A grounded, inclusive rural enterprise ecosystem
XCITE is a not-for-profit Section 8 company and Rural Business Incubation Centre established at XLRI Jamshedpur with grant support from NABARD under the Gramya Vikas Nidhi Fund.
Our Story
One of the first incubators of its kind hosted within a top-tier Indian business school, XCITE identifies, mentors and scales enterprises solving real problems for rural and underserved communities. We bridge XLRI's academic depth and management rigour with NABARD's grassroots reach and development capital.
Mission
To build a grounded, inclusive and scalable rural enterprise ecosystem across 12 eastern and north-eastern states by nurturing founders who address lived rural problems and create durable economic and social value.
Our Approach
We meet founders where they are through structured incubation, hands-on mentorship, milestone-linked grants, follow-on pathways and a curated network of partners, practitioners and investors.
Board of Directors
Fr. George Sebastian
Director, XLRI Jamshedpur · Chairman, XCITE Board
Provides institutional leadership and aligns XCITE with XLRI's social-sector and rural development heritage.
Vineet Rai
Founder & Chairman, Aavishkaar Group
Pioneer of impact investing in India and chair of an impact platform backing agriculture, financial inclusion and rural livelihoods.
Chandra Shekhar Ghosh
Founder, Bandhan Bank
Built one of India's largest microfinance-to-universal-bank transitions and champions financial inclusion in eastern India.
Madhav Kalyan
Managing Director, J.P. Morgan · XLRI Alumnus
Senior global banking leader and former CEO of JPMorgan Chase Bank India, bringing capital-markets expertise and a strong XLRI alumni link.
Mr. Rinzuala
CEO, Mizoram Startup Mission
Anchors XCITE's reach into Mizoram's craft, agriculture and emerging enterprise ecosystem.
Prof. Saurav Snehvrat
Faculty-in-Charge, XCITE · XLRI Jamshedpur
Academic lead connecting XCITE's operations with XLRI's faculty resources, courses and research depth.
Institutional Representation
NABARD Rural MSME Department
Chief General Manager · Head Office, Mumbai
Provides national policy alignment and development-finance oversight as a full member of the XCITE Board.
NABARD Jharkhand Regional Office
Chief General Manager · Ranchi
Brings field-level connection and regional oversight across the eastern states XCITE serves.
Project Monitoring & Review Committee
Milestones
125 ventures
Rural enterprises expected to be incubated across the programme horizon.
Eastern & North-East India
A mandate spanning Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, Sikkim and seven North-Eastern states.
Rural jobs and benefits
Expected livelihood and community outcomes generated by supported ventures.
Inclusive cohorts
A minimum share reserved for women-led and tribal-led ventures.
Mentors
Founders, sector experts and practitioners expected to be empanelled.
Training and pitch events
Bootcamps, workshops, reviews and investor-facing events planned.
Institutional partners
An ecosystem of institutions, field partners, investors and corporates.