Opportunity brief
Root to Shoot VentureFest 2026
Engineering Ideas into Enterprises
Root to Shoot VentureFest 2026 is a national-level entrepreneurship mega event organised by the Entrepreneurship Development Cell (EDC), Department of Computer Science and Engineering, SRM Institute of Science and Technology (SRMIST), Vadapalani Campus, Chennai.
Designed for student innovators, aspiring founders, and emerging startup teams, VentureFest takes participants through a practical entrepreneurial journey—from idea validation and customer discovery to market pitching and investor evaluation.
Three-Stage Entrepreneurial Framework
- GERMINATION: Cultivate the entrepreneurial mindset and refine the idea.
- SAPLING: Validate the venture, interact with customers, and chase the first users.
- FLOWERING: Present the venture to experienced founders, investors, and incubation professionals.
Event Schedule & Structure
Day 1: The Germination & Sapling Day (15 October 2026)
Participants begin with expert-led sessions covering customer validation, sales pitching, and investor-ready presentations.
The highlight of Day 1 is the Live "ShootStreet" Mock Market, where selected student ventures take their ideas directly to a live audience.
Team Objectives on Day 1:
- Showcase the venture, product, or service.
- Present the value proposition.
- Interact with potential users.
- Collect audience responses, registrations, votes, or simulated sales.
- Apply customer validation strategies.
- Work towards identifying the first 10 users.
The programme includes masterclasses on Customer Validation and The Perfect Pitch Anatomy, followed by the experiential ShootStreet activity.
Day 2: The Flowering Day (16 October 2026)
Shortlisted ventures advance to the Root-to-Shoot Shark Tank. Teams present their venture through a structured investor pitch, followed by a Q&A round with a panel comprising founders, investors, incubation professionals, and academic representatives.
Evaluation Criteria:
- Problem & Solution
- Customer Validation
- Market Understanding
- Business Model
- Unit Economics
- Scalability
- Team Strength
- Growth Strategy
- Overall Venture Potential
The final stage focuses on unit economics, scalability barriers, and team resilience, followed by jury feedback and recognition of the Top 3 teams.
Who Can Participate?
- College students
- Student founders & innovators
- Startup teams
- Entrepreneurship cells
- Innovation & incubation communities
- Aspiring entrepreneurs with a business idea, product, or early-stage venture
Teams may participate with an existing startup, prototype, product/service, or promising business idea.
Registration Requirement
Every participant MUST complete the official Google Form to be eligible for VentureFest 2026. Unstop registration alone is not sufficient. For team participation, every individual team member must separately submit the Google Form using their own details.
Registration Process:
- Register on Unstop.
- Form your team.
- Every team member fills out the official Google Form.
- Complete the required venture/participant details.
- Await the screening and shortlisting process.
- Teams will be considered eligible only when all participating members have completed the Google Form.
- GFORM Link: https://forms.gle/g8sJsbb9RMCU68ep6
Selection Process
Registrations will be followed by a screening and selection process. Only shortlisted venture teams will proceed to the competitive stages of VentureFest. Participants should be prepared to provide relevant details about their venture/idea, problem statement, solution, target market, business model, and current stage of development during registration.
Why Participate?
- Get your venture in front of a live audience.
- Validate your product/service with potential users.
- Learn customer discovery and market validation.
- Build a compelling investor pitch.
- Interact with founders and startup ecosystem professionals.
- Receive feedback from experienced jury members.
- Compete for Top 3 recognition and prizes.
- Explore opportunities for incubation and further venture development.
The event aims to identify 15 to 20 promising student ventures for intensive pitching and potential incubation support.
Event Details
- Event: Root to Shoot VentureFest 2026
- Theme: Engineering Ideas into Enterprises
- Date: 15–16 October 2026
- Venue: SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Vadapalani Campus, Chennai
- Format: Offline
- Participation: Team-based
Ready to take your idea from ROOT TO SHOOT? Build, validate, pitch, and grow.