Entrepreneurship Cell, IIT Kanpur, organised its flagship startup pitching competition UpStart 2025 in Hyderabad today along with Bangalore. The event was organized at TEC Hitech City and was attended by over 13 startups, along with prominent dignitaries, including angel investors and Venture Capital firms. The Hyderabad event, part of the larger UpStart Nationals, was the second event organised by the Entrepreneurship Cell, IIT Kanpur, this year, and looked to support, accelerate, and empower startups in the city.
Categorised as an Indian Business Model competition, UpStart 2025 in Hyderabad allowed city-based entrepreneurs with a 10-minute pitching session to angel investors and venture capital firm representatives. Selected startups from the city would be going through several rounds of screening, along with face-to-face mentoring sessions later. Furthermore, the finalists would also be participating in the UpStart Finals, to be organised at the IIT Kanpur campus on January 25, 2026. The Hyderabad event would be followed by chapters in Bangalore (November 8) Mumbai (December 6), before the finalists are announced. Registrations for the Mumbai chapter are still open! Stay tuned for further updates by following our official Instagram account.
The Entrepreneurship Cell team from IIT Kanpur shared their insights on the event, saying, “Today’s event further supplements our vision of extending an olive branch towards the Indian startup ecosystem and entrepreneurs. Mentorship and critical funding are some of the catalysts of a successful startup journey, and from the innovation and conviction that was showcased here, we are determined about being on the proper track. We also hope to witness similar thoughtful business ideas in our remaining locations.”
The flagship startup pitching competition in Hyderabad was participated in by startups from different sectors, along with prominent investors and VCs such as Navikarna Ventures, Hyderabad Angels, GMR, Impel Ventures, BM Capital Family Office, Caspian Equity, sucSEED Ventures, ah! Ventures and many more. Apart from the startup pitching competition, the event provided a unique mentorship and networking opportunity for entrepreneurs. Saturday’s chapter at Hyderabad also follows the opening event at the national capital, where over 23 startups from different stages of developments participated, along with angel investors and VCs from GMR Group, Inflection Point Ventures, IAN Group, Finvolve, GrowX Ventures, and others. The participating startups brought on innovative ideas in fintech, health tech, deep tech, Web3, and Cybersecurity, among others.
