From Dorm Rooms to Boardrooms: Student Startups at Ashoka

Whether sparked during dining hall conversations or late-night brainstorming, several student-led startups have emerged from Ashoka University’s red-brick corridors. The Edict spoke to the founders of Nthusiast, Lovsy, and Rasaananda to understand how Ashoka shaped their journeys—what systems helped them thrive, and where they faced certain structural frictions.

Laying the Groundwork: How Ashoka Supports Student Entrepreneurship

Karan Kapadia (UG’26) and Ishan Yellurkar (ASP’25), co-founders of Nthusiast, founded the mobile application in October 2022 to address the lack of centralized, accessible information for Ashoka students. The app was primarily created to spotlight events and opportunities on campus, many of which would often go unnoticed despite the resources invested in them. The app gathers student preferences and presents information in a personalized, streamlined format, aiming to ensure that students are aware of what’s happening around them.

They credit the InfoEdge Centre for Entrepreneurship (CFE) and the Entrepreneurship Department for playing a pivotal role in the initial stages of Nthusiast. “The centre didn’t just offer advice. They asked questions that sharpened our vision far more quickly than a year of work would have. They shared knowledge, but even more valuable was their real-world experience,” Kapadia noted. They add that their journey was also enabled by the culture the CFE creates through events such as Startup Ashoka.

Through CFE’s Winter Incubation Program in December 2023, they received mentorship from alumni and professionals, along with resource support after receiving accreditation from the centre.

Ashoka’s institutional structures were equally instrumental for Lovsy, a venture that began in 2023 during CFE’s Startup Ashoka by Aashraya Adhikari (UG'26) and Suprabh Raj Joshi (UG’27). Inspired by memories of Lapsi, a fruit native to Nepal, they transformed it into fruit-based candies for the Indian market. 

The CFE, Adhikari told The Edict, became one of their first customers. “They are one of our biggest buyers,” Adhikari told The Edict. Lovsy is now included in CFE’s guest gift kits, giving them both revenue and visibility. The Ashoka community also served as their first market. “We set up outside the main dining hall and made eye contact with everyone who passed by. We called over friends and even strangers to try Lovsy,” Adhikari shared.

Additionally, Raj Joshi engaged with Nepal’s Ministry of Agriculture through the Ashoka University Environmental Science Fellowship, under Professor Manvi Sharma. They sought to explore the idea of a Geographic Indicator (GI) for Lapsi to preserve its biodiversity and cultural identity, adding further depth to the brand’s narrative.

Ashoka’s entrepreneurial spirit is not merely about generating new ideas, but about sustaining effort and building on past foundations. This ethos is reflected in a venture that predates the time of most students currently studying at Ashoka. Rasaananda, which began as a small, family-owned juice bar in 2017, underwent a significant transformation in late 2023 into a full-fledged pan-Asian outlet. Motivated by the lack of food options on campus, Kappil Antil (ASP’25), along with his family and team, built a menu that resonated with the student body. 

After a couple of years of experimenting with food items like juices, Maggi, and chai, Antil shifted the outlet’s focus in August 2023 toward quality pan-Asian cuisine. To meet his goal of serving high quality and authentic food, Antil, with help from his roommate Dilshad Alam (ASP’25), recruited chefs from Nepal. From there, Rasaananda has grown exponentially, not just as a brand, but as a staple in the Ashokan community

Navigating Constraints: Gaps in the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem

While student ventures at Ashoka benefit from institutional and peer-led support, their journeys have not been without friction.

For Nthusiast, building the right team was initially challenging, especially since Kapadia and Yellurkar were not programmers themselves. Finding technically skilled collaborators who shared their enthusiasm took time. The pair bridged this gap in skill through a search for students who were proficient at programming. Their search led them to Aryan Tiwari (UG‘26) and Pranav Jayanandan (UG‘26), who helped build the app’s software. 

Lovsy’s journey too faced hurdles in its formative stages. Being student entrepreneurs actively pursuing a college degree, they initially faced challenges juggling their coursework load with the demands of their business—particularly on the supply side, including packaging and design. These were ultimately resolved with the help of CFE’s connections with Mr Nitin Jain, the founder of the Spread Smile Foundation, who helped them resolve those logistical challenges through partnership.

Additionally, Adhikari and Joshi are currently working through the bureaucratic process to obtain FSSAI approval—a necessary step to scale Lovsy beyond the campus ecosystem. They mention the challenges that accompany these processes. “We are Nepali students, so there are bureaucratic problems we face. Only when we get an Aadhar Card, along with a PAN card and GST filings, can we apply for FSSAI”, Adhikari recollected. 

Rasaananda, on the other hand, encountered more systemic challenges. Initially located opposite Nescafé, the stall was asked to relocate within two weeks due to accidentally being assigned a designated fire corridor. The move came in the midst of other infrastructure constraints, such as limited kitchen space and poor ventilation.

Antil also faced financial constraints following an institutional directive to reduce prices. To address this, he wrote an email to the student body via the Student Government and circulated a petition signed by nearly 250 students, advocating for autonomy in pricing and greater administrative transparency. The petition however, received limited formal response.

When transitioning to their current location on Ashoka’s food street, the team submitted a list of infrastructure needs, such as drainage and LPG supply, that Antil notes were not fully addressed. “They never really take our demands seriously. It's very much a one-way street,” he reflects.

Beyond Campus: Scaling the Vision

Despite the challenges along the way, each startup continues to evolve. The Edict spoke to each of these entrepreneurs to know––what lies next?

Antil says his current focus is on making Rasaananda the best version it can be, and a key part of that, he adds, is supporting his team. He mentions the possibility of scaling the outlet depending on an increase in demand, but is prioritising quality over rapid growth.  “For now, I’d rather do one thing really well than spread too thin,” he says.

Adhikari and Joshi are preparing Lovsy for distribution across university tuck shops and vending machines. In the long term, they aim to set up production units in both Nepal and India and expand the product line to include Lapsi-based jams, powders, and more.

Kapadia and Yellurkar aim to develop Nthusiast into a scalable tech platform adopted by institutions and businesses nationwide. They hope to add further personalisation and features tailored to user preferences, expanding its role in simplifying campus life. 

(Edited by Tanisha Pandey and Giya Sood)