Mittu Tigi — CEO
Mittu Tigi is an entrepreneur and startup ecosystem enabler with 10+ years of contribution to the Indian startup ecosystem, currently serving as Director at Merstra Foundation and State Chapter Lead at Headstart Network. He has mentored 500+ startups and supported fundraises of over ₹20 Cr through grants, CSR, and VC channels. Formerly the CEO of AIC IIITK and Founder of Zhooyi, he also teaches Entrepreneurship at XIME Kochi and AIMER Business School. Mittu has been recognised among India’s 50 Most Influential Incubator Leaders, nominated to Startup20 Taskforce Interest Group (G20 South Africa 2025), and has published teaching-case studies on Entrepreneurship. He has spoken at global and national platforms including the World Incubation Summit in Belgium, Rashtrapati Bhavan, Invest Odisha Summit, Startup ka Mahakumbh, and over 100+ entrepreneurship workshops across India. #EnablingStartups
Stackforce AI infers this person is a Startup Ecosystem Enabler with expertise in Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management.
Location: Kochi, Kerala, India
Experience: 15 yrs 7 mos
Skills
- Program Management
- Operations
- Leadership
- Start-up Consulting
- Project Management
- Startup Development
- Start-ups Management
- Incubation
- Marketing Strategy
- Team Management
Career Highlights
- Mentored over 500 startups in India
- Recognized among India's 50 Most Influential Incubator Leaders
- Published teaching-case studies on Entrepreneurship
Work Experience
XIME Kochi - Official Page
Visiting Professor (2 mos)
Merstra Foundation
Director (4 mos)
Director (2 yrs 3 mos)
Partner & Principal Consultant (6 mos)
AIC RAISE
Startup Mentor (2 yrs 8 mos)
XIME Kochi - Official Page
Visiting Professor (2 mos)
AIC-IIITKottayam
Chief Executive Officer (2 yrs 5 mos)
Startup India
Startup Mentor (3 yrs 3 mos)
Startup TN
Startup Mentor (3 yrs 3 mos)
Headstart Network Foundation
State Chapter Lead - Kerala (3 yrs 10 mos)
StaySigned
Head of Growth (10 mos)
Jagriti Yatra
Digital Marketing Consultant (3 mos)
Zhooyi Mediaworks India Pvt Ltd
Director & CEO (4 yrs 5 mos)
Headstart Network Foundation
Country CoLead - Design (1 yr 2 mos)
City Lead (1 yr 10 mos)
Volunteer (10 yrs 9 mos)
Eat Kochi Eat
Co Founder (2 yrs 3 mos)
Zhooyi Communications
Thinker-in-Chief (6 yrs 8 mos)
IMS Learning Resources
Trainer (4 mos)
Education
Master of Business Administration - MBA at Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode
B. Tech at Amal Jyothi College of Engineering Autonomous
Senior Secondary Certificate at International Indian School, Riyadh
Primary School at Bethany Academy, Vennikulam, Kerala
