AIC-GIM collaborates with KCCA to set up a unique Culinary and Kitchen Incubator in Goa

Mumbai: The Atal Incubation Centre, set up by Indian’s premier B-school, the Goa Institute of Management (GIM), has partnered with Verna-based Kamaxi College of Culinary Arts (KCCA) to conduct one of India’s first culinary and kitchen incubation program, in order to provide cutting-edge infrastructure and dedicated support to culinary start-ups and upcoming ‘foodpreneurs’ (entrepreneurs in the food industry)’ from across regions.

The Incubator – FIERCE (Fostering Innovation, Excellence & Resilience in Culinary Entrepreneurship) Kitchens – will function from the KCCA campus at Verna in South Goa and will feature top-of-the-line infrastructure, including state-of-the-art kitchen spaces for research and development (R&D), restaurant and class room training for aspiring “foodpreneurs” who will sign up for the novel program. KCCA is founded by GIM alumni Parixit Pai Fondekar.

The broad-based culinary incubator program is open to aspirants interested in setting up a business which revolves around food. These include chefs not limited to professional chefs but also home and leisure chefs, bakers, eatery promoters, restaurateurs and food processing industry professionals. Even aspiring culinary photographers and bloggers and those associated with allied services can sign up for the culinary incubator service.

As part of the innovative collaboration, the Atal Incubation Centre at Goa Institute of Management (AIC-GIM) will bring to the table a steady supply of business knowledge relevant to foodpreneurs (entrepreneurs associated with the culinary industry) and develop their entrepreneurial skills, provide access to domain experts and investors, facilitate funding rounds and handhold the participants all the way through the incubator program.

The Incubator program will run for a period of 4 months. Each program will have a batch of 10 food entrepreneurs as enlisted above and they will be shortlisted from the applications received. The first cohort will begin as early as June 2021.

Said Rajesh Joshi, CEO, AICGIM, “Goa is brimming with opportunities for potential food-preneurs who need an impetus to make the transition from a concept to a viable business. This new vertical encourages culinary entrepreneurs to come forward with their innovative ideas and together AICGIM and KCCA will offer them the knowledge and know-how of turning that concept into reality and even scaling their present food business. We are excited about this collaboration and look forward to a spurt of food-preneurs emerging from the state of Goa. At the same time we believe that this Incubator will also attract food-preneurs from India as well as all over the world to enrol in this Incubation program. We see this as the start of putting Goa on the culinary map of the world.”

Added Ajit Parulekar, Director, GIM, “We are delighted to partner with KCCA which is founded by Parixit, an alumni of GIM. The program aimed at culinary start-up will assist in accelerating the growth of early stage organizations from ideation to marketplace success. AICGIM continues to serve as an active knowledge and resource catalyst for creating an ideal startup ecosystem in the state.”

Parixit Pai Fondekar, Founder of KCCA said on the partnership, “The Goa University approved 3 – year BVoc Culinary Management Program offered at KCCA is designed for aspirants in culinary entrepreneurship and management. The curriculum is shaped at not only teaching students about food and culinary techniques but also towards sparking the spirit of entrepreneurship among students. This collaboration with my alma mater GIM is a step in that direction.”

Incubators are enabling Entrepreneurs, Innovators, Startups to transform Ideas to Scalable projects by hand-holding them in varied aspects of business and their venture development.

Interested applicants can log-on to the KCCA or AIC-GIM websites for the purpose of signing up for the program, which is positioned as a strategic and innovative intervention in the field of culinary entrepreneurship.

KCCA has been billed as India’s first culinary B-school and as part of its curriculum provides a unique blend of theory, knowledge, hands-on experience and mentorship of high-value faculty to its students. KCCA works in collaboration with culinary industry leaders to build networks for their alumni from the ground up, through workshops, practical assignments, farmers’ markets and tours, as well as presentations, case studies, tutorials and lectures, to offer a wholesome understanding of the sector to its students.

The AIC-GIM has been set up under the aegis of the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) of the NITI Aayog by the Sanquelim-based Goa Institute of Management. Its mission is to aid startups, stimulate their growth and facilitate their success through a holistic support system for entrepreneurs by providing them opportunities to access mentors who are experts in their field of business, investment support, access to industries and networking with growing startup ecosystems.