Why this role exists
Every startup needs someone who decides, and who takes the call when things get hard. You turn a ready product into a business with real customers.
Roles / Founder
Set the direction. Answer for the results.
A Founder leads a ready startup: the goals, the prices, the spending and the team. The product is already built. What it becomes is up to you.
- Post-graduate level
- 15 to 20 hours a week
- ₹49,995 a year with the test
- 30% profit pool
- 11% ownership path
Grand Slam Offer launches 10 November 2026See what it adds to this licence
The role in brief
Purpose Benefits Advantages Education level Time Pricing
You lead. Everyone looks to you.
Founders set where the startup goes, then make sure it gets there. It is the widest role, and the one that answers for the results.
What you get
- A share of a 30% profit pool
- A path to 11% ownership, shared among Founders
- si, your 24x7 startup mentor
- Training, sales and marketing tools
Why start here
- No coding and no building from zero
- Domain, email, hosting and CRM are ready
- Tech, HR and Finance run by the Nirmata team
- A real venture to put your name to
Post-graduate level
Founder licences are for post-graduate students, aged 18 or above. A readiness score of 80 or more gets you the 30% discount.
15 to 20 hours a week
Enough to lead alongside your studies, if you stay consistent. Two-factor sign-in to Nirmata is required for every Founder.
₹49,995 a year
GST included, with the free readiness test. Without the discount: ₹71,421. Paid once a year.
Your work
What a Founder does.
Responsibilities
- Set the quarterly goals and decide the changes the strategy review raises
- Create, price and edit your packages, within the features allowed for your startup
- Sit on the Finance Committee: at least half the Founders must agree to every expense
- Lead your department: plan its month and unblock your team
- Propose coupons of up to 30% off, for STARTIONS to approve
Your overall approach
Lead from the numbers and from customers, not from your title. Decide quickly, share your reasons, and clear the road for your Co-Founders. The startup moves at the speed of the habits you keep.
Your rhythm
Daily Weekly Monthly Quarterly
Daily, weekly and monthly.
Your role tasks arrive with checklists and reminders. This is what a normal month looks like.
15 minutes or more
- Open your tasks and clear what blocks the team
- Check new customers, trials and payments
- Answer customer feedback that needs your decision
Lead
- Leadership check-in with the Co-Founders, 30 minutes
- Approve or refuse expenses
- Check each department against its plan
Review
- Read the profit and loss with the Finance Committee
- Review packages and pricing
- Share wins, numbers and goals at the all-hands
Decide
- Agree or differ, with a reason, on the strategy review
- Choose what to try next, and set new goals
Profit share
Founders share a 30% pool of net profit.
STARTIONS takes none of a startup's net profit. It goes to the students: Founders 30%, Co-Founders 45%, Teammates 25%. Your pool is split among everyone in your role, so your startup's size and your performance score decide your slice.
Pick your startup size
A Major startup has 3 Founders. Each one's share at equal scores:
10%of net profit, every year
3.67%ownership, after 5 paid years
₹1,00,000before TDS, if net profit is ₹10,00,000
| Startup type | People in this role | Profit share, each person at equal scores | Ownership, each person | If net profit is ₹10,00,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Micro | 1 | 30% | 11% | ₹3,00,000 |
| Mini | 2 | 15% | 5.5% | ₹1,50,000 |
| Major | 3 | 10% | 3.67% | ₹1,00,000 |
| Mega | 4 | 7.5% | 2.75% | ₹75,000 |
Assumes every licence in the role is filled for the full year and everyone in the role has the same performance score. Score above the others and your share rises; score below them and it falls. The rupee figure is only an example of the maths, not a forecast or a promise. Bigger startups are built to serve more types of customer, but nobody can promise a bigger profit.
How profit is calculated
From customer payments to your share.
Every startup has a monthly profit and loss statement that you can read in Nirmata's Financial Tracker. Only customers' subscription payments count as earnings. Licence fees are STARTIONS' income, not startup revenue, and GST is never revenue. These numbers are an example.
Gross revenue: customers' subscription payments that year, without GST₹20,00,000
Minus discounts: approved coupons− ₹1,00,000
Minus refunds: within 30 days, in the month paid− ₹50,000
Net revenue₹18,50,000
Minus COGS: approved direct costs, such as upgrades for customers− ₹1,00,000
Gross profit₹17,50,000
Minus OpEx: approved spending, such as ads, events and mentors− ₹5,50,000
Operating profit (EBITDA)₹12,00,000
Minus tax reserve: kept aside by STARTIONS for tax− ₹2,00,000
Net profit: 100% goes to students₹10,00,000
The rules
- Paid once a year, after the April to March financial year ends, as "Startup Execution Remuneration" with TDS deducted
- No monthly payout and no minimum payout
- Open only if you join before your startup's launch date
- Your share of the pool follows your performance score, from 0 to 100, based on your real results. Equal scores mean equal shares, and written terms apply
- Join mid-year and your share is pro-rata by the days you held the licence
When it doesn't go your way
- A loss means nobody is paid that year, and it carries forward against next year's profit
- An expense counts only when the Finance Committee approves it. Until then it is your own cost
- An empty role's pool and unearned pro-rata amounts go to the startup's funds for OpEx
- Earnings are never guaranteed: they depend on real customers and real profit
Ownership by ESOP
Stay 5 years. Earn a real share.
ESOP stands for Employee Stock Option Plan: a way for a company to reward the people who build it with a share of it. At Startions, Founders together earn 11% of the startup, for those who complete 5 straight paid years with their licence still active. In a Major startup with 3 Founders, that is 3.67% each.
Year 1Certificate at 20%
Year 2Certificate at 40%
Year 3Certificate at 60%
Year 4Certificate at 80%
Year 5Ownership earned
How you get there
- Pay your licence fee on time every year: by hand, or turn on automatic yearly payment
- Keep your licence active through all 5 years
- The certificate fills 20% at each year end
- At the end of Year 5, your share is earned
What can break it
- The bar is progress, not part-ownership: nothing is earned before Year 5 ends
- A late renewal past the grace period restarts your count at Year 1
- If your licence lapses or is deactivated, your share and your completed years are lost
Check it on your dashboard
- Your ownership certificate sits on your Nirmata dashboard, with your name on it
- It shows your share, completed years and how far the bar has filled
- It shows your paid-until date and whether auto-renew is on
- It warns you when renewal is due, and shows what your share would be worth at the startup's valuation
The table above shows your ownership share by startup type. If only some people in your role qualify at Year 5, the 11% is shared among those who do, so each share is bigger. Nirmata tracks who qualifies. The legal transfer happens outside Nirmata, under written terms.
Pricing and level
Take the free test
₹49,995 a year, GST included.
Post-graduate level. Score 80 or more on the free readiness test and the 30% discount applies by itself at checkout, and stays on this licence each time you renew.
| Founder licence | Fee | 18% GST | You pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| With the discount | ₹42,369 | ₹7,626 | ₹49,995 |
| Without it | ₹60,526 | ₹10,895 | ₹71,421 |
Launching 10 November 2026
The Grand Slam Offer
01 The Licence
02 Bonuses
03 Super Bonus
04 Out-of-the-Box Bonus
The Grand Slam Offer
One licence. Four layers of value.
The Grand Slam Offer, launching on 10 November 2026, stacks everything you need on top of your Annual Startup Licence.
Your ready startup
- Ready-to-sell SaaS product
- Ready brand, tech and website
- Branded domain and business email
- Cloud server, hosted for you
- Nirmata platform and Advance CRM
Tools and training
- Sales and marketing tools
- Training to create and run a startup
- Mentoring by si, 24x7
- Financial know-how: pricing, unit economics, GST and invoicing
Profit share and ESOP
- Performance-based profit share
- Scored by si on real results
- A path to ownership through ESOP
Startup Loan
- ₹25,000 for Micro
- ₹50,000 for Mini
- ₹75,000 for Major
- ₹1,00,000 for Mega
For a Founder: all four layers apply. The Startup Loan needs a unanimous yes from every licence in your startup, is used for OpEx, and is repaid from the startup's results over up to 3 years.
Apply for Grand SlamStartup Loan, profit share and ESOP are subject to written terms.
Straight answers
What you're probably wondering.
How much does each Founder earn in a Major startup?
A Major startup has 3 Founders sharing the 30% pool, so each Founder's share is 10% of net profit. If net profit were ₹10,00,000, that would be ₹1,00,000 each before TDS if all three score the same. Each would also be on the path to 3.67% ownership.
Does a Mega startup pay Founders less?
The pool is split among more Founders: 4 in a Mega, so 7.5% each. Mega startups are built to serve more types of customer, which is meant to bring in more revenue. Nothing is guaranteed.
Does my performance change my profit share?
Yes. Each person gets a part of the pool in proportion to their performance score. For example, if a Major startup's Founder pool is ₹3,00,000 and the 3 Founders score 90, 60 and 50, they get ₹1,35,000, ₹90,000 and ₹75,000 before TDS. The whole pool is still paid out. Your ownership share does not change with your score.
If I stop after 3 years, do I keep some ownership?
No. The certificate shows your progress, but ownership is earned only after 5 straight paid years with your licence still active. If your licence lapses, your share and your completed years are lost.
What if I miss my startup's launch date?
The licence is still yours, but the profit share is not. Profit share is open only to licensees who join before their startup's launch date. Each launch date is announced separately.
Can I start an Amoox or Jyoox store instead?
Yes, that is a separate licence for one Founder running their own store, for anyone 18 or above. See the Pricing page. The shares on this page are for Micro, Mini, Major and Mega startups.
Do I need to know coding?
No. The product, website and tech are already built and looked after by the Nirmata team. Your job is customers.
What if I change my mind?
You can ask for a refund within 30 calendar days of your invoice date. Non-refundable taxes and any third-party charges shown at checkout are deducted. See the refund policy.
Ready to lead one?
See which startups still have a Founder licence open. Each one is limited.