QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Lemon Ideas FAQ.
Straight answers about Lemon Ideas, its contests, cohorts, training programmes, events and how to get in touch.
About Lemon Ideas
What is Lemon Ideas?
Lemon Ideas is an Indian innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem that has brought founders, mentors, schools and institutions together since 2013. Lemon Ideas works through five pathways: contests, cohorts, community, consulting and K–12 programmes. It also runs training through the Lemon School of Entrepreneurship and a network of 50+ Super Founders who grew through the ecosystem.
Who founded Lemon Ideas and who runs it?
Lemon Ideas was founded by Deepak Menaria, its Founder and Chief Idea Farmer. The core team also includes Mukesh Ashar (Director), Abhishek Angole (Director, Business and Technology), Dr. Suresh Chari (Director, School Initiatives) and Ashwin Korde (Programme Coordinator). 21 mentors and advisors support Lemon Ideas programmes in areas such as technology, finance, law, healthcare, agritech and social impact.
Who is Lemon Ideas for?
Lemon Ideas is for students, aspiring entrepreneurs, startup founders, business owners, professionals, educators and institutions. Students and school teams take part in its contests and K–12 programmes. Founders join its cohorts, training and community. Schools, colleges, corporates, incubators, government bodies and foundations work with Lemon Ideas to design innovation and entrepreneurship programmes.
What impact has Lemon Ideas had?
In 13 years since 2013, Lemon Ideas has engaged more than 10,000 innovators, worked with 100+ mentors and partners and built a network of 50+ Super Founders. Its media archive lists 168 press mentions from 2013 to 2026. Leaders including Shri Nitin Gadkari, Shri Devendra Fadnavis and Dr. Abhay Jere of AICTE have joined Lemon Ideas programmes as guests.
Contests and school programmes
What contests does Lemon Ideas run?
Lemon Ideas runs four contests. Innopreneurs is a national platform for founders and early-stage startups. Innopreneurs Junior is for students and school teams. The Bharat Innovation Olympiad is a national Olympiad on innovation, entrepreneurship, digital literacy and future skills. What An Idea is a school-level idea contest. Each one helps participants present ideas, learn from feedback and gain wider visibility.
What is Innopreneurs?
Innopreneurs is the Lemon Ideas national contest where founders and early-stage startups test ideas, sharpen pitches and connect with an enabling ecosystem. Details and applications are on innopreneurs.in. Several Lemon Ideas Super Founders came through Innopreneurs, including Shiv Varun Singh Rajput of Nautical Wings Aerospace, who was in the Innopreneurs Season 9 Top 25.
What programmes does Lemon Ideas offer for schools?
Lemon Ideas offers three K–12 programmes. Innopreneurs Junior, for Grades 6–12, is a guided journey from idea discovery and training to pitching and national recognition. The Bharat Innovation Olympiad is an online future-skills assessment for school students. What An Idea is a compact contest for school teams. Schools can bring a Lemon Ideas programme to their campus through the enquiry form.
What is the Bharat Innovation Olympiad?
The Bharat Innovation Olympiad is a national, online future-skills Olympiad for school students, run by Lemon Ideas. The Bharat Innovation Olympiad assesses innovation, entrepreneurship, problem-solving, digital literacy and real-world application. Its schedule is still to be announced, and registration and the online examination are on innovationolympiad.in.
Events and fees
What is the next Lemon Ideas event?
The next Lemon Ideas event is Innopreneurs Next-Gen on 31 January 2027, from 2:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Chitnavis Centre, Nagpur. Innopreneurs Next-Gen is an in-person showcase of student innovation and entrepreneurship, with team presentations, workshops, exhibitions and project displays. Participation costs ₹999 per team, and the registration link is still pending on the events page.
How much do Lemon Ideas programmes cost?
Innopreneurs Next-Gen costs ₹999 per team, and that is the only fee published on the Lemon Ideas website. Fees for Lemon Ideas training programmes, cohorts and consulting are not listed online. To ask about them, use the enquiry form at lemonideas.in/inquiry/ or email hello@lemonideas.in.
Cohorts, community and consulting
What is a Lemon Ideas cohort?
A Lemon Ideas cohort is a structured, mentor-led journey that helps founders turn their next milestone into visible progress. Each cohort moves through four steps, Diagnose, Build, Review and Progress, with mentor checkpoints, peer learning and access to the Lemon Ideas ecosystem. Cohort startups include Alert24, PhyzioMize, Reapmor, Tekas Footcare and WordLatte.
How do I join the Lemon Ideas community?
The Lemon Ideas community connects founders, mentors, experts, students and institutions through Founder Circle, Gupshup, peer learning and a mentor network. The Lemon Founder Circle is a hybrid community meet, and its next date will be announced on the events page. To join now, send a Community and Mentoring enquiry through the form at lemonideas.in/inquiry/.
Can Lemon Ideas design an innovation programme for my institution?
Yes. Lemon Ideas designs and delivers entrepreneurship and innovation programmes for schools, colleges, corporates, incubators, government bodies and foundations. Lemon Ideas works in four steps: understand the need, design the solution, deliver the programme and review the impact. Request a consultation through the enquiry form by choosing Consulting or Training for an Institution.
Training
What training programmes does Lemon Ideas offer?
The Lemon School of Entrepreneurship, the training arm of Lemon Ideas, offers three programmes: the Business Transformation Program for business owners and founders, the Founders Jockey Program for aspiring and early-stage founders, and Funding Readiness for growth-focused founders. All three are live, mentor-led and practical, and follow a Discover, Develop, Do, Deepen model.
What is the Business Transformation Program?
The Business Transformation Program is a 90-day Lemon Ideas cohort of 50 hours for up to 15 business leaders, held live on weekends. It is designed for MSME owners, family and traditional businesses, second-generation leaders and growth-oriented entrepreneurs. Participants move through Re-think, Re-design and Re-scale stages and leave with a Business Transformation Blueprint built around their own business.
What is the Founders Jockey Program?
The Founders Jockey Program is a 3-month Lemon Ideas programme of 50 live hours, held online on weekends for 20 participants. It takes aspiring, student and early-stage founders through six gates, from Discover to Pitch, with 1:1 mentoring and one year of founder community access. Participants leave with a startup blueprint and an investor-ready pitch.
Super Founders and contact
Who are the Lemon Ideas Super Founders?
The Lemon Ideas Super Founders are 50+ entrepreneurs who entered the Lemon Ideas ecosystem and went on to build ventures across technology, sustainability, agriculture, aerospace and other sectors. They include Abid Rashid of FastBeetle, Anshu Abhishek of Techeagle Innovations and Shiv Varun Singh Rajput of Nautical Wings Aerospace. Each has a profile at lemonideas.in/super-founders/.
How do I contact Lemon Ideas?
Contact Lemon Ideas by email at hello@lemonideas.in or through the enquiry form at lemonideas.in/inquiry/. On the form you choose your interest, such as training, contests, cohorts, community, consulting or partnership, and whether you prefer phone, WhatsApp or email. The Lemon Ideas team then gets in touch with you.
Still have a question? Send an enquiry or email hello@lemonideas.in.