Manager / Sr. Manager – Programs

Company: IIMA Ventures Location: Ahmedabad (with frequent travel required)

About IIMA Ventures

IIMA Ventures (formerly known as CIIE) is the Innovation Continuum for fearless entrepreneurs, built at IIM Ahmedabad, and has grown and pivoted to address the multiple emergent gaps in India's innovation-driven entrepreneurship ecosystem. The organization has coached over 25,000 founders and accelerated more than 2,800 startups, providing capital to over 700 companies.

About the Role

This is a Program Management role where you'll own the end-to-end lifecycle of startup incubation/acceleration programs — from scouting and evaluating startups (including investment due diligence), to supporting portfolio startups, to managing relationships with internal teams, external partners, funders, and investors. You'll be hands-on with both the operational/reporting side of running programs and the stakeholder-facing side of building IIMA Ventures' startup ecosystem in Ahmedabad and beyond. The role requires frequent travel.

What You Will Do

1. Own the full program lifecycle from planning and execution to evaluation, ensuring high-quality delivery of all program components
2. Validate strategic direction to keep programs on track toward their goals
3. Align program goals and execution plans with internal teams (marketing, legal, support)
4. Build and maintain relationships with external stakeholders — partners, funders, investors, and domain experts
5. Scout and evaluate potential startups,



conducting due diligence that feeds into actual investment and selection decisions
6. Work closely with portfolio startups to understand their needs and help them hit their goals
7. Facilitate startup access to mentorship, networking, and program resources, and track their progress
8. Manage day-to-day program operations across multiple concurrent engagements without compromising quality or timelines
9. Set up reporting systems to track program performance, and share regular updates with leadership and partners
10. Conduct periodic program reviews and drive improvements to program design and delivery
11. Organize events, workshops, and networking sessions bringing together startups, mentors, and partners
12. Stay on top of trends in startup incubation and the broader entrepreneurial ecosystem

What We're Looking For

1. 5-8 years of overall experience, ideally as a startup founder/founding team member or in product management
2. Experience managing or selling a tech product, and comfort dealing with varied stakeholders (internal teams, investors, founders)
3. Strong understanding of market dynamics, customer behaviour, costing, marketing, and startup investment mechanisms
4. Comfortable evaluating startups from an investor lens, including due diligence for investment decisions
5. Solid communication and relationship-management skills
6. Bachelor's degree (technology-related field preferred); Master's degree is a plus
7. Must be open to frequent travel, in and outside Ahmedabad
8. Prior exposure to InclusionTech, FinTech, or rural/livelihoods-focused startups is a plus, not mandatory

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