MediaTek's Future Minds to train 6,000 school students in 30 states as founders
Representative image: picjumbo_com / Pixabay
Launched on October 12, 2026, Future Minds will give 6,000 students in Classes 8-12 a year of start-up training and pitching, ending in a May 2027 showcase.
What Happened
Chipmaker MediaTek and the entrepreneurship education company ThinkStartup on October 12, 2026 launched Future Minds, a year-long programme that aims to teach 6,000 school students from underserved backgrounds how to turn an idea into a small venture. The companies announced it at India Mobile Congress 2026. Students in Classes 8 to 12 across 30 states will take part, and the programme is due to end in May 2027 with a national showcase of ventures built by the students themselves.
Key Facts
- Name: Future Minds, run as a corporate social responsibility (CSR) project of MediaTek.
- Reach: 6,000 students from Classes 8 to 12, spread over 30 states.
- Delivery: ThinkStartup runs it with the Management & Entrepreneurship and Professional Skills Council (MEPSC), a skills body.
- Schools named: Eklavya Model Residential Schools, Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas and PM Shri Schools, among other government and foundation-supported schools.
- Content: ideation, business basics and money management, live masterclasses by founders who studied at the IITs, a guided "TS Idea Lab" and monthly pitch sessions.
- Finish line: a national showcase of student ventures in May 2027, which the company has timed to its 30th anniversary.
- Format: the programme is delivered digitally, so students in small towns and rural areas can take part without travelling.
Why It Matters
Most start-up programmes in India begin at college, in incubators attached to engineering and management institutes. Students in residential schools for tribal children, rural Navodaya schools and small-town government schools rarely meet a founder, let alone pitch an idea to one. Future Minds tries to move that first contact earlier, to the school years of roughly 13 to 17, and to place it in the kind of schools that metro-focused accelerators usually miss.
The schools on the list matter. Eklavya Model Residential Schools serve tribal students, and Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas pick talented children largely from rural districts. Putting a structured entrepreneurship course into these schools gives students a vocabulary for business, from costing a product to explaining it to a customer, that many of their urban peers pick up at home.
The monthly pitch sessions are the most practical part. Speaking about an idea, taking questions and revising it is a skill that carries over to college interviews, scholarship applications and later to investors. A national showcase at the end also gives the strongest student teams a stage and, possibly, a first set of contacts.
There are limits to keep in mind. The programme is a company CSR project, and the details released so far come from the organisers. They have not said how students or schools are chosen, how much is being spent, or whether winning teams will receive grants or seed money. Students and teachers who want to take part should watch for official notices through their schools and the organisers.
| Detail | What has been announced |
|---|---|
| Launched | October 12, 2026, at India Mobile Congress 2026 |
| Students | 6,000 in Classes 8 to 12 |
| Spread | 30 states |
| Partners | MediaTek, ThinkStartup, MEPSC |
| End point | National student-venture showcase, May 2027 |
Impact
Short-term: Participating schools will begin digital sessions on ideation and business basics, with monthly pitch days that push students to present and defend their ideas.
Long-term: If it works, a few thousand teenagers from rural and tribal schools will reach college with a basic grasp of how a venture is built, which could widen the pool of founders beyond the big cities.
Who is affected: Students in Classes 8 to 12 at the selected government and foundation-run schools, their teachers, and the founders who will mentor them.
Key Takeaway
Future Minds brings a year of start-up training, mentoring and pitching to 6,000 school students in 30 states, ending in a national showcase in May 2027.
Questions and Answers
Who can join the Future Minds programme?
It is meant for students in Classes 8 to 12 from underserved backgrounds, through partner schools such as Eklavya Model Residential Schools, Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas and PM Shri Schools. The organisers have not published an open application process for individual students.
What will students actually learn?
The course covers how to develop an idea, basic business and finance, and how to pitch. It includes live masterclasses from founders who studied at the IITs, a guided idea lab and a pitch session every month.
Is there a prize or funding at the end?
The programme ends in May 2027 with a national showcase of student-led ventures. The organisers have not announced any cash prize, grant or investment for the teams so far.
Who is running and paying for it?
MediaTek funds it as a corporate social responsibility project. ThinkStartup delivers it together with the Management & Entrepreneurship and Professional Skills Council.
Disclaimer: Prepared by the Peepals newsroom from publicly available sources with AI assistance. Information is accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication and may change. Images may be representative. Not professional advice. Report an error via our contact page.
Sourced and fact-checked by the Peepals Global Editorial Team
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Reported, fact-checked and published by the Peepals Global Editorial Team.
