PW School of Startups

How to apply to PW School of Startups

1. Pick the programme that matches your stage (see the list below). There is no single PW SOS application.
2. Open that programme's page on the official site (schoolofstartups.live) and use its Apply Now or enrol button.
3. Check the eligibility on that page before you apply: DPIIT or StartInUP recognition and a Uttar Pradesh base for the incubation track, early revenue for SeedX.
4. Questions on any programme can go to namaste@schoolofstartups.live.

Pick the door that matches what you need

• Want to learn the basics fast: Aarambh is a paid 5-day residential bootcamp. Pay the fee and pick a city cohort (Bengaluru, Noida or Deoria). There is no selection to get in.
• Have a problem area but no clear idea yet: apply for Samadhan, the free one-on-one mentoring track. You can join solo or with a team, and no startup or technical experience is needed.
• Already have revenue and need capital: apply to SeedX for seed funding.
• Already DPIIT- or StartInUP-recognised and based in Uttar Pradesh: apply for the StartInUP incubation track for 12 to 24 months of support (this one takes equity).
• Building an AI product or an AI-first student idea: the PW AI Startup Challenge has two tracks (startups and students) and charged no application fee. The 2026 edition closed on 28 June 2026, so watch the official page for the next one.
• Need your product built, not taught: LeapX is a paid execution service, not a programme to apply to. Book a call directly.

Dates and deadlines

• Aarambh and Samadhan run in cohorts with no fixed national deadline; join the next open city cohort or session.
• SeedX and the StartInUP track list no closing date on the site.
• The PW AI Startup Challenge keeps a fixed calendar: applications closed 28 June 2026 and the event ran on 20 to 21 August 2026.

What reviewers look for

• For SeedX: founders already showing early revenue, not just an idea.
• For the StartInUP incubation track: a startup that already holds DPIIT or StartInUP recognition and is registered or operating in Uttar Pradesh.
• For the AI Startup Challenge startup track: a genuinely AI-first or AI-enabled product at seed to Series A stage, with at least one Indian founder.
• For the AI Startup Challenge student track: a team of up to four with at least one enrolled student and an AI idea in edtech, fintech, defence technology or healthcare.
• Aarambh and Samadhan are built to be accessible to first-time founders.

PW School of Startups (PW SOS) is the entrepreneurship initiative of PhysicsWallah (PW), the edtech company founded by Alakh Pandey. It backs founders through five routes: Aarambh (a paid 5-day bootcamp), Samadhan (free one-on-one mentoring), SeedX (seed funding for founders with early revenue), the StartInUP incubation track (12 to 24 months, for DPIIT- or StartInUP-recognised startups in Uttar Pradesh) and the PW AI Startup Challenge (a yearly funding competition). It is based at PW's own campus in Noida, with a second incubation centre in Lucknow.

Does Alakh Pandey fund startups through PW SOS?

PW SOS is the vehicle. It was launched in 2024 with a dedicated fund to back startups over five years, and in March 2026 it was accredited as an incubator under the StartInUP scheme of the Government of Uttar Pradesh. Alakh Pandey and co-founder Prateek Maheshwari appear as mentors on the programme's own people page. Funding is not a single open cheque: it comes through SeedX, the AI Startup Challenge and the StartInUP track, each with its own selection. Aarambh and Samadhan are learning and mentoring programmes, not funding.

Which PW SOS programme should you apply to?

• Student, early professional or first-time founder who wants the basics: Aarambh. It is a fee-based, 5-day residential bootcamp with cohorts in Bengaluru, Noida and Deoria. There is no selection, you enrol and pay.
• Exploring a problem, with or without an idea: Samadhan. It is free, you can join solo or with a team, and no prior startup or technical experience is needed. Some cohorts may use a short application or screening step.
• Early revenue and need seed capital: SeedX, listed on the site as a 2-week offline programme.
• Recognised by DPIIT or StartInUP and operating in Uttar Pradesh: the StartInUP incubation track, which runs 12 to 24 months and takes a 2 to 5 percent equity stake.
• AI-first startup or student AI idea: the PW AI Startup Challenge. The 2026 edition closed applications on 28 June 2026 and was held on 20 to 21 August 2026 at PW's Noida headquarters. No application fee was charged, and the next edition has not been announced.
• Need a product built rather than taught: LeapX, a paid, subsidised build service.

Who can apply

Aarambh is the easiest door in: school students, college students and early professionals. Samadhan is open to students, aspiring founders, professionals and innovators. SeedX and the StartInUP track are for founders who already have a company, and the incubation track needs DPIIT or StartInUP recognition and a Uttar Pradesh connection. The AI Startup Challenge needed an AI-first product at seed-to-Series-A stage for startups, or at least one enrolled student on a team of up to four for the student track.

Who runs it and where

PW SOS is led day to day by the Head of PW School of Startups, with PW's own leadership as residential mentors and a rotating list of visiting mentors. The main base is PhysicsWallah's building in Noida (Sector 62). Aarambh cohorts have been held at PW's Bengaluru campus and a Deoria enterprise centre in eastern Uttar Pradesh.

Contact

General questions go to namaste@schoolofstartups.live or the phone number on the official contact page. Each programme has its own Apply Now or enrol button; there is no single application for all of PW SOS.

What to keep in mind

Treat the offerings as distinct products. Aarambh is a paid short course anyone can join, Samadhan is free mentoring, and SeedX, the StartInUP track and the AI Startup Challenge are the parts that involve real selection, funding and, for the incubation track, equity. If you want capital or a formal incubation slot, apply to those directly rather than assuming Aarambh leads there.