Institute for Competitiveness, India

What Institute for Competitiveness, India does

Institute for Competitiveness, India is a Gurgaon-headquartered non-profit research institute that operates as the Indian node of Harvard Business School's Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness global network, disseminating Professor Michael Porter's competition and strategy frameworks to Indian policymakers, corporations, and healthcare organisations. Its product portfolio spans six executive education programs (Microeconomics of Competitiveness, Value Based Healthcare, Industry Analysis, Global Health Delivery, Business Model Innovation, Creating Shared Value), a suite of national and sub-national indices including the India Innovation Index, Ease of Living Index, Municipal Performance Index, and Social Progress Index, an open-data Cluster Mapping India platform, the annual Porter Prize awards, the Stanford-co-hosted India Dialog conference, and the quarterly Thinkers magazine.

The business model is multi-stream and consulting-and-events led rather than product-licensing led. Revenue is generated from executive education tuitions (covering tuition, books, case materials, and meals under payment terms of net-30 days), paid corporate advisory and impact-analysis engagements that yield published case studies (with Vedanta, GNFC, and JSW Steel visible as named clients), government advisory retainers through formal partnerships with NITI Aayog and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, event sponsorship and registration fees from Porter Prize, India's National Competitiveness Forum, and India Dialog, and licensing of case studies through Harvard Business Publishing and Ivey Publishing. Distribution relies primarily on direct relationships, high-profile events, and earned media in Financial Express, Economic Times, Business Standard, and other major Indian outlets rather than a digital sales motion.

The organisation is privately held with no disclosed funding rounds, no M&A activity, no patents, and a small operating team; it sustains its research output through its affiliation with Harvard and Stanford and through ongoing partnerships with NITI Aayog, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, PATH, the US Council on Competitiveness, Shared Value Initiative USA, and Social Progress Imperative. Its competitive position rests on the Michael Porter brand, its quasi-official status on national indices, and a multi-country network rather than on proprietary technology or AI capability, the latter being absent from the disclosed profile.

Name

Institute for Competitiveness, India

Legal name

Institute for Competitiveness, India

Website

https://competitiveness.in

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Gurgaon-based non-profit research institute is the Indian affiliate of Harvard Business School's Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness, producing competitiveness indices, executive education, and policy advisory for Indian government bodies and corporate executives.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Policy Research and Strategy Consulting

NAICS

Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Economic Research, Statistics & Policy Advisory (BPADAMAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Competitive Intelligence & Benchmarking (BPAHALAB)

Keywords

• Competitive strategy research
• Executive education programs
• Cluster economic analysis
• Policy advisory services
• Social progress indices

Headquarters

HQ city

Gurgaon

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Executive Education Programs: The institute generates revenue through executive education programs including Microeconomics of Competitiveness, Value Based Healthcare, Industry Analysis, Global Health Delivery, Business Model Innovation, and Creating Shared Value. Programs feature case-based pedagogy with tuition, books, case materials, and meals included in fees.
2. Research Publications and Reports: The institute produces and publishes research reports including State Competitiveness Report, City Competitiveness Report, Manufacturing Competitiveness Report, Creative Economy Reports, Social Progress Index, India Innovation Index, and Rice Fortification reports. These are disseminated through partnerships and events.
3. Events and Conferences: High-profile events including Porter Prize, India's National Competitiveness Forum, and The India Dialog generate revenue through sponsorships, partnerships, and registration fees from corporate and government attendees.
4. Advisory Services: The institute provides advisory services to corporations and governments on competitiveness, strategy, and shared value implementation. Partnerships with government bodies like Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs for indices.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Institute for Competitiveness, India is an independent research institute that produces data-driven research, indices, and policy advisory work on competitiveness, clusters, and shared value across Indian states, cities, and sectors. It also runs fee-based executive education programs, publishes case studies and the Thinkers magazine, and convenes conferences and policy dialogues for governments, corporations, and institutions.

Product overview

Institute for Competitiveness, India is a research institute that serves as the Indian node in the global network of the Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness at Harvard Business School. Rather than a unified software product, the organization offers a portfolio of research initiatives, indices, publications, and executive education programs. The core offerings include: the Global South Research Collaborative (GSRC) platform for health research collaboration; The India Dialog research initiative with Stanford University; Cluster Mapping India data platform for industry clusters; Future of States initiative for state-level innovation analysis; the Porter Prize award program; Shared Value Initiative India; Social Progress India index; Thinkers Magazine publication; Ease of Living Index and Municipal Performance Index (developed with Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs); and India Council on Competitiveness. Additionally, the institute offers six executive education programs: Microeconomics of Competitiveness, Value Based Healthcare, Industry Analysis and Understanding Competition, Global Health Delivery, Business Model Innovation, and Creating Shared Value.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Leaders Programme Executive education program for senior leaders covering Michael Porter's competitiveness and strategy frameworks, taught by faculty from Harvard Business School and Ivey Business School. Targets CXOs and senior executives seeking advanced strategy training.
• Strategy for Growth Programme Executive program focused on growth strategy using Porter's frameworks, targeting senior executives and business owners. Offered in collaboration with Harvard Business School and Ivey Business School faculty.
• Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) Programme Specialized executive program designed for current and aspiring chief strategy officers, covering competitive analysis, cluster strategy, and shared value. Delivered with Harvard Business School and Ivey Business School faculty.
• Senior Management Programme Executive education offering for senior managers building competency in competitiveness, clusters, and value-based strategy. Designed as part of the institute's six flagship programs.
• Advanced Management Programme Advanced executive program for experienced managers seeking deeper engagement with strategic competitiveness and shared value concepts. Faculty drawn from Harvard Business School and Ivey Business School.
• Executive Programme in Strategy, Innovation and Competitive Advantage (EPICA) Specialized program focused on strategy, innovation, and competitive advantage. Targets executives and senior managers looking to apply competitive strategy and innovation frameworks in their organizations.
• Cluster Mapping India Proprietary, data-driven interactive toolkit providing cluster-based economic analysis across Indian states and sectors. Used for diagnostics on regional competitiveness, industry presence, and trade flows.
• Thinkers Magazine In-house publication of the Institute for Competitiveness covering strategy, competitiveness, clusters, shared value, and policy dialogue. Targeted at executives, policymakers, and academics.

Quantifiable outcome

• Vedanta's induced economic impact estimated at INR 3.74 lakh crore (2.2% of India's GDP)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• US Asia Technology Management Center, Stanford UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint research initiative focusing on research, publications, interactions, and events to build better understanding of the Indian economy. The partnership produces The India Dialog annual conference at Stanford University, TID Working Papers, and round table discussions on development topics including states as drivers of development and rice fortification in India.
• PATHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founded the Global South Research Collaborative (GSRC), a platform aiming to catalyze research and nurture cross-learning through sharing of knowledge, expertise, and best practices in and with the Global South. Launched Global South Knowledge Sharing Platform for health topics dissemination via virtual and in-person exchanges.
• Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness, Harvard Business SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Indian knot in the global network of the Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness at Harvard Business School. Dedicated to enlarging and purposeful disseminating of research and knowledge on competition and strategy as pioneered by Professor Michael Porter over 35 years.
• Shared Value Initiative (USA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerShared Value Initiative India (SVII) is the exclusive Regional Partner of Shared Value Initiative in the U.S. Founded in 2012 as a Clinton Global Initiative Commitment to Action by Professor Michael Porter and Mr. Mark Kramer. SVII connects business and community leaders toward defining shared value practices in India.
• Social Progress ImperativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSocial Progress India (SPI) is a presentation of Institute for Competitiveness and Social Progress Imperative. Produces the Social Progress Index, a holistic measurement framework for national, social, and environmental performance used by government, business, and civil society leaders.
• Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), IndiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThree-way collaboration with Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness and DIPP for the Cluster Mapping India project. Objective is to provide open records on industry clusters and regional business environment to advance competitiveness in India.
• US Council on CompetitivenesscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndia Council on Competitiveness created in collaboration with US Council on Competitiveness, based in Gurgaon, India. Association of distinguished members from industry, academia, think tanks, media, and researchers with mission to drive Indian competitiveness, productivity, and leadership in world markets.
• Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of IndiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInstitute invited as Strategy Support Team member in formalizing Ease of Living Index 2.0 and Municipal Performance Index. Partnership includes collaboration on urban development indices and municipal performance measurement frameworks.
• NITI AayogcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for India Innovation Index development and Future of States initiative. Joint work on understanding innovation drivers within Indian states and helping governments leverage innovation capability for growth.
• Harvard Business PublishingmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCase studies including GNFC Neem Project and JSW Steel Shared Value published through Harvard Business Publishing platform, enabling global distribution to business schools and executives.
• Ivey PublishingmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCase studies including GNFC Neem Project and JSW Steel Shared Value published through Ivey Publishing platform for academic distribution.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• NITI Aayog: India's premier government policy think tank (successor to the Planning Commission). A formal partner of IFC on India Innovation Index and Future of States, and itself a producer of economic and competitiveness research that competes for similar policy advisory visibility.
• BCG Henderson Institute: BCG's in-house think tank publishing research on strategy, innovation, and economic competitiveness. Comparable to MGI as a consultancy-affiliated research body targeting similar corporate strategy and policy audiences.
• McKinsey Global Institute: MGI is the economic and policy research arm of McKinsey producing reports on productivity, competitiveness, and development. Larger and broader in scope but addresses the same corporate strategy and policy advisory clients as IFC, often with overlapping frameworks.
• Brookings Institution: Major global think tank producing research across economic development, competitiveness, and innovation policy. Comparable in publishing volume, conference cadence, and government/corporate audience, though with broader topic coverage.
• World Bank Group: Multilateral institution producing influential Doing Business, Human Capital, and competitiveness reports and advising governments on economic reform. Competes with IFC for state and central government advisory mandates in India.

Direct peers

• ICRIER (Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations): Leading India-based economic policy think tank producing research on trade, investment, macroeconomics, and competitiveness. Closest India-based peer in mission, funding model (non-profit policy research), and policy/corporate client base.
• Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness, Harvard Business School: Parent affiliate and intellectual anchor of the Institute for Competitiveness, India. ISC is the global hub of Michael Porter's competitiveness research and the source of the frameworks, brand, and case pedagogy that the Indian institute distributes. Direct and inseparable peer.
• IMD World Competitiveness Center: Publishes the annual IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook ranking ~60 economies, the most widely cited global competitiveness benchmark. Directly competes with IFC's indices (India Innovation Index, State Competitiveness) for policy attention and global rankings visibility.
• World Economic Forum: Publishes the Global Competitiveness Report and convenes global leaders around economic competitiveness and innovation. Competes for the same policymaker mindshare that IFC targets with India Dialog, Porter Prize, and state-level indices.
• Council on Competitiveness (US): US-based non-partisan membership organization focused on US competitiveness, productivity, and innovation. Direct partner in the India Council on Competitiveness and operates the same thought-leadership and convening model targeting policymakers and business leaders.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

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• Facebookfacebook.com/kautiliya
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/institute-for-competitiveness-india
• Instagraminstagram.com/amitkapoor

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Institute for Competitiveness, India