Masters’ Union launches Road to YC startup acceleration programme

October 19, 2026 /Posted byPrajwal EW / 0

Masters’ Union University has launched ‘Road to YC’, a 12-week startup acceleration programme to help student founders develop technology businesses, build early traction and prepare for applications to Y Combinator (YC) and other global accelerators.

The programme is open to startups with at least one founder from the university’s student ecosystem. It supports founders through idea validation, product development, customer acquisition, market testing and fundraising preparation.

The first cohort comprises six startups led by 10 founders, working across artificial intelligence (AI), education, developer tools and relationship intelligence. The ventures include Cortex, which develops AI agents that replicate individual judgement and communication styles; SuperBrain, a coding agent for large codebases; Cohesivity, which provides backend infrastructure for AI agents; Savra, an AI-powered teaching assistant; and Nexo, an AI agent for professional networking.

Since joining the programme, the cohort has collectively reached more than 7,600 users, conducted over six pilots and generated more than ₹1.45 lakh in revenue. The founders have also secured paying users and enterprise pilots, while six founders or startups have submitted applications to Y Combinator. One founder has been accepted into Entrepreneur First, a global founder programme.

Road to YC includes founder sessions, hackathons, product reviews and workshops on marketing, storytelling and distribution. Participants also receive support with technical development, hiring, positioning, customer acquisition and product strategy. Masters’ Union said the programme is independent of Y Combinator and is intended to prepare founders to pursue opportunities with global accelerators and investors.

The initiative builds on the university’s Venture Initiation Programme (VIP), which has supported more than 80 student startups through problem discovery, product development, customer acquisition and investor readiness. According to the university, 50 VIP-incubated ventures have collectively raised more than ₹320 crore and are projected to generate over ₹530 crore in revenue by FY27.

In 2026, Masters’ Union University also launched MU Ventures, a ₹100 crore early-stage investment platform focused on founders under the age of 25.

The university plans to run successive Road to YC cohorts and expand its network of founders, operators and investors to support technology startups seeking global markets and institutional funding.

Also Read: upGrad and MICA’s digital marketing programme reaches 100 cohorts

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Masters’ Union launches Road to YC startup acceleration programme

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