This blog highlights a role-based startup simulation approach used by Mr. Ankit Rajak, Regional Mentor (Atal Innovation Mission) and Startup & Entrepreneurship Expert at Incubation Masters, to make entrepreneurship learning more practical and engaging. Instead of traditional lectures, students are assigned real startup leadership roles such as CEO, COO and Marketing Head, and work as teams to solve business challenges. This method builds decision-making skills, leadership ownership, collaboration and confidence, helping students learn to think and respond like real founders. It is a practical and replicable model for universities, EDCs and incubation centers aiming to foster entrepreneurial mindsets.
Developing an entrepreneurial mindset requires more than theoretical knowledge. It requires real decision-making, ownership, collaboration and the ability to view challenges from a founder’s perspective. In today’s classrooms, however, students are surrounded by fast digital content and shifting attention patterns, making traditional lecture-based learning less effective.
To address this, Mr. Ankit Rajak, Regional Mentor of Change at the Atal Innovation Mission and Startup & Entrepreneurship Expert at Incubation Masters, has been applying an experiential, role-based learning model that brings startup thinking directly into the classroom.
During his recent entrepreneurship session with 80+ students at JECRC University, he demonstrated a practical framework that allows students to learn not just about startups, but to think and act like startup leaders.
His core belief guiding this method is:
“When students become the CEO in the room, the learning becomes real.”
The Need in Today’s Learning Environment
Entrepreneurship is not memorization. It is about:
However, when classrooms rely on one-way delivery, the entrepreneurial mindset remains theoretical instead of experiential.
The challenge is clear:
How do we create a learning environment where students practice entrepreneurship, not just study it?
The Startup Role-Based Simulation Approach
Mr. Rajak uses a startup simulation model inside the classroom. Instead of explaining business roles, he lets students live the roles.
How the Model Works
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Students are divided into startup teams.
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Each team is assigned roles such as:
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CEO – overall vision and strategy
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COO – operations and workflow
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CFO – finance and cost decisions
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Marketing Head – branding and outreach
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Sales Lead – customer acquisition strategy
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Research Lead – problem validation and data
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A realistic startup challenge is presented:
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Teams collaborate to analyze, strategize and present their business decisions.
This method turns the session into a live startup boardroom, where students:
Why This Works for Entrepreneurship Skill Development
| Entrepreneurial Skill | Developed Through the Activity |
|---|---|
| Decision Making | Students must choose direction under uncertainty |
| Leadership & Ownership | Roles encourage personal accountability |
| Communication & Pitching | Presentations require clarity and confidence |
| Market & Problem Understanding | Teams must validate and defend their reasoning |
| Team Collaboration | Startup building requires collective effort |
This approach shifts students from learning concepts to applying entrepreneurial thinking.
Many students shared that they may not remember every slide, but they will remember what it felt like to think like a founder. That memory becomes mindset.
Why Incubators and Institutions Should Adopt This Model
This model is especially suitable for:
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Entrepreneurship Development Cells (EDCs)
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Incubation Centers
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Innovation Labs
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Business & Management Programs
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Skill & Employment Missions
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Youth Leadership Workshops
It is:
It builds the foundation for pre-incubation readiness, which is essential before students enter real incubator programs.
Conclusion
Entrepreneurship education is most effective when students get the opportunity to practice leadership, decision-making, and teamwork. The role-based startup simulation approach led by Mr. Ankit Rajak offers a structured and impactful method to nurture these abilities inside the classroom.
By encouraging students to step into entrepreneurial roles, learning becomes a lived experience — one that builds confidence, capability and clarity for future startup journeys.
