑rate exceeding ₹50 crore. Notable backers of the lab’s portfolio include Nikhil Kamath, Ronnie Screwvala, Campus Fund, BeyondSeed, Foundery, i‑Venture@ISB and IdeaBaaz; one of the portfolio companies, Mumbai Pav Co., has raised ₹9 crore.
Prominent Indian entrepreneurs such as Kunal Shah (CRED), Vidit Aatrey (Meesho), Abhiraj Bhal (Urban Company) and Vijay Shekhar Sharma (Paytm) are among the school’s supporters. Two student founders have already appeared on “Shark Tank India.”
Commenting on the raise, Vamsi Duvvuri, Founder and Managing Partner of Dharana Capital, highlighted the disconnect between higher education and modern tech roles, asserting that Mesa is bridging the gap for an AI‑first world. Mukul Arora, Co‑Managing Partner of Elevation Capital, emphasized the need to rebuild higher education for the AI era and expressed confidence in Mesa’s mission. Co‑founders Ankit Agarwal and Varun Limaye reiterated the school’s focus on hands‑on business creation, AI application on live problems, and the importance of preparing students for roles that cannot be automated.
Mesa School of Business positions itself as “India’s Stanford,” aiming to produce graduates equipped with operational capabilities that meet the evolving demands of startups and emerging technology sectors.
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