Opportunity brief
All that you need to know about Follow the Money: Innovation Challenge Powered by PayU
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The Follow the Money: Innovation Challenge is a national innovation competition organised by the Centre for Software and Information Technology Management (CSITM), IIM Bangalore, in partnership with PayU. The challenge invites students from all disciplines to tackle a real-world problem in digital payment security and financial fraud, and to develop innovative, practical solutions that bridge technology, business, policy and human behaviour.
Every day, fraudsters find new ways to slip past the systems built to stop them. What if the next solution came from you?
Problem Statement: The Bakery That Takes Bets
Payment providers onboard thousands of new merchants every day. Some use genuine documents to open accounts, then use them to collect money for banned activities such as illegal betting. How can a payment provider detect and respond to when a merchant's transactions stop matching the business it claims to run, without penalising honest merchants whose sales change for valid reasons? **Full problem statement with background is available in the rulebook.**
Eligibility:
- Open to college students from all disciplines across India
- Team size: 3–4 members per team
- Inter-college teams are allowed
- Each student may be part of only one team
Competition Structure:
Round 1 – Online Submission
Teams must submit a presentation deck of up to 8 slides (PDF) describing their solution and a video of up to 2 minutes explaining their solution. The video can take any creative format. Submissions will be evaluated on problem understanding, innovation and originality, solution design and approach, feasibility and real-world impact, and presentation and communication. The top teams will advance to the on-campus finale.
Round 2 – On-Campus Grand Finale
Finalist teams will be invited to IIM Bangalore on 26 November 2026 to present their solutions at a live exhibition. Each team will showcase its solution at its own stall, through a pitch, poster and demo or walkthrough, as judges visit each stall to evaluate the ideas and interact with the team. Displaying a working prototype is mandatory for technical solutions. The event will conclude with the announcement of winners.
Note:
- Finalists must arrange and bear their own travel and accommodation expenses for the on-campus event.
- Check out the rulebook attached for more details.
Submission Requirements:
Each team must submit a single Google Drive folder link containing:
- Presentation (PDF, up to 8 slides), named TeamName_Presentation.pdf
- Video (up to 2 minutes), named TeamName_Video
Folder requirements:
- Name the folder with your team name, e.g. TeamName_FollowTheMoney
- Set the folder's sharing access to "Anyone with the link can view"
- Submit only the folder link on Unstop before the Round 1 deadline
- Do not edit or add files to the folder after the deadline
Presentation requirements:
- Maximum length: 8 slides, submitted as a PDF.
- Should cover your idea and what makes it distinctive, how the solution works, how it addresses fraudulent activity, how it could be implemented in practice, and its expected impact.
- Should be clear, well structured and easy to follow
Video requirements:
- Maximum length: 2 minutes
- Any creative format, such as a short film, mock advertisement, scenario-based demonstration, animation, storytelling piece or product pitch. Technical teams must also build and demonstrate a working prototype.
- Should clearly explain or demonstrate the solution
(Optional)
- GitHub repository (for technical solutions)
- Supporting documents, such as a policy draft, process flow or business model (as a PDF in the folder.)
Evaluation Criteria:
Solutions will be assessed on:
- Problem Understanding
- Originality of Idea
- Solution Design and Approach
- Feasibility
- Real-World Impact
- Presentation Quality
Use of AI:
AI tools are allowed, as long as your team is the one creating the solution. Submissions are judged on originality, so generic AI-generated ideas without your own insight and contribution will score lower.
Prizes:
PayU Prize Pool of ₹70,000
- First Place: ₹40,000
- Second Place: ₹20,000
- Third Place: ₹10,000
- Certificates from IIM Bangalore for all participants
- Goodies, including T-shirts and badges, for finalists on campus.
For more information, including the full problem statement, evaluation weightage and rules, please refer to the Rulebook.
Contact:
Phone: +91 74831 02904 | +91 97395 97055 | +91 77740 82603
Email: csitm.events@iimb.ac.in
We look forward to discovering your innovative solutions.