AI Summer Residency by IIMA Ventures
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Quick Answer
4–6 week AI residency for STEM undergraduates at IIM Ahmedabad.
- Funding amount
- Varies
- Funding type
- Grant
- Provider
- IIMA Ventures
- Application deadline
- —
- Location
- Open to startups registered in India
Results & next round
Applications for this round are closed. The organiser has not published a selection list that we can verify yet.
Selections for this programme are announced by IIMA Ventures. Official links are listed under Sources below.
We update this page when results are published, and when the next round opens.
About this grant
AI Summer Residency is a high-intensity, 4–6 week in-residence program hosted at the IIM Ahmedabad campus for exceptional STEM undergraduates committed to building AI-first use cases and solutions. Designed and delivered by IIMA Ventures in collaboration with the Krishnamurthy Tandon School of Artificial Intelligence, the program blends the deep-focus environment of an AI lab with the structured rigor of a top-tier accelerator.
The residency is structured into three progressive phases. The first phase centers on team formation and idea discovery, where participants collaborate with other serious builders, explore multiple whitespace opportunities, evaluate potential use cases, and refine a sharply defined problem statement supported by a strong “why now.” Weak ideas are deliberately stress-tested and eliminated early.
The second phase is a rapid build sprint focused on designing and developing a functional MVP within weeks. Participants receive hands-on technical mentorship across areas such as LLM operations, vector databases, agentic workflows, infrastructure trade-offs, and AI tooling decisions. The emphasis is on building solutions that extend beyond hackathon prototypes and classroom experiments into systems capable of real-world deployment.
The final phase culminates in validation and showcase. Teams conduct validation sprints, measure real usage, refine pitches, and prepare structured data rooms. They present their work to founders, corporates, and ecosystem stakeholders connected to IIMA Ventures.
The residency provides cloud credits, AI tools, and LLM/API credits, alongside direct access to AI founders, technical architects, and GTM specialists. By combining immersive in-person collaboration, technical mentorship, and structured exposure to real users, the program is designed to help participants transition from curiosity-driven experimentation to durable, AI-led innovation.
Eligibility
See if you're eligible
Full eligibility criteria — entity type, stage, sector, founder profile and registration requirements — plus your fit for this program. Sign up to view.
Grant providers
IIMA Ventures is the startup incubator of the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIM Ahmedabad). It was known as IIMA-CIIE, and publicly as CIIE.CO, until it rebranded to IIMA Ventures in 2024. CIIE stands for the Centre for Innovation Incubation and Entrepreneurship, the…
Learn moreBenefits & Funding
- Fund type
- Grant
- Equity
- Equity-free
- Repayment
- Non-repayable
What You Get
4-6 week residency with hands-on technical mentorship, idea discovery, MVP development, and validation sprints. Benefits include cloud, AI tool, LLM/API credits, direct access to AI founders/specialists, networking with corporates/stakeholders, and an immersive lab/accelerator environment at IIM Ahmedabad for AI-led innovation.
- Bootstrap friendly
- Yes
Timelines & Process
Selection Process
Applications are evaluated by IIMA Ventures on the applicant's STEM background and genuine commitment to building AI-first solutions. Shortlisted candidates are assessed on their ability to thrive through the program's three phases of idea discovery, MVP build, and validation. A small cohort of exceptional STEM undergraduates is selected for the 4–6 week in-residence program at IIM Ahmedabad.
How to apply
Four steps from draft to disbursement — one action each.
- 1
Draft your application
Answer the form inside the grant tracker — AI drafts each response using your past answers, so you're not starting from a blank page.
- 2
See the questions before you start
Download every question this programme's application form asks, so you can prepare your answers offline before opening the portal.
- 3
Line up your documents
Keep every document from the checklist ready in one folder. Missing docs are the #1 reason applications get bounced.
- 4
Submit on the official portal
Use the official application link and verify all details before final submission.
- 5
Follow up
Reach out 5–7 days after submitting to confirm receipt and ask about the review timeline.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is eligible to apply for the AI Summer Residency?
The program is open to STEM undergraduate students who are comfortable building end-to-end prototypes and are serious about developing AI-first use cases or solutions. Participants must be available for a 4–6 week in-person residency at IIM Ahmedabad.
Is the residency free to attend?
The program is equity-free and there is no equity taken from participants. It provides cloud credits, AI tools, and LLM/API credits as part of the residency support.
What does a typical week in the residency look like?
The residency has three structured phases: team formation and idea discovery in the first phase, a rapid MVP build sprint with technical mentorship in the second, and validation, user testing, and a showcase presentation in the final phase.
Where is the residency held?
The residency takes place in-person at the IIM Ahmedabad campus, hosted by IIMA Ventures in collaboration with the Krishnamurthy Tandon School of Artificial Intelligence.
What kind of projects does the program support?
The program supports AI-first solutions such as LLM applications, agentic workflows, and vector-database-backed systems. Projects must go beyond hackathon prototypes and be capable of real-world deployment.
Are there opportunities to connect with investors?
Yes. Teams present their validated MVPs to founders, corporates, and ecosystem stakeholders connected to IIMA Ventures during the final showcase phase.
Sources
Data on this page is compiled from official program and provider references.
