Opportunity brief
About the Opportunity:
Shark Tank AIKTC 2026 National Level Entrepreneurship & Startup Competition
Theme: "From Ideas to Investments"
Organized by AIKTC Entrepreneurship Cell (AIKTC E-Cell) as a flagship initiative under AIKTC's participation in the National Entrepreneurship Challenge (NEC) 2026, organized by E-Cell IIT Bombay.
About the Event:
Shark Tank AIKTC 2026 is a two-round national-level startup pitch competition. Teams will first compete in an online screening round, after which the top 50 teams will be shortlisted to participate in the live, in-person finale at AIKTC Auditorium, Panvel.
The finale will feature pitches before a panel of investors
The competition covers domains including:
- Technology
- Healthcare
- Sustainability
- Education
- Agriculture
- Finance
- Social Impact
- AI & Emerging Technologies
Eligibility:
- Open to students from colleges across India.
- Team size: 1–4 members.
- Everyone can apply
Format:
Round 1 — Online Screening:
- Open to all registered teams.
- Registration is free teams can register via our Unstop listing.
- Teams must submit their startup pitch in the format specified by the organizers.
- The top 50 teams will be shortlisted nationally.
- All teams will receive evaluator feedback on their submissions, regardless of the outcome.
Round 2 — Offline Finale:
- Venue: AIKTC Auditorium, Panvel, Navi Mumbai.
- 50 shortlisted teams will present live, with 25 teams presenting each day on 21st and 22nd August 2026.
- Each team will receive 5 minutes to pitch, followed by 5 minutes of Q&A with the jury/investor.
- Total time per team: 10 minutes.
- Confirmation fee: Shortlisted finalist teams must pay ₹500 to confirm their spot at the finale. This fee does not include food or water.
Finale Flow:
- Registration & Reporting
- Opening Ceremony
- Introduction of Judges/Investors
- Startup Pitch Sessions
- Q&A with Judges
- Evaluation & Deliberation
- Networking
- Announcement of Top Teams
- Vote of Thanks
Evaluation Parameters:
- Innovation & Originality – 20%
- Problem Identification – 15%
- Market Potential – 20%
- Business Model – 20%
- Feasibility & Scalability – 15%
- Presentation & Communication – 10%
Funding Clause:
Any participating team that receives funding as a direct or indirect result of connections, mentorship, or investor interest generated through Shark Tank AIKTC 2026 agrees to contribute 6% of the funding amount raised to the AIKTC E-Cell organizing team as a token of support for the platform that enabled the opportunity.
Venue:
- Round 1: Online
- Round 2: AIKTC Auditorium, Panvel, Navi Mumbai
No travel is required for the screening round.
WhatsApp Group:
Join the WhatsApp group for further updates: https://chat.whatsapp.com/BApBdzacIGX820wRdwmzbO?s=sw&p=i&ilr=4