SOF Curriculum Overview · MBA Bharat Building · 2026/2027

Welcome to SOF!

A practitioner-led programme for the next generation
of founders, operators, and industry leaders.

18
Months
42
Courses
50
Fellows
Kochi
SmartCity Campus
SOF Curriculum Overview · 2026/2027
Today's Overview

What We'll Cover

01
Program Overview
The full arc — 5 terms and your 6-month industry launchpad
02
Term Deep-Dives
How you'll study, learn, grow, and be evaluated each term
03
A Week in the Life
How your weeks look and feel as a SOF Fellow
04
Career & Placement
Support mechanisms to get you hired or launch your venture
Why SOF

A Different Kind of MBA

Practitioner-led · Real deliverables · Built for what India needs now
Traditional MBA
What you've seen before
TeachingProfessors with academic credentials teaching theory from textbooks and case studies written years ago.
AssessmentExams, grades, GPAs. You study to pass, not to build.
NetworkClassmates who are also just students. Alumni you may never meet.
PlacementA placement cell that sends out CVs. You compete with 200 others for the same jobs.
Global exposureAn optional elective trip. A week abroad if you can afford it.
OutputA degree. A grade. A GPA. Nothing you can show an investor or a customer.
VS
SOF
Built for what India actually needs
TeachingPractitioners who've built, scaled, and failed — sharing what textbooks can't. Every session is a masterclass.
AssessmentReal deliverables after every course. Pitch decks, financial models, GTM strategies. Things you'd show a real investor.
Network50 Fellows + a mentor network of 100+ founders, operators, and investors you work alongside for 18 months.
PlacementEmbedded 6-month industry immersion with an option to convert. Or a venture fund to build your own.
Global exposure4 international Orbits — immersions inside startup ecosystems, boardrooms, and industry hubs across Asia & Europe.
OutputA portfolio of real work. A personal brand. A network. A business — or a job you actually want.
Program Overview

The Full Arc

July 2026 – December 2027
Phase 01
12 Months
Classroom
July 2026 – July 2027 · 5 Terms · 42 Courses
Phase 02
6 Months
Industry
July – Dec 2027 · Immersion + Venture
5
Terms
42
Courses
7–9
Courses / Term
50
Fellows
Term Deep-Dives

42 Courses. 5 Terms.

Term 01
Foundation
Fundamentals of Communication
Leading Self & Others
Markets & Institutions
Strategic Decision Making
Organisational Behaviour
Product Management
Finance 101
Foundations of AI
Term 02
Build
Product-Market Validation Lab
Pricing & Consumer Psychology
Marketing Fundamentals
Customer Success & Retention
Go-to-Market Strategy
No-Code Development
UI/UX Foundations
Content Creation & Brand
Brand Building
Term 03
Scale
Operations Management
Sourcing & Procurement
Sales Strategy & Execution
Tech Infrastructure & Cloud
Platform Economics
Data-Driven Decision Making
Tech Strategy Integration
PR & Corporate Comms
Tech Product Labs
Term 04
Fund
Working Capital & Cash
Debt Strategy & Structuring
Cap Table Simulation
VC Dynamics
Business Law & Policy
Legal Strategy & IP
Finance & Capital Lab
Term 05
Lead
Applied AI & Automation
Negotiations
Crisis & Risk Management
Human Capital Management
Business Transformation
Corporate Governance
Cross-Functional Lab
Exits & Portfolio
Organisational Leadership
Module at a Glance

Inside Each Course

03
Leading Self & Others
Lead yourself and others through emotional intelligence
Concepts & Frameworks
  • Feelings are data, not directives
  • Leadership ≠ authority
  • Conflict is about ideas, not people
  • Self-awareness as a leadership tool
  • Giving and receiving feedback
Lab Activities
  • Awareness Workshop — somatic & cognitive techniques to anchor yourself under high-stakes stress
  • Bio-Feedback Simulation — role-play a high-stress performance review
Learner Impact
  • Recognise emotional triggers in yourself & others
  • Adapt leadership style to individual strengths
  • Give feedback that builds trust & performance
Faculty & Mentors
Vishakha R M
Executive Coach, ICF
Ex-MD & CEO, IndiaFirst Life
A Week in the Life

Term 1, Week 4 — Markets & Institutions

Mon – Fri · Jul 27–31
Core
Coffee Shot
Lab
Craftroom
Rituals
Community
MON
Jul 27
TUE
Jul 28
WED
Jul 29
THU
Jul 30
FRI
Jul 31
9:00
9:30
Coffee Shot
Open Support
Coffee Shot
Open Support
Coffee Shot
Open Support
Coffee Shot
Open Support
Coffee Shot
Open Support
9:30
11:30
Core
Introduction to Institutional and Market Voids
Core
Trust as Infrastructure
Core
Managing Compliance Risk in rapidly shifting Regulatory Landscapes
Core
Designing Business Models for Informal Markets
Core
Iteration Under Constraints: Iterate a Product or Business model under Imperfect Conditions
11:30
1:00
Core
AI-aided synthesis of data to identify Market Voids
Community
Identifying voids in the Kerala market and how it can advantage you
Core
Translating Complex Market Realities into Value
Core
Profit with Purpose
Craftroom
Boardroom Chat: Discussion on how business leaders read markets and make big bets
1:45
3:15
Lab
Business Model Analysis Lab
Core
Structural & physical voids: Dealing with Infrastructure scarcity and broken supply chains
Craftroom
Fireside Chat: Conversation with a business leader who understood and filled a critical market gap
Enrichment
Simulation: Run a Business for a Day
Lab
Connecting the Dots: Reflection & Integration
3:15
4:30
Rituals
Reflection + Closing
Rituals
Yoga / Sports / Meditation
Enrichment
Market Analysis Sprint
Rituals
Independent Build Session
Rituals
Football / Cricket + Weekly Reflection and Feedback
Learning Experience

In & Beyond the Classroom

🎤
Speakers
Practitioners & Guest Speakers
Founders, operators, investors, and executives who've done what you're learning — sharing real stories, and guiding you with concepts and frameworks.
🏗️
Projects
Capstone
Immersive consulting experience with industry partners — receiving feedback and iterating on your outcomes till you meet industry gold standards.
🧭
Mentors
Mentorship & Coaching
Dedicated mentors who work with you 1-on-1 and in small groups throughout each term.
🔬
Labs
Labs & Build Sessions
Hands-on time to prototype, test, and build — applying frameworks from the week to real products and decisions.
🎯
Presentations
Pitch & Presentations
Present projects and ideas in front of your peers. Be comfortable talking about yourself and pitching yourself to companies and senior leaders.
📓
Evaluation & Reflection
Evaluation & Reflection
Structured journaling and consistent feedback sessions that accelerate your self-awareness. Daily & Weekly evaluation based on lab sessions and projects.
How We Measure Growth

Real Work. Real Standards.

Every assessment at SOF is a real deliverable — something you could put in front of an investor, employer, or customer. Not a paper. Not a multiple-choice exam. A demonstration that you're ready.
📋
Applied Projects
At the end of each course, you produce a real deliverable — a pitch, a financial model, a product roadmap, a campaign plan.
After Marketing Fundamentals → real campaign brief with targeting, budget & ROI projections.
🔄
Peer Review & Feedback Loops
You learn to give and receive honest, structured critique. Feedback is a skill — and we practise it deliberately.
Cohort members review each other's business plans before mentor evaluation.
🎯
Mentor Evaluations
Practitioners assess your work against real-world standards — not academic rubrics. They've done this. They know what 'good' looks like.
Your GTM strategy reviewed by a practitioner who launched products in your target market.
🚀
Capstone & Integration
At the end of each term, you integrate your learning into a cohesive project that spans multiple courses.
Term 4 → investor-ready pitch deck, cap table model & legal readiness checklist.
Personalised journey plans & term-end reviews — review sessions & discussions between students and mentors to ensure they're on the path to meet their goals.
Your Weekly Commitment

How You Spend 40 Hours

Mon – Fri · 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM + Self-directed
2468101212hCoreLearning7hSelf-Directed5hLabs &Sims4hRituals& Reflect4hEnrich-ments3hMentor-ship2.5hCoffeeShot2.5hLunch &Learn40h
Weekly Breakdown
Core Learning
12h
Practitioner-led sessions — lectures, case studies, guest speakers & applied frameworks
Self-Directed Work
7h
Portfolio assignments, research, projects & prep for the next day's sessions
Labs & Simulations
5h
Hands-on building — prototypes, financial models, pitch decks & real problem solving
Rituals & Reflection
4h
Journaling, peer feedback, community sport & weekly synthesis to anchor learning
Enrichments
4h
Craftroom workshops, Safari industry visits & Orbit global immersions woven into term
Mentorship & Coaching
3h
1-on-1 and small group sessions with dedicated mentors & Program Residents
Coffee Shot Lessons
2.5h
Daily 30-min thinking drills that sharpen clarity, frameworks & rapid communication
Lunch & Learn
2.5h
Student-led peer sessions over lunch — curiosity, debate & collaborative knowledge sharing
Total Weekly Commitment
40 hrs
Your Track

The Founder Track

For those building from zero
🚀
Founder.
You have an idea. Or a restlessness. You want to build something of your own — and you need the tools, the network, and the backing to do it.
This track is for you if
You're a first-time founder, a student with a business idea, or someone from a family business who wants to launch something independently.
🧠
Ideation to MVP
Go from idea to working prototype using customer interviews, no-code tools, and rapid iteration.
📊
Fundraising & VC
Understand cap tables, VC dynamics, and how to pitch. Build an investor-ready deck in Term 4.
🌏
Global Market Access
4 Orbits give you direct access to startup ecosystems across Asia and Europe.
🤝
Investor Network Access
Direct access to accelerators, VC firms, and angel networks through Orbits and the SOF mentor ecosystem.
💰
₹25 Cr Venture Fund
Access to SOF's venture fund pool to build and scale your startup after the classroom phase ends.
🧪
6-Month Accelerator
Establish product-market fit, test your product, and raise capital with dedicated mentor support.
Why SOF over an incubator
Most incubators take your equity and give you a co-working space. SOF gives you 12 months of structured business education first — so by the time you're building, you understand finance, operations, sales, and strategy. You're not just a founder. You're a complete builder.
Your Track

The Operator Track

For those who want to run things well
⚙️
Operator.
You want to be indispensable inside high-growth companies. The person who makes things work — who understands the full business, not just one function.
This track is for you if
You're ambitious about a career in business — in a CXO's office, a consulting firm, a fast-growing startup, or the leadership team of an established company.
📈
Business Command
42 courses covering every function — from finance to operations to sales strategy. You'll understand the full machine.
🏢
Industry Immersion
Embedded 6 months in a CXO's or founder's office — as a consultant, not an intern. Real responsibility from day one.
🎯
Portfolio That Talks
Real deliverables after every course. Your portfolio shows employers exactly what you can do — before they hire you.
🌐
Global Benchmarking
4 international Orbits to understand how the best companies operate globally and apply that in Indian contexts.
🧭
Mentor-Led Growth
1-on-1 mentoring with practitioners from Tesla, Google, JP Morgan, FreshToHome — throughout the programme.
🔄
Placement Support
Guided placement mapped to your potential and calibre. CXO's office or founder's office — you choose.
Why SOF over a regular MBA
A regular MBA teaches you how businesses work in theory. SOF gives you 42 courses taught by people who actually run businesses — and then puts you inside one for 6 months. You graduate with a track record of managing and operating organisations effectively.
Your Track

The Expander Track

For those growing what already exists
🏗️
Expander.
You're part of a family business, a growing SME, or an established company — and you're the one who's supposed to take it to the next level.
This track is for you if
You're inheriting or growing a business. You understand operations but want to add strategy, finance, brand, and scale to your toolkit without losing what works.
🏭
Systems Thinking
Formalise and scale informal processes — without breaking the culture and trust that made the business work.
💼
Capital & Finance
Working capital, debt structuring, cap tables — the financial fluency to make bigger bets confidently.
🌍
New Markets
GTM strategy, brand positioning, and Product Market Validation — the tools to take an existing product into new geographies.
🤝
Peer Network
50 Fellows — many facing exactly the same challenges. The cohort becomes your advisory board for life.
📊
Data-Driven Decisions
Move from gut feel to structured decision-making. Data, dashboards, and strategic frameworks — without losing instinct.
🔮
Succession & Scale
Governance, corporate structure, and knowing when to formalise, when to pivot, and when to build something new.
Why SOF for a family business
Most family business owners send their kids to an MBA and get back someone who wants to do things 'the MBA way.' SOF teaches you modern tools and global best practices — and then explicitly shows you how to apply them in Indian contexts, without destroying what already works.
SOF Orbit · October 2027

Singapore — Where You'll Go

5 Days · 9 Locations · Immersive Industry Access
1 Gardens by the Bay 2 Marina Bay Sands 3 Google APAC 4 Plug and Play 5 Merlion 6 East Coast Park 7 Sentosa 8 ArtScience Museum 9 Raffles Hotel N SOF ORBIT · SINGAPORE · OCT 2027
01 · Gardens by the Bay
🌿 Nature as a business model
How Singapore built a world-class tourism product from reclaimed land. Urban planning meets enterprise.
02 · Marina Bay Sands
🏨 Iconic brand & hospitality
How a single landmark transformed Singapore's brand value globally. Real estate as strategic positioning.
03 · Google APAC Office
💻 Big Tech, regional strategy
How global tech companies structure APAC operations. Product decisions, culture, and market localisation.
04 · Plug and Play APAC
🚀 The startup ecosystem
Direct access to one of Asia's most active accelerators. Meet investors, founders, and startups in your sector.
05 · Merlion Park
🦁 Nation branding & identity
How Singapore built a national identity that drives tourism, investment, and talent — and what India can learn.
06 · East Coast Park
🚴 Team cohesion & ritual
Dawn cycling race as a SOF ritual — starting the day together, pushing limits, and building the bond that lasts.
07 · Sentosa Island
🏝️ Tourism as industry
How Sentosa was transformed from a military base to a leisure economy. Urban redevelopment and sector creation.
08 · Museum of Art & Science
🎨 Innovation & design thinking
Where design meets science. How institutions build creative economies and why aesthetics is a business advantage.
09 · Raffles Hotel
🏛️ Legacy, brand & reinvention
A 140-year-old institution that stays culturally relevant. A masterclass in how legacy brands adapt without losing their identity.
Career & Placement

Placement Readiness

Every Capstone Project is an opportunity to work with and impress industry leaders.
Every term has dedicated hours to build your venture and receive mentorship.
Portfolio & Personal Brand Building
  • → Build a portfolio of industry-aligned projects which help you pitch yourself as a market-ready professional to companies
  • → Build a personal brand that positions you as a strong industry professional
Global Perspectives
Global Industry Immersions and International mentors provide students with global perspectives while they're embedded in local contexts — providing them with the best of both worlds and the ability to implement international best practices locally.
Industry Projects
At the end of each term, you collaborate with industry partners on relevant projects, receiving feedback from them and giving you face time with leaders to learn from and build your network.
After the Classroom

6-Month Industry Immersion

Path A · Operators & Expanders
Industry Immersion
  • → Embedded with an industry partner as a consultant for 6 months — with an option to convert to a full-time role
  • → Choose between the CXO's office in established companies or the founder's office in growing family businesses
  • → Guided placement support mapped to your potential and calibre
→ Convert to full-time
Path B · Founders
Venture Building
  • → An accelerator for your ideas — access to mentorship and the ₹25 Crore SOF venture fund
  • → Establish product-market fit, test your product, and raise capital with the support of mentors
  • → Build and scale your startup with the network, knowledge, and capital behind you
₹25 Crore Venture Fund
"
Welcome to the cohort
Welcome to
SOF Cohort 1.
The next 18 months will be uncomfortable, exhilarating, and at times overwhelming.
That's not a warning — that's the point.
Every great builder you've admired went through exactly this.
🧠
You will be challenged
By ideas that stretch you, mentors who push you, and peers who inspire you to raise your own bar.
🤝
You won't do it alone
49 others made the same decision you did. They're your team, your critics, and your lifelong network.
🔥
What you build is real
Not case studies. Not simulations for a grade. Real work that proves you're ready — before the world asks.
The School of Future · Kochi · 2026