Startup Competitions & Hackathons in India

An industry-specific accelerator program connecting mid-to-late stage startups with corporate partners to solve complex challenges and drive commercial collaboration.

An early-stage startup challenge by Cars24, Startup India, and Startup Policy Forum, offering a shared prize pool of ₹1 crore, mentorship, and deployment opportunities across Fintech, Mobility, Supply Chain, and Sovereign AI.

Two-week online hackathon on NEAR for AI agents and cross-chain payments; US$250,000 pool, top prize US$55,000, paid in NEAR. Closes 14 Nov 2026.

Up to three grants of US$40,000 (about ₹38 lakh) for Indian insurers, insurtechs and fintechs scaling insurance that protects MSMEs and their workers. Closes 20 November 2026.

A flagship initiative by the Government of Telangana challenging startups, innovators, and researchers to solve real-world public-sector problems for potential pilot and deployment opportunities.

A global competition for early-stage AI startups addressing major global challenges, offering a $20,000 grand prize, mentorship, and global exposure.

NSA 6.0 is a flagship initiative by Startup India, DPIIT, recognising and rewarding startups with innovative, scalable, and impactful solutions across 22 categories, offering a cash prize of ₹25 lakh.

Social Alpha's ISRO-backed lab-to-market platform for SpaceTech startups, with R&D, testing, mentorship, market access and possible seed investment.