BENGALURU: The Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB) continues to advance its commitment to innovation-driven education through its flagship undergraduate offering — the Bachelor of Business Administration in Digital Business and Entrepreneurship BBA (DBE). Launched with the vision of preparing future-ready leaders for the digital economy, the programme has seen an overwhelming response from across the country and is emerging as a pioneering model for online undergraduate business education in India.
The inaugural cohort reflects remarkable diversity and reach, comprising over 1,000 students from 29 states and 359 cities, making it a truly pan-India initiative. With learners aged between 17 and 52 years, the programme brings together recent school graduates, working professionals, and aspiring entrepreneurs in a dynamic and collaborative environment. A broad academic base further strengthens this diversity, with 58.6% of students enrolled in dual-degree programmes, and representation from CBSE (68.3%), ICSE (17.1%), and State Boards (12.1). The cohort also includes 35.2% female learners, contributing to a more inclusive landscape in digital business education.
The BBA DBE programme is a comprehensive three-year journey across foundational (certificate), diploma, and degree levels. It offers flexibility for students to engage with the programme based on their academic interests. The curriculum integrates core business subjects, entrepreneurial thinking, and digital capabilities. In the first year, students engage with fundamental disciplines such as business communication, statistics, accounting, marketing, and creativity for innovation, alongside practical modules in website development, spreadsheets, and a unique Rs. 250 Venture initiative to stimulate entrepreneurial experimentation.
Building on this foundation, the second year introduces advanced coursework in areas of digital marketing, operations, UI/UX design, product management, macroeconomics, design thinking, and mobile application development. The experiential Do Your Venture-1 module enables students to begin applying these concepts in practice. The final year focuses on strategic leadership and digital fluency through digital business models, big data analytics, corporate finance, social entrepreneurship, exponential technologies, and Do Your Venture-2.
Applications for the second batch of the BBA DBE programme opens on 17th April 2025. Building on the success of its inaugural year, the programme continues to offer a robust, future-oriented learning experience that integrates online flexibility with impactful offline engagement — nurturing the next generation of entrepreneurs, innovators, and digital business leaders.
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A key feature of the programme is its emphasis on collaborative and community-based learning. Students are grouped into Learning Pods, curated based on academic performance, to encourage peer-to-peer engagement and personalised support. Each zone is also represented by elected student leaders who coordinate zonal events, facilitating both academic and community-based interactions. These are further enriched by regular online engagements- both academic and co-curricular, offline city meets, and the Campus Immersion Programme, which bridges the gap between digital and in-person learning.
The programme's entrepreneurial orientation is evident in the 78+ startup founders among the inaugural batch, with ventures spanning technology, AI, e-commerce, ed-tech, consulting, and sustainability domains.
As part of its expanding global engagement, IIMB has partnered with Hiroshima University under the Japan MEXT-funded AGILE COIL initiative, which offers lectures on social entrepreneurship and opportunities for exceptional students to participate in cross-cultural academic exchange in Japan.
The programme has also fostered a vibrant co-curricular culture. NOVA 2024, a two-week-long zonal celebration, brought together over 300 students across eight zones, featuring 14 events that showcased creativity, leadership, and team spirit.
Offline events in Mumbai and Delhi have further deepened cohort cohesion, and the upcoming Campus Immersion at IIM Bangalore in May 2025 will provide learners from across India the opportunity to experience the IIMB ecosystem firsthand through curated academic and networking activities.
With its distinctive combination of academic rigour, practical application, peer leadership, and global exposure, the BBA DBE programme stands as a benchmark in undergraduate business education. Graduates of the complete three-year programme will also be granted alumni status from IIM Bangalore, enabling them to join one of India’s most respected and influential professional networks.
