BENGALURU — NSRCEL, the premier entrepreneurship and incubation center at the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB), has appointed Rasika Prashant as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
Prashant announced her transition through a professional update, stepping into the role after a distinguished career as a brand builder, startup founder, and corporate marketing executive.
From Founder to Incubation Leader
Prashant’s transition to NSRCEL marks a move to the supporting side of India’s startup ecosystem, bringing over a decade of direct entrepreneurial experience to the incubator:
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The Entrepreneurial Track: Prior to taking over at NSRCEL, Prashant spent more than ten years building the prominent health-food brand Soulfull from the ground up alongside her co-founders.
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Corporate Stint: Following Soulfull’s successful acquisition by Tata Consumer Products Limited (TCPL), she transitioned into the corporate structure, serving as the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) of Tata Consumer Soulfull until her recent resignation.
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Early Career Foundation: Before embarking on her startup journey, Prashant honed her strategic communication and brand equity skills at the global advertising agency Ogilvy & Mather.
Driving India’s Startup Incubation Blueprint
As CEO, Prashant will oversee one of India’s oldest and most respected institutional incubation hubs, which serves as a critical launchpad for early-stage ventures.
Reflecting on the New Mandate: “I have joined NSRCEL IIM Bangalore’s entrepreneurship and incubation centre as CEO,” Prashant stated. “For those who don’t know NSRCEL, it’s India’s most respected startup ecosystems, having supported hundreds of founders across sectors, stages, and geographies. A place where ideas get their first real shot. Every step of that journey [at Soulfull], I leaned on people who believed before there was reason to.”
Under her leadership, NSRCEL is expected to further deepen its multi-sector mentorship programs, expand its seed funding networks, and enhance its specialized playbooks for scaling founders navigating the path from ideation to corporate acquisition.
