FAQs

About the program

1. What is the JGI IDEA program?

JGI iDEA is a Post Graduate Program in Entrepreneurial Leadership with Guaranteed Incubation of a student’s Business Idea. The Program is comparable in rigor and content to other management education program offered by global business schools. The program is spread in 3 phases of 10 months, 08 months & 12 months. In the first phase, the student will be trained on the “how and why” of business ventures in a world-class residential campus in Bangalore. Phase 2 consist of International Business Exposure and Business Plan Development and in the last phase the student’s business is incubated with complete mentoring and active assistance in terms of networking, funding, customer and acquisition provided by JGi Ventures, as well as shared services support.

2. Is the PGP similar to the Executive MBA program offered by several business schools?

Yes. As mentioned above, the Post Graduate Program is similar in rigor to a regular two-year full-time MBA program offered by global business schools, but its design in terms of content and pedagogy , it is very different from a standard MBA program, in the sense that the focus of our program is totally on entrepreneurship as compared to any standard MBA

3. Is the program recognised?

Yes, JGI iDEA has been formally recognised as a Post Graduate Diploma course in Business Leadership by the only Govt. recognised entrepreneurship body in India namely the Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India EDI (http://www.ediindia.org/). The course has been structured similarly to other reputed governmental institutions like IIM’s which offer the same certifications (http://www.iimb.ernet.in/postgraduate).

The students of this program not only graduate with certificates from JGI & EDI but also will be awarded International Certificates from Himerer University, AIM & Zian School, hence in total you will graduate with 5 international certificates.

Your entrepreneurial project will also be endorsed by JGI and EDI along with letters from respective well known organisations

Admission Criteria

1. What are the admission criteria for the JGI IDEA program?

The eligibility criteria are –

Students must possess a/graduate or post-graduate degree in any discipline.

Short-listed applicants will have to undergo as succesive rounds, a psychometric test, an assessment centre session and a final interview and will be interviewed as a part of the selection process.

Application Process

1. Where do I get a copy of the application form?

The IDEA’s entire application process is available online. You will therefore need access to an internet enabled computer to apply to the program. You will also need to scan some documents to be uploaded and will therefore need access to a scanner. (Paper applications are available on request).

2. Does the entire application need to be completed within one session?

No. You can complete the online application in multiple sessions and have the option to save parts of the application as you proceed.

3. Do I also need to submit a printed copy of the application form once I have submitted it online?

No. We will not require you to send a printed copy of the application form, if you are submitting the same online. The converse is also true, i.e. if you submit a hard copy of the application form, you need not submit it online.

4. How do I send in my academic transcripts/mark sheets, other documents and photographs required as part of the application?

If you are submitting the application form online, all you need to upload along with are a photograph and scanned copies of your final year marks-sheets and the degree certificate.

If you are submitting the hard copy of the application form, the photograph needs to be pasted onto the form and the photocopies of the transcripts and the degree certificate have to be annexed to the application form.

At a later stage, as you progress in the admission process or just before selection, you will be required to produce the originals of your transcripts and degree certificate for verification.

5. How can my referees submit their recommendation forms?

They can submit the reference letters online, for which there is a specific format, or they can submit the same as hard copies.

6. What are the tests used to screen candidates for this program?

You are required to take a psychometric test that measures your aptitude towards entrepreneurship. Based on the results of this test, you will be shortlisted for an assessment centre, which is a basket of exercises and business simulations in which you will be required to participate. The final shortlisted candidates after both the above will be called in for face-to-face panel interviews.

Interviews

1. Do you have a GD/Personal Interview as part of the admission criteria?

As a part of the admission process, all the final short listed candidates will be interviewed. There is no group discussion.

2. What will be the mode of my interview if I am overseas at the time of interview?

You will be interviewed over telephone or through skype. You have to call the telephone number given in the interview communication sent to you.

Fees

1. Can I pay the tuition fees in installments?

Tuition fees can be paid in two installments, a major part in year 1 and the rest in year 2.

2. Are there different fee structures for Indian and International students?

International students will need to pay the fees in USD and will be slightly higher than the fees students who are Indian nationals.

3. Are the tuition fees refundable in full or in part?

The tuition fees are not refundable under any circumstances, even partially.

4. Can I get a student loan to finance my enrollment into the program?

Yes, student loan are available; we have associated ourselves with CREDILA, a division of HDFC which is offering students of this program loans on soft terms.

Housing

1. Are all students required to live on campus?

Given the rigor of the course, which includes sports as a part of the curriculum and The IDEA program aim to build a small but highly interactive campus community, it is a fully residential program for all students.

2. How about accommodation during our international travel in the program?

All accommodation during the international travel will be taken care of by JGI, as well as the living requirements of students during the travel.

Program

1. What is the structure of the program?

The total IDEA program end-to-end is for 30 months, which is segmented into three parts:

• 10 months of experiential coursework, that also includes project fieldwork, and the “entrepreneurial excellence seminar series”

• 4 months of international business exposure

• 4 months of action learning

• 12 months of incubation with Shared Services support

For more details, please visit www.jgiidea.org

2. Who are the faculty for the program?

Faculty for the program are all visiting faculty, who are distinguished professionals from industry and academia and some of them are also practicing entrepreneurs themselves.

3. If I am already an MBA or an experienced professional, can I get a waiver on the course work?

We would recommend that you go through the coursework irrespective of your qualification or work experience, simply because this is totally oriented to entrepreneurship. You will gain a thorough understanding of the context and be better prepared and more confident to launch your venture if you go through the coursework than if you don’t. However, if you would like to only explore incubation and downstream support, then you will need to discuss that separately with the institution’s management.

4. What is Project Fieldwork?

“Project fieldwork” is the term used to describe an assignment resembling a short duration internship during the first ten months of the program, wherein you will be temporarily placed in a small scale or medium scale venture to work alongside business leaders and CEOs. You will be expected to submit a report at the end of this fieldwork.

5. What is the exact certificate or degree that I will get at the end of the program and when will I receive the same?

You will receive a “Post Graduate Certification in Entrepreneurial Leadership” jointly issued by JGI and EDI at the end of 18 months of the program, when you present and get your final business plan approved.

International visits

1. Which countries will I get to visit during the program ?

You will visit the Heimerer School in Germany (for 2 months), China and Hong Kong (15 days) and the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) in the Philippines (15 days).

2. How have these countries and the institutions therein been chosen, i.e. on what basis ?

We have selected Germany as a representative of a developed economy, since Germany is a leading economical power in Europe and has a reputation for quality and precision; China and Hong Kong from the perspective of mass production, scale, sourcing, supply chain and logistics, and Philippines from the perspective of entrepreneurship development in Southeast Asia in another developing economy. In Germany, the Heimerer School is one of the top 3 management education schools. AIM is referred to as the “Harvard of Southeast Asia” and is one of the leading entrepreneurship and management institutions in this part of the world.

IDEA

1. Do I need to have a business idea before I enroll into the program?

It is good if you have thought of a business idea before enrolling into the iDEA program, but it is not mandatory .we are looking for motivated individuals who have the spark and passion to become an entrepreneur.

2. What if I change my idea during the training?

The IDEA program is designed in such a way that you may decide during the course of the program to change your business idea that you may have thought of earlier; hence we can change or enhance the business idea if required during the program.

INCUBATION

1. Is Incubation of my company guaranteed?

YES – the crux of the whole IDEA program is to start new ventures, hence we will guarantee you funds when we incubate the company; however, your business idea should be viable and innovative to a reasonable extent, to deliver value to a customer.

2. How much funds are guaranteed?

This will depend on the business plan that you conceive during the program and its assessment by the funding authority; our aim will be to provide you as much support as possible ; however, funding is guaranteed in principle provided your business idea is approved.

3. How are the stakes in the business shared between me and JGI?

Again, this will depend on the business plan, its novelty and feasibility. The stakes will be decided only after assessment and discussion between you and the funding authority, you’re your business plan is approved.

4. What is the framework of incubation in terms of funding and stakes i.e. will it be debt or equity?

The framework of incubation could either be equity or debt or a combination of both, depending on the actual business plan per se. Business plans will be evaluated on a case to case basis, each on its own merit. There is no fixed formula to decide this, and will therefore depend on the actual business plan under consideration.

5. If I already have an existing business, how can this program help me in terms of incubation or funding?

For existing businesses, we can provide funding for growth and / or diversification, again depending on your expansion and / or diversification plans, which will need to be assessed by the funding authorities.

6. What are shared services?

Shared Services is a term used for a basket of functions that enable and support the establishment and operations of any business. In today’s business environment, any business needs to be enabled by functions such as Finance, Marketing, HR, Administration and Legal. The integration of all these function under a single broad umbrella will be available to all incubated businesses, are outcomes of this program, free of cost for the first 12 months.after incubation.

7. Can I continue to avail of Shared Services Support beyond 12 months of the program?

Yes, you can; however, this will be at a fee beyond the 12 months of incubation.