Immersion India aims to make India 'a living classroom'
As global universities, business schools and companies seek to understand India’s technology, entrepreneurship, digital infrastructure and changing consumer landscape, Bengaluru-based Immersion India positions itself at the intersection of education, business and experiential travel.
Founded in 2017 by Anand Joseph and Vineeth Thomas, Immersion India connects international universities, business schools, executive education programmes, trade bodies and corporate groups with India’s business and innovation ecosystem. Its programmes take participants into companies, start-ups, factories, innovation hubs, social enterprises and policy institutions.
The company aims to make India a ‘living classroom’ for international learners and executives. Joseph says it was founded to create learning that goes ‘beyond textbooks and classroom sessions.’
“We describe ourselves as an experiential learning company,” the founders say. “Put simply, our work is to ‘sell India to the world for academic travel’ through structured academic and executive learning programmes”.
Immersion India operates primarily as a B2B company, working with universities, management schools, corporate education programmes, trade bodies and institutions outside India. Clients typically bring groups to India for one- or two-week programmes combining classroom learning with company visits, interactions with entrepreneurs and policymakers and exposure to the country’s cultural and business landscape.
The opportunity the founders identified was a striking imbalance in international academic travel. When the company started, about 180,000 students from the US were travelling abroad for academic experiences, but only about 3,000 were coming to India. China was attracting an estimated 25,000-28,000, while Taiwan was receiving about 10,000.
India’s unfamiliarity among international universities was a key challenge. While Europe offered predictable infrastructure and ease of travel, destinations such as Singapore and Taiwan had established academic travel ecosystems. India was often viewed through concerns regarding logistics, safety and transportation.
Immersion India’s role has been to reduce that uncertainty, while delivering a strong academic proposition. Its programmes are built around specific learning outcomes, with the company managing content, access, travel, safety and on-ground logistics.
The positioning of India has changed significantly since the company was founded. Before Covid, Immersion India often had to explain why India should be included in international programmes. Post-pandemic, the China-plus-one strategy, India’s digital public infrastructure, UPI, Aadhaar, financial inclusion, quick commerce, healthcare, pharmaceuticals and manufacturing have increased global interest in the country.
Three themes
Its programmes broadly focus on three themes: understanding India, learning how to do business in India and understanding how to do business with India. Modules cover fintech, financial inclusion, digital governance, mobility, healthcare, logistics, sustainability, women entrepreneurship and social enterprise. Quick commerce, electric mobility, battery swapping and India’s financial inclusion story are among the areas that attract international interest.
Participants are often from MBA, executive MBA and executive education programmes. Many are working professionals, entrepreneurs and senior managers, with the average age often between 30 and 40. Typical groups comprise 20-30 participants. Over the last two years, the company has hosted 500-800 participants across 10-15 universities and institutions, primarily from the US, the UK and Singapore, with growing interest from Latin America.
Mumbai, Bengaluru and Delhi remain the most requested destinations. The company now wants to expand into Tier II cities, such as Coimbatore, Kochi, Jaipur and Ahmedabad, offering international groups access to specialised stories about manufacturing, textiles, crafts and entrepreneurship.
The company won the UNWTO SDGs Global Start-up Competition in 2021 under the Quality Education category and believes academic travel deserves greater policy attention. It sees Indian missions abroad playing a role in positioning India as a tourist-cum-learning destination.