Opportunity brief
About:
Early-stage founders from across India compete in an online round, and the top teams pitch live to an investor panel at the offline grand finale on 7, 8 and 9 January 2027.
Domains (choose one):
- Healthcare & HealthTech (finale day: 7 January 2027)
- Vertical B2B SaaS (finale day: 8 January 2027)
- B2B FinTech & Financial Infrastructure (finale day: 9 January 2027)
Who Can Participate:
- Early-stage startups and founding teams from any city or college. Students, graduates and professionals are welcome.
- Teams of 1 to 5 members. Inter-college and inter-specialisation teams are allowed.
- One startup per team, registered in one domain.
- Startups must have an original idea, product or prototype in one of the three domains.
Format:
- Round 1 (Online): Teams register and submit their startup details. The organising team evaluates and scores each entry.
- Selection: 25 finalist teams are chosen in each domain, 75 teams in total.
- Grand Finale (Offline): Finalists pitch live at AIKTC to an investor panel and domain experts on the day of their domain, take questions and receive feedback.
- Round timings, pitch duration and the detailed schedule will be shared with shortlisted teams.
What Participants Get:
- A national stage and a live pitch in front of investors and domain experts
- Direct feedback from investors and experts
- The opportunity to pitch for investment of up to Rs 3 crore (an indicative ceiling, subject to investor decisions)
- Networking with founders, mentors and investors
- Visibility through the event's media and community partners
Rules:
- Registration for the competition is free.
- All submissions must be original and accurate. Plagiarised or misleading information will lead to disqualification.
- Finalists must be able to attend the offline finale at AIKTC on their domain day.
- Participation does not guarantee funding. Investment decisions rest solely with investors, and any investment is agreed directly between the investor and the startup.
- Selected finalists will receive the finalist confirmation procedure and any applicable terms, including those relating to investor introductions, in writing from the organising team before they are asked to confirm their participation.
- The decisions of the organisers and judges are final. The schedule may be updated, and changes will be announced.