Ismail Akbani

Ismail Akbani is the Chief Executive Officer of AIC Mahindra, an Atal Incubation Centre established by Mahindra University and supported by the Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog. He set it up from scratch, from its space to its policies to its programmes, and the startups it has incubated have gone on to raise over ₹6.5 crore in grants and investment. Alongside running the centre, he teaches at the University’s Centre for Entrepreneurship & Innovation (CEI).

He also serves on the Governing Board of ISBA, India’s only national association of business incubators. A mechanical engineer by training, he holds an M.Tech in CAD/CAM and an MBA in Business Analytics. He began his career as a product design engineer and went on to teach subjects such as machine design, theory of machines, and operations research, before moving into entrepreneurship education more than a decade ago. In 2013 he established the Entrepreneurship Promotion and Innovation Cell (EPIC) at Symbiosis Institute of Technology and, within two years, guided it to win national Best Entrepreneurship Cell recognition from IIT Bombay and the Wadhwani Foundation.

As Head – Innovation & Linkages at the Symbiosis Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (SCEI), he ran the incubator’s programmes and built partnerships across the startup ecosystem. He was also a consultant for the Wadhwani Entrepreneurship Network and facilitated their startup cohorts across India and South Africa. Today much of his work involves connecting founders with investors, mentors, and partners, and he serves on the mentor and advisory panels of several incubators across the country.

He has spoken and served as a jury member at various prestigious platforms including IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, IIT Goa, Ministry of Education’s Innovation Cell, Rotary Club, and Hong Kong Startup Fest. His doctoral research at IIT Delhi examines storytelling and value construction in India’s cultural enterprises.

• Ph.D. (ongoing), Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi
• M.Tech (Computer-Aided Design & Manufacturing), Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT), Nagpur
• MBA (Business Analytics), Institute for Management Technology (IMT), Ghaziabad
• B.E (Mechanical Engineering), North Maharashtra University
• Diploma in Entrepreneurship & Business Management, Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII), Ahmedabad

Professional Certifications

• Accredited Master Trainer in Entrepreneurship Development, NIESBUD, Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Government of India
• Master Certificate in CAD/CAM/CAE, Central Institute of Tool Design (CITD), Hyderabad
• Certified Entrepreneurship Trainer, EDII, Ahmedabad
• Certified Trainer for Business Simulations, Market Place Simulations, USA
• Certified NLP Master Practitioner, Scottish academy of NLP
• Certified Six Sigma Black Belt, MSME Technology Development Centre, Agra
• Design Thinking Master Practitioner, Society of Design Thinking Professionals

• Chief Executive Officer, AIC Mahindra
• Faculty Member, Centre for Entrepreneurship & Innovation (CEI), Mahindra University
• Governing Board Member, Indian STEPs & Business Incubator Association
• Head – Innovation & Linkages, Symbiosis Centre for Entrepreneurship & Innovation
• Member, Board of Studies (Engineering), Symbiosis International University
• Director & Founder, Heartizzan Ventures Pvt. Ltd.
• Assistant Professor & Head – Entrepreneurship Promotion & Innovation Cell (EPIC), Symbiosis Institute of Technology, Pune
• President, Institution’s innovation Council, Symbiosis Institute of Technology, Pune
• Design Engineer, BICARD
• Product Design Engineer, Futuring Design

• Areas of Research Interest:
• Storytelling and Value Creation
• Cultural Entrepreneurship
• Business Model Innovation
• Role and Impact of Business Incubators
• Design Thinking Applications for Artisanal Sector
• Entrepreneurial Mindset