One in three Indian students say lack of mentorship blocks start-up dreams: Report

Over a third of university students in India see the absence of mentorship as the biggest hurdle to launching their own businesses, a new report has revealed.

The study, Youth Entrepreneurship and Start-up Governance: Guiding the Next Generation of Leaders Towards Stability and Success, found that 35 per cent of students surveyed identified a lack of mentorship as their most significant challenge, while 22 per cent cited funding constraints and 24 per cent pointed to inadequate guidance on legal and financial matters.

The report, based on insights from 1,000 students across Indian universities and 200 industry professionals—including founders, CXOs, investors and ecosystem experts—was released during the Leadership Summit organised by BML Munjal University.

Findings show that nearly three out of four students expressed a strong intention to start their own ventures, reflecting entrepreneurship’s growing appeal as a mainstream career choice. However, barriers such as limited access to mentors and practical guidance remain persistent.

Governance, often viewed as a bureaucratic necessity, is now being seen as a growth enabler. More than half of the industry respondents regarded governance as crucial for long-term stability and scalability, while 33 per cent said it was the weakest area among youth-led start-ups. The research found that ventures with structured board oversight, transparent reporting and ethical frameworks tended to earn greater investor trust.

Transparency and social impact emerged as the most influential factors shaping investor confidence, followed closely by founder credibility.

The report also underscored the critical role of universities in shaping responsible entrepreneurship. Nearly half of the students credited their universities with contributing meaningfully to their entrepreneurial development, and 89 per cent supported adding courses on ethics and financial accountability to the curriculum. Yet, only 9.6 per cent considered current incubation programmes to be highly effective, indicating a gap in university–industry collaboration.

“This year’s Leadership Report highlights a defining shift in how young entrepreneurs view success — from chasing scale at any cost to building responsibly,” said Jolly Masih, Chair of the Leadership Summit. “The next wave of unicorns will not just be driven by innovation, but by integrity, governance, and financial discipline. As educators, it is our responsibility to nurture this mindset early, so that ambition and accountability grow hand in hand.”