Prayagraj, 04 June (HS): The Indian Institute of Management

Bangalore (IIMB) has opened applications for the third batch of its

undergraduate degree programme, the BBA in Digital Business and

Entrepreneurship. Delivered online, the BBA (DBE) is designed for learners

seeking a rigorous undergraduate education that brings together management

foundations, entrepreneurial thinking and technology-led skills, while offering

the flexibility to engage with the programme regardless of where learners are

based.

Applications for the third batch are now open through the

official programme website: https://dbe.iimb.ac.in/. The application window is

scheduled to close on 30th June 2026. Interested candidates are encouraged to

apply early.

At a time when careers and organizations are being reshaped

by emerging technologies, changing business models, and the growth of venture

creation, the programme aims to prepare students for a world in which

management knowledge must be applied in practical and fast-changing contexts.

Undergraduate programmes in India that integrate these dimensions in a

comprehensive and structured manner remain relatively limited.

The programme has seen strong early traction. Across the

first two batches, it has enrolled more than 2,000 learners from over 400

cities across 29 states. In the most recent cohort, 25.1% of students are from

Tier 3 cities, pointing to the programme’s ability to reach learners beyond

major metropolitan centres. The current cohorts also include learners from 17

to 50 years of age, including many who are pursuing the programme alongside

another undergraduate degree or while managing professional responsibilities.

“At IIM Bangalore, our effort with the BBA in Digital

Business and Entrepreneurship is to democratize access to high-quality

management education without diluting rigour. While the programme is delivered

online, it is designed to be academically demanding and deeply practical. We

are looking for motivated learners who value the flexibility of the format and

are willing to put in the sustained effort that a rigorous IIM Bangalore

education demands”, said Archana Srivastava, Programme Coordinator-BBA-DBE

and PGPPM, IIMB.

Students learn from IIMB faculty and engage with the

academic ecosystem of a globally recognized management institution, without

being limited by geographic constraints. The curriculum comprises structured

courses, assessments, live projects, peer learning and faculty-led inputs.

Students engage with subjects such as Venturing on a Budget, New Age Business

Models, Creativity Mindset for Innovation, Digital Marketing, Big Data

Analytics, UI/UX Design, and Exponential Technologies, among others. The

emphasis is on enabling learners to connect conceptual understanding with

practical application and developing the discipline required for rigorous

academic work.

A distinctive feature of the BBA (DBE) is its focus on

‘learning by doing’. Students undertake projects, experiments and

venture-building exercises that enable them to apply classroom insights to

real-world problems. Courses such as the ‘₹250 Venture’ introduce students to

opportunity identification, experimentation, customer understanding and

resourceful action. The programme ecosystem currently includes approximately

200 student-led startups across domains such as technology and AI,

sustainability, consulting, e-commerce, and creative consumer products.

IIMB has also established several mechanisms to support peer

learning and community formation in an online setting. Students participate in

learning pods, student-led cells, city meet-ups and other structured engagement

activities. The Campus Immersion, NOVA Unplugged and other curated on-campus

engagements provide opportunities to interact with peers, engage with the IIMB

ecosystem, and build relationships beyond the virtual classroom. These elements

help students experience both the flexibility of remote learning and the depth

that comes from real-world interaction.

The programme also offers students exposure to startup

founders, practitioners and broader professional networks. Initiatives such as

‘Shadow a Startup Founder’ and demo-day style engagements have enabled learners

to understand the realities of building and managing ventures. Students have

also independently secured internships and professional opportunities with organizations

such as McKinsey, KPMG, Wipro, and the Reserve Bank of India.

Hindusthan Samachar / Abhishek Awasthi