GUESSS India 2023 Survey
The GUESSS India 2023 Survey marked the inaugural edition of a nationwide study on student entrepreneurship, conducted under the Global University Entrepreneurial Spirit Students’ Survey (GUESSS) initiative. This comprehensive survey offered valuable insights into the entrepreneurial intentions, activities, and perceptions of Indian students—benchmarking them against global peers.
The survey gathered responses from 13,896 students across 1,298 higher education institutions, making it the largest and most comprehensive study on student entrepreneurship in India to date.
The survey sample focused primarily on Institutions ranked in the Top 100 of NIRF Innovation Rankings, and Centrally Funded Technical Institutions (CFTIs). In addition, it included a diverse mix of other higher education institutions, covering a broad spectrum of geographies, academic disciplines, and degree levels. The inclusion of both undergraduate and postgraduate students ensured a robust and representative dataset, capturing the variety of experiences and aspirations among India’s student population.
GUESSS India 2023 Survey Report
The GUESSS India 2023 Survey Report was officially launched at ISBAcon 2024 in Hyderabad on October 18, 2024. It offers an in-depth analysis of student entrepreneurial aspirations, shedding light on both the opportunities and challenges in fostering the next generation of entrepreneurs in India. The report reveals the immense potential of student entrepreneurs to contribute meaningfully to the country’s growing startup ecosystem.
Notably, nearly one-third of students surveyed expressed a desire to start their own ventures within the next five years—an encouraging indicator of India’s entrepreneurial future. These findings underscore the urgent need for sustained investment in entrepreneurship education, campus-based incubation, and supportive policy frameworks to nurture and empower future founders.
GUESSS India 2023 Insights
The GUESSS India 2023 Survey Report presents several compelling insights for stakeholders in the student entrepreneurship ecosystem in India. Key findings include:
- 38% of Indian students are engaged in some stage of venture creation. with 33% in the nascent phase and 4.8% actively running revenue-generating businesses.
- While 70% of students plan to pursue employment immediately after graduation, this number drops to 52% over the next five years, with 31% aspiring to become entrepreneurs.
- Indian students exhibit the highest entrepreneurial intent globally, scoring 4.6 on a 7-point scale, compared to the global average of 3.7.
- 63% of student entrepreneurs report receiving some form of university support for their entrepreneurial activities.
Media Coverage
The report was widely covered in print, digital, and social media. GUESSS 2023 reached over 10 million students through an email campaign and engaged over 20,000 students through the survey. The social media campaign for GUESSS report release gained over 1 lac impressions within 3 months.
