Pillars of TiE

Since 1992. TiE has been supporting entrepreneurs by offering education, mentorship, networking and funding opportunities. The mission of TiE remains to foster entrepreneurship globally through funding, mentoring, networking and education.

TiE was founded on the belief that nurturing entrepreneurs will lead to the virtuous cycle of wealth creation and encapsulates the true spirit of giving back to the community. It was late C.K. Prahalad, Chief Mentor of TiE who said, “Mentoring is an essential part of building an entrepreneurial culture. More importantly, it is a true reflection of the spirit of giving by charter members.” There are several Mentoring programs at many of the  TiE Chapters – both Group mentoring and Personal one-to-one sessions with seasoned entrepreneurs. These include “TiE Institute”, “My Story Sessions”, “Business Builder Breakfast”, Mentoring at “Business Plan Competitions” and many more. Please contact your local TiE Chapter for more information.

Mentoring is one of the primary vehicles for assisting Entrepreneurs. Mentoring programs like Mentoring Clinics, Mentoring Partnership at Incubators/ Infopark, Technopark, NITC, KITCO & other GoK institutions and TiEcon adds tremendous value to startup entrepreneurs. Chapter has a separate committee on Mentoring which oversee all Mentoring activities.

Since its inception, TiE has utilized its vast network of successful entrepreneurs to give back and foster the next generation. Programs dedicated to providing education to both high school and college students, as well as up and coming entrepreneurs, have strengthened TiE’s Global footprint and led to numerous companies being nurtured and funded throughout the world.
Education is an important & effective tool to create an Entrepreneurial Environment in the ecosystem including the catchment area viz. the schools & colleges. TiE Kerala organizes programs like

1. “Catch them Young” at School/ College levels.
2. Help establish and run entrepreneurship clubs in professional colleges & B-schools.
3. Organize Special Programs for Startups & let them showcase their achievements.
4. Participate/ Conduct B-Plan competition initiatives in coordination with B schools, IIMs etc.
5. Jointly with GoK organizes Young Entrepreneur Summit (YES) to bring in awareness that “Kerala Can Only through Entrepreneurship”!

The largest differentiator between TiE and other entrepreneurship organizations is TiE’s Global network. TiE Members are connected within a vast network of Enrtrepreneurs from around the world. By joining TiE you can use our Global Networking platform to connect, chat, video chat, share documents, and form communities with anyone in the network, anywhere in the world.

The largest differentiator between TiE and other entrepreneurship organizations is TiE’s Global network. TiE Members are connected within a vast network of Entrepreneurs from around the world. By through a Global Networking platform to connect, chat, video chat, share documents, and form communities with anyone in the network, anywhere in the world.

TiE Kerala holds at least one networking dinner night for its Members every month. A separate committee on Programs & Networking oversees all Networking initiatives like Dinner Meet, Member Mixer, SIG Workshop, TiE institute etc.

TiE hosts a number of incubators and accelerators throughout our network. These startup hubs offer expert mentorship resources such as office space, legal counsel, and even seed money. Click on a chapter near you for more information on their programs.

Incubation @ TiE Kerala

Incubation is a critical element in Fostering entrepreneurship. TiE Kerala has been the Mentoring Partner/ Member of the Board of Directors of all major Incubators operating in Kerala like Technopark, NIT-Calicut, Infopark, CUSAT and KITCO etc. We propose to prepare a handbook of the “Must Have” features of our Incubation, use social media to form a community of Incubators in Kerala aiming at sharing ideas and practices. We have a separate sub-committee on incubation which oversees all activities connected with incubation and also co-ordinate with the Mentoring Sub-committee.

The success of early stage companies depends on access to capital, advice and networks. TiE Sponsors and Charter Members offer just that. TiE runs numerous angel investment groups and funding forums throughout it’s network. The mission of such programs is to support top-tier emerging companies with early stage investment and support.

Funding is the life line for Entrepreneurs. Seed Funding ( at the seed/ startup stage), Angel Investment (initial growth stage), VC/ Equity Funding & IPO are the major sources of funding for the  enterprises. TiE Kerala operates a Sec 25 company FED-K (Foundation for Entrepreneurship Development Kerala) which provides “Seed Fund” for startups at the Seed Stage.  We have initiated actions to set up an “Angel Funding” vehicle jointly with other Angels like Chennai/Mumbai Angels.  We hold Pitch Festivals at TiEcon for VC Funding and let our members and winners of the B-Plan Competition to participate.