Centre for Family Business and Entrepreneurship (CFBE)

SPJIMR Centre for Family Business and Entrepreneurship (CFBE) aims to promote an entrepreneurial mindset and catalyse the sustainable growth of family business and community entrepreneurship ecosystems. CFBE provides family business leaders with the skills, ecosystem network, global outlook, and mindset required to pursue business growth while sustaining family values. CFBE offers a specialised Post Graduate Programme in Family Managed Business (offered since 1997 with more than 4000 graduates) and programmes in entrepreneurship and hosts varied networking and funding events. The Centre works with international researchers and publishes survey-based white papers on key issues facing Indian family businesses and micro, small and medium enterprises. 

Education

  • Modular Management Programmes

    PGPFMB

    Postgraduate Programme in Family Managed Business (PGPFMB) is our flagship programme. It is an 18-month modular programme designed to groom new entrants in family businesses.

    Start Your Business (SYB)

    Start Your Business Programme is for aspiring entrepreneurs and early-stage start-ups.  It aims to provide knowledge and skills and instil the right attitude to help its participants create a sustainable business venture.

    Graduate Certificate Programme in Entrepreneurship A Fast-Track Entrepreneurship Programme

    The Graduate Certification Programme in Entrepreneurship (GCPE) is designed especially for those with an entrepreneurial streak. It aims at fostering entrepreneurship that makes a difference among youth (undergraduates / fresh graduates of any discipline).

  • Management Development Programmes

    Advanced Management Programmes for Family Business Owners

    Advanced Management Programmes are for owners of family-managed businesses who are specifically seeking a short-term programme that covers a particular aspect of the business. It provides hands-on practical application to their problems in day-to-day business management and helps them plan for the future of their family and family businesses.

    Programme Modules

    • Rebuilding to Grow Again: Conducting Diagnosis and Finding Organisational Remedies 
    • Financial Strategy for Business – Reading beyond numbers
    • Digital Transformation for SMEs
    • Setting up for the Long Haul: Surviving and Thriving across generations
    • Theory Of Constraints

Events

  • SPJIMR CFBE co-hosts SPGC Conversation Series

    The second STEP Conversation Series had three eminent keynote speakers – Prof. Tanja Leppäaho, Professor of Growth Entrepreneurship at LUT Business School, LUT University, Finland; Prof. Sarah Jack, Professor of Entrepreneurship, Lancaster University, UK; Prof. Andrea Calabrò, Co-Director & Professor, IPAG Business School, France. They discussed the topic ‘Internationalization of Family Firms’ in an insightful conversation with Prof. Tulsi Jayakumar.

  • January 19, 2024

    CFBE Research Presentation on “Bringing the family to the spotlight…”

    SPJIMR’s Centre for Family Business & Entrepreneurship (CFBE) recently organised an online Research Presentation on “Bringing the family to the spotlight: An agenda for research on enterprising families and family offices” by Dr. Josip Kotlar, Full Professor of Strategy, Innovation and Family Business, School of Management, Politecnico di Milano.

  • November 7, 2023

    Family Business & Entrepreneurship Research Presentation | Sustainable governance in family businesses: An environmental point of view

    Discover the latest in family business and entrepreneurship research with SPJIMR CFBE Family Business & Entrepreneurship Research Presentation Series. This series aims to spark research-driven discussions in the captivating yet intricate realm of family-run enterprises and entrepreneurship.

  • October 11, 2023

    CFBE co-hosts SPGC Conversation Series 2023-2024

    SPJIMR’s Centre for Family Business & Entrepreneurship (CFBE) co-hosted the STEP Project Global Consortium (SPGC) Conversation Series for 2023-2024. The inaugural session featured eminent experts Prof. Alfredo De Massis, Professor, Entrepreneurship and Family Business, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano (Italy) and Mr. Harsh Mariwala, Chairman, Marico Limited, in discussion with Prof. Tulsi Jayakumar, Executive Director CFBE. The theme for the 2023-2024 edition of SPGC Conversation Series was “Responsible innovation among family businesses.”

  • September 9, 2023

    Beta Start 2.0

    SPJIMR Centre for Family Business & Entrepreneurship (CFBE) successfully concluded the second edition of its flagship Demo Day pitch fest, i.e. Beta Start 2.0 on September 09, 2023. The event brought together key stakeholders from the family-managed business and entrepreneurship sector including start-ups, founders, investors, and entrepreneurs.

  • April 8, 2023

    Viraasat: Celebrating Indian Family Businesses

    Viraasat was a celebration of family businesses in India, hosted by SPJIMR Centre for Family Business & Entrepreneurship (CFBE). It was graced by the Hon’ble Minister of Road Transport & Highways, Shri. Nitin Gadkari, and attended by dignitaries including Mr. Anant Singhania, Mr. Deepak Parekh, Mr. Jagdish Lakhani and Mr. Yogi Sriram. The event featured plenary sessions, panel discussions, a Tête-à-tête with Family Business Entrepreneurs, and the vRddhi Pitch Fest and concluded with a Fireside Chat with Startup Trailblazers.

  • February 18, 2023

    Beta Start 2023

    Beta Start is SPJIMR’s flagship Demo Day, where early-growth stage startups can pitch their business to a room of investors, experienced entrepreneurs, and corporate leaders. Pitch to and be evaluated by investors including 100X.VC, Ah! Ventures, TiE Pune, MSInS, LeadSquared, amongst others.

Initiatives

  • Beta Start

    Beta Start is CFBE’s flagship Pitch Day event, aimed at empowering and accelerating the growth of upcoming seed/pre-seed stage start-ups by providing them with a platform to showcase their innovative ideas to investors, industry experts and other stakeholders. The event not only promotes innovation but also fosters connections between start-ups and investors, opening doors to potential funding opportunities.

  • vRddhi

    vRddhi is a unique venture accelerator platform launched by the Centre for Family Business and Entrepreneurship

    The accelerator is based on the insight that while many family businesses (especially small and medium family enterprises) and startups lack funding as well as managerial inputs and insights, there are others who can step in to provide not just financial capital but also network capital, engagement capital and the Emotional Quotient capital required by the former.

    Know More

  • Association with Young Indians (YI) - An Integral Part of CII

    Young Indians (YI) is an excellent platform for young people in India to contribute to nation-building. It has been in existence for two decades now. It is a movement for Youth to converge, lead, co-create and influence India’s future. YUVA, one of the most active focus areas within YI, engages students from across the country in various initiatives conceptualised, planned and executed by the students. These industry-academia collaborations give students a strong foundation to learn and grow beyond formal education.

    Publications

    23 Nov 2023

    Managing family business: Dynamics, challenges, and opportunities

    Rajiv Agarwal Know more
    19 Sep 2023

    Alignment between generations crucial for family offices: SPJIMR’s Agarwal at VCCircle summit

    Rajiv Agarwal Know more
    23 Aug 2023

    Cracking the Saving-Investment code to boost growth

    Tulsi Jayakumar Know more
    18 Aug 2023

    From patient capital to agile innovation: The balancing act for family businesses in India

    Varun Nagaraj Know more
    17 Jul 2023

    Lessons for business families from the HBO series, Succession

    Rajiv Agarwal Know more
    16 Jun 2023

    Anticipation of wellness and its lessons for marketers

    Tulsi Jayakumar Know more
    7 Mar 2023

    ‘Family’ in Indian family businesses is key to growth

    Know More
    27 Jan 2023

    Startup spur needs budgetary push

    Tulsi Jayakumar Know More
    20 Dec 2022

    Exploring Potential for Deep technology in the Indian Start up Area: A Perspective

    Kunjana Mallik, Sakshi Sharma
    13 Dec 2022

    What Indian startups must learn from fallen unicorn Theranos

    Tulsi Jayakumar Know more
    16 Nov 2022

    Rethinking the value of values in family entrepreneurship: The crisis and beyond

    Tulsi Jayakumar, Tanja Lepaaho, Paavo Ritala, Spiros Batas & Karine Jourdain Know more
    8 Nov 2022

    Governance and cash burn as the twin challenges of the Indian startup ecosystem

    Tulsi Jayakumar
    19 Sep 2022

    India's startup ecosystem should adapt to tight money conditions

    Tulsi Jayakumar Know More
    30 Jun 2022

    Innovations can plug the growth capital gap of MSMEs

    Tulsi Jayakumar Know More
    29 Jun 2022

    MSME financing challenges still remain

    Tulsi Jayakumar View More
    21 May 2022

    Professionalization and managerialization of family firms: Influence of induction of the next-generation

    Tulsi Jayakumar
    19 Apr 2022

    Government support a must for the poor and MSMEs

    Tulsi Jayakumar View More
    6 Apr 2022

    MSMEs need innovative solutions as inflation kicks in

    Tulsi Jayakumar View More
    4 Apr 2022

    Inflation: Impact and response of small & medium family enterprises

    Tulsi Jayakumar View More
    3 Mar 2022

    Family firm ownership and its impact on performance: Evidence from an emerging market

    Avinash Ghalke, Arunima Haldar & Satish Kumar View More
    2 Mar 2022

    Are MSMEs willing: Assessing Indian MSME’s financing challenges during the corona pandemic

    Tulsi Jayakumar & Anshul Verma View More
    19 Jan 2022

    Let us raise a toast to family entrepreneurship in India

    Tulsi Jayakumar & Varun Nagaraj View More
    18 Jan 2022

    Family Business Management

    Rajiv Agarwal Know more
    18 Jan 2022

    Funding for family-run businesses - Survive and thrive in the new age economy

    Farzan Ghadially Know More
    7 Sep 2021

    Family businesses and the startup eco-system

    Tulsi Jayakumar
    30 May 2021

    Chapter: Internationalization of small Indian family-firms: An emergent theory

    Tulsi Jayakumar View More
    21 Apr 2021

    iD Fresh Food: Scripting a fresh story

    Tulsi Jayakumar View More
    22 Jan 2021

    To give or not to give: It's all in the family

    Tulsi Jayakumar View More
    1 Jan 2021

    Navigating the social paradoxes: A study on women entrepreneurship in India

    Rajiv Agarwal, Sumita Datta & Ratika Gore Know more
    29 Oct 2020

    Can Indian firms benefit from anti-China sentiment?

    Tulsi Jayakumar View More
    8 Sep 2020

    The 5Gs of family business: Sustainability mantras through case studies

    Arunima Haldar Know more
    25 Jun 2020

    Lending to MSMEs amidst the pandemic

    Tulsi Jayakumar & Anshul Verma View More
    16 Jun 2020

    The post-lockdown prospects of our small businesses

    Tulsi Jayakumar & Anshul Verma View More
    20 May 2020

    Covid-19 crisis : A golden opportunity for family businesses

    Rajiv Agarwal View More
    18 May 2020

    Family Business: Strengthening relationships in the time of Covid-19

    Rajiv Agarwal View More
    24 Apr 2020

    Small units in distress as pandemic drives away business

    Tulsi Jayakumar View More
    6 Apr 2020

    Leadership in the time of Covid-19 for Family businesses

    Rajiv Agarwal Know more
    24 Mar 2020

    India’s most vulnerable enterprises need the most help

    Tulsi Jayakumar View More
    18 Mar 2020

    How start-ups can 'start' their journey towards business institutions

    Tulsi Jayakumar Know more
    11 Mar 2020

    How to burn like a star

    Tulsi Jayakumar
    5 Mar 2020

    The role of sons-in law in family businesses

    Rajiv Agarwal View More
    28 Feb 2020

    Professionalising Indian Family firms: An analysis of the role of HR-Current reality and future perspectives

    Tulsi Jayakumar View More
    18 Feb 2020

    The role of daughters in Indian family businesses

    Rajiv Agarwal View More
    5 Feb 2020

    How TCS built an industry for India

    R Gopalakrishnan & Tulsi Jayakumar View More
    9 Jan 2020

    Building an infrastructure for effective family business teaching

    Sapna Malya
    18 Dec 2019

    Succession in family businesses: Right, responsibility, or a privilege?

    Rajiv Agarwal View More
    15 Dec 2019

    Research idea - Success of startups after incubation

    Anil Vaidya
    17 Jun 2019

    B2B sharing or buying refurbished? Choices for a startup firm with price and technology sensitive customers

    Tania Saha, Sumanta Basu, Balram Avittathur & Mukherjee, C.
    23 May 2019

    Family Business Simulation: Honey Heritage

    Rajiv Agarwal Know more
    16 Apr 2019

    MSMES: Performance, emerging issues and policy initiatives

    R K Pattnaik & Chinmay Joshi
    1 Apr 2019

    What ails the MSME sector?

    Tulsi Jayakumar
    20 Nov 2018

    Chapter: Created by business, for business

    Tulsi Jayakumar & R Gopalakrishnan View More
    1 Aug 2018

    Should families stay together?

    Rajiv Agarwal Know more
    22 Jun 2018

    The case for setting up family offices

    Rajiv Agarwal Know more

    In the News

    • January 23, 2023

      INDIA: State of the Family Business Report

    • March 3, 2022

      Family firm ownership and its impact on performance: evidence from an emerging market

    • February 19, 2022

      Let us raise a toast to family entrepreneurship in India

    • January 20, 2022

      Family Business Management

    • January 18, 2022

      Funding for family-run businesses - Survive and thrive in the new age economy'

    • April 24, 2020

      Small Units in distress as pandemic drives away business

    Podcasts

    • Play your game as if there is room for only one

      How did a talented cricketer, coached by none other than Ramakant Achrekar, start his entrepreneurial journey at the age of 23 and go on to become one of India’s most successful bankers?

    Team

    • People

      • Key Leadership

        • Tulsi Jayakumar

          Tulsi Jayakumar is the Executive Director of the Centre for Family Business and Entrepreneurship (CFBE). A Professor of Economics with 30 years of rich academic experience, she has received the Certificate for Family Business Advising (CFBA) and the Certificate for Family Wealth Advising (CFWA) from the Family Firm Institute, Boston. Dr. Jayakumar writes extensively in the media and is a thought leader in her chosen areas. Her articles in peer-reviewed journals and her cases are globally acclaimed  as ‘Global Best-Selling’ and ‘Most Popular’ cases and are available on global case repositories – Harvard and Ivey. She has co-authored two books: “How TCS built an Industry for India”, released in Feb 2020,  and “How Uday Kotak built a valuable Indian bank”, released in March 2021. 

      • Mentor in Residence

        • Ganga Chitnis

          Ganga Chitnis is a Mentor in Residence at SPJIMR CFBE & Sine IIT B. She has been associated for over 30 years with entrepreneurs, founders and promoters of startups as well as small and medium enterprises in various roles, including being an SME banker with India’s largest private bank, educator, mentor and facilitator. In addition, she mentors incubatees/startups with other leading incubators in the country. She is associated as a consultant for Indian Step & Business Incubator Association and is a resource person for the CII startup council. Her blend of corporate experience along with academic orientation helps her connect with the entrepreneur and startup community seamlessly.

      • Clinical Faculty

        • Amit Sharma (Khandelwal)

          Amit Sharma (Khandelwal) is the Co-founder & CEO of two startups, McareSpareParts.com (India’s fastest emerging online store for mobile spare parts, tools and smart gadgets) and Sault.in (Airplugs and Smartfits).

        • Ravindra Dey

          Founder and member of the Enneagram Academy of India, Ravindra is a fellow and management graduate in the area of Human Resources with over 25 years of rich experience in teaching and corporate management roles.

        • Ajay Dang

          An alumnus of the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIMA), Ajay has over 27 years of work experience in sales, marketing and business assignments with a diverse set of challenges and business drivers.

        • Farzan Ghadially

          Farzan Ghadially is Senator India, The World Business Angel Forum (WBAF), and an affiliated partner of the G20 Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI). As a Senator, his role includes helping the start-up / early-stage companies along with SMEs to rise to a global scale leveraging the WBAF network across 111 countries around the globe.

      • Key Administrators

        • Dhanashri Gokhale

          Dhanashri Gokhale is a Programme Coordinator at the CFBE. She holds a master’s degree in Law from Mumbai University and has over sixteen years of experience in academic administration and coordination. 

          Email: dhanashri.gokhale@spjimr.org 

          Call: 022-61454322

        • Shilpa Mehta

          Shilpa Mehta is the external relations and admissions outreach associate at CFBE, SPJIMR. She has an overall work experience of over 15+ years in the hospitality industry, teaching and non-teaching roles in the education field.

          Email : shilpa.mehta@spjimr.org

          Call : 022-62134442

           

        • Mayuri Karkera is the programme manager for PGPFMB at CFBE. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry and has completed Postgraduate Diploma in Planning and Management from IIPM, Mumbai. She has over 12 years of experience in the education industry, which includes product development, business development as well as overall operations.

          Email: mayuri.karkera@spjimr.org

          Call: 022-61454307

      • International Research Affiliates

        • Tanja Leppäaho

          Tanja Leppäaho is Professor in Growth entrepreneurship, Akatemiatutkija / Academy Research Fellow, LUT University, Finland  and Vice Director for LBM Doctoral School, LUT University, Finland. She was recognised as the leading scholar and expert in the area of family SME internationalisation on a global scale by Pukàll and Calabro (2014). Previously she held a tenure track in International Business and Entrepreneurship at the University of Jyväskylä and was a Senior Lecturer at the University of Edinburgh Business School, UK. In her current IBE project “Building Theory on the family business internationalization process” core areas of focus are the internationalisation process of firms through times, networking and family ownership. She has been published in various journals including Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, British Journal of Management, Family Business Review, Journal of Small Business Management, Entrepreneurship and Regional Development, British Journal of Management, and International Business Review. She was awarded the best paper award by the leading conference in entrepreneurship, Babson College Entrepreneurship Research Conference for her work co-authored by Professor Sarah Jack.  Her areas of interest are international entrepreneurship, networking, process, family entrepreneurship, sustainable entrepreneurship and qualitative methodology.  

        • Andrea Calabrò

          Andrea Calabrò is Director of the IPAG Entrepreneurship & Family Business Center and Professor of Family Business & Entrepreneurship at IPAG Business School, France. He is the Global Academic Director of the STEP (Successful Transgenerational Entrepreneurship Practices) Project Global Consortium www.thestepproject.org). He has published journal articles on family firms, internationalisation, and corporate governance in leading international journals such as Strategic Management Journal, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, Journal of International Business Studies, Family Business Review, Harvard Business Review, and Journal of Business Ethics. His latest book, “A Research Agenda for Family Business: A Way Ahead for the Field”, has been published with Edward Elgar Publishing and sets the stage for a shift in the family business debate. His research has appeared in several practitioner-oriented outlets such as The Wall Street Journal. He is the author of several practice-oriented family business reports. He serves as an advisor to family businesses and coaches next-generation members.

    Partners

    • Key Partners

      STEP Project

      SPJIMR is an affiliate of the internationally recognised Stichting STEP Project Global Consortium (SPGC). It is a global applied research initiative that explores business practices within family-managed businesses to generate solutions that have immediate application for family business leaders. The research insights are specifically relevant to developing new theoretical insights that can offer novel and valuable best practice recommendations to the business stakeholders and the practice community at large.

    SPJIMR is also an affiliate of the STEP Project. The STEP Project Global Consortium is a global applied research initiative that explores family and business practices within business families and generates solutions that have immediate application for family business leaders. The STEP Project Global Consortium is a leading global family business research project with an international reputation. The research insights are specifically relevant to developing new theoretical insights that can offer novel and valuable best practice recommendations to the business stakeholders and the practice community at large.

    Reports

    India: State of Family Business Report 2023

    The 2023 edition of the SPJIMR CFBE report provides a detailed exploration of the core attributes of Indian family businesses, with particular emphasis on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This comprehensive report offers invaluable insights into the intricacies of family businesses in India, shedding light on their challenges, successes, and evolving strategies.

    Know More

    India: State of Family Business Report 2022

    CFBE recently released the “India: State of the Family Business Report” that finds small and medium family businesses are relatively unscathed from the business front. Instead, family issues may prove to be the proverbial Achilles’ heel for such businesses. The study involved a survey of 350 family businesses across India from May-October 2022, conducted by Hansa Research. It found that most small and medium family enterprises have reported either stable or increasing trends across various parameters such as sales, market share, profitability, number of people employed, and profit margin on sales in FY 2021-22.

    Know More

    Contact Us

    Centre for Family Business and Entrepreneurship (CFBE)

    +91-22 – 6145 4306

    +91-22 – 6213 4474

    dhanashri.gokhale@spjimr.org

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