Sharktank IIITV

About Shark Tank IIITV 2026

Shark Tank IIITV is the flagship startup pitching competition of E-Cell, IIIT Vadodara. Student founders pitch their startups or ideas to investors, VCs and founders from the Ahmedabad–Gandhinagar startup ecosystem and compete for ₹35,000+ in prizes plus investment offers. Last edition saw 180+ registrations.

Eligibility

• Open to all undergraduate and postgraduate students from any college/university in India.
• Participants can be at the idea, prototype or early-revenue stage.
• A valid college ID is mandatory for the Grand Finale.

Team Guidelines

• Team size: [1–4] members (solo founders allowed).
• Inter-college teams: Allowed.
• Inter-specialization teams: Allowed (tech, management, design, any stream).
• One participant can be part of only one team.

Problem Statement

- Open innovation: there is no fixed problem statement. Teams pitch their own startup/idea in any domain (tech, D2C, social impact, health, fintech, edtech, etc.).

Competition Format

Round 1 – Pitch Deck Submission (Online)

• Submit a pitch deck of [max 12] slides in PDF format.
• Should cover: problem, solution, target market, business model, competition, traction (if any), team and funding ask.
• Opens: 18 Oct 2026 | Deadline: 22 OCT

Round 2 – Video Pitch (Online)

• Shortlisted teams submit a video pitch of [max 3 minutes].
• Founders must appear on camera; a product demo can be included.
• Deadline: [date]

Round 3 – Grand Finale (Offline)

• Date: 1 November 2026, 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
• Venue: IIIT Vadodara, Gandhinagar Campus
• Top teams pitch live before the jury: [5 min pitch + 3 min Q&A]
• Investors may make real investment offers to the teams.

Prizes

• 1st Prize: ₹12,000
• 2nd Prize: ₹10,000
• 3rd Prize: ₹8,000
• Best IIITV First-Year Team: ₹2,500
• Best All-Girls Team: ₹2,500
• Investment offers from investors on the panel
• Certificates for all finalists

Judging Criteria

• Problem clarity
• innovation
• Market potential
• Business model
• Feasibility
• Team strength
• Pitch delivery.

Rules:

• The idea/startup must be the team's original work. Plagiarism or copied decks lead to immediate disqualification.
• Submissions after the deadline will not be accepted.
• Only registered team members can pitch in the finale; team changes are not allowed after Round 1.
• Strict time limits apply in the finale; the pitch will be stopped once time is up.
• Startups that have already raised institutional funding above [₹1 CR] are not eligible.
• Participants are responsible for their own travel to the finale venue.
• Decisions of the jury and organising committee are final and binding.
• E-Cell IIIT Vadodara reserves the right to modify rules or the schedule; updates will be shared with registered participants.
• Any misconduct will lead to disqualification.

Contact

Instagram: @iiitvadodara_ecell Registration head : Harshil dodiya - 7984768223