An essential accelerator for founders struggling with the transition between pre-Series A and Series B, and looking to build systems to strengthen people & culture systems.
Startups at pre-series A/series A are most vulnerable to people-related stresses. These are always costly, and very often fatal. In these stages, the startup has moved on from being a 'group of friends' but hasn't yet become a large, well-resourced machine with clear processes and SOPs. Founders in these stages particularly find themselves overstretched between pushing behind growth and managing operations. The startup faces a tension between 'hustle' and 'SOPs', with no clear path to formalisation. The People & Culture Accelerator by IIMA Ventures at IIM Ahmedabad is designed for pre-Series A/ series A startups struggling with challenges related to talent and people related processes. It includes designed and tested interventions across the spectrum of challenges faced by founders such as hiring, performance management, building culture, being a leader etc.
Kickoff with a 3-day residential bootcamp at the IIM Ahmedabad campus in Ahmedabad. Includes masterclasses, workshops and networking sessions by IIMA Ventures’ Partners, IIMA Professors and industry leading subject matter experts. This is where we share the foundational knowledge required for all founders in their people management journey.
Two bespoke clinics to aid diagnosing barriers and enable problem solving for each participating startup. Based on their needs, startups can choose their problem statement or arrive at one in consultation with IIMA Ventures experts.
12 weekly virtual townhalls for the entire cohort - where we leverage the do it together model of ideating the most effective approaches to unique challenges. These discussions will be curated so as to identify unique challenges and suggest solutions pre-emptively, using peer groups' experiences.
Participants of the People & Culture will be part of an exclusive community of like-minded founders and leaders. This community will be available to share first-hand knowledge, as well as to volunteer to solve unique and contextual people & culture challenges for their peer community members.
The People & Culture accelerator offers participants toolkits to surface their unique people & culture challenges, as well as exhaustive checklists, and hacks to formalise processes and systems as they grow.
Growing as a startup requires founders to mature from innovation / tech experts into leaders with their own leadership styles. The People & Culture accelerator provides founders the opportunity to access coaching related to people & culture leadership.
Finding the right talent, overcoming hiring biases to your advantage, articulating startups’ advantages over competitors to prospective employees, hiring on a budget, and more.
Composites of a “fantastic” offer, structuring ESOPs, “total rewards” and much more.
How to not lose momentum because of attrition, planning better, discerning high value talent, designing seamless exit processes
Strategy-structure & systems-competency-behaviour, formalisation.
Building in role clarity, defining HR’s role. Connecting planning, hiring, and proactive identification of resources to strategy.
Designing processes that work, setting goals and tracking goals, communicating for outcome.
Role evolution through growth, leadership & culture, building strong teams, managing conflict.
Leadership skills: Delegation, people skills, managing difficult conversations, crisis management.
When to look for a co-founder, onboarding and building synergy with co-founders, equity splits
HR tech, AI, and managing “WFH” behaviour lags
The People & Culture Accelerator is designed for founders of startups at pre-series A/series-A stages, ideally with a team size of up to 30 employees.
We invite founders from all sectors.
If you are a people & culture leader in the indicated growth stage and the above challenges are pressing pain points for you – we encourage you to apply.
