SanchiConnect

Know which door you're applying through

SanchiConnect is two different things, and it matters which one you're applying to. Joining the free deep-tech network — to find investors, mentors or enterprise partners — is a straightforward sign-up with no selection process. Applying to Pulse, VELOCITY or Leap to Unicorn is a real, judged process with a form, a review and, for the two deep-tech/fintech accelerators, due diligence before any investment lands.

Check the programme actually fits your stage and sector

• Pulse is for AI-driven fintech startups only, incorporated in India or South-East Asia, with a working MVP and early revenue or proof-of-concept traction.
• VELOCITY is for DPIIT-registered deep-tech startups with core IP — hardware or software — at MVP through early-revenue stage, across a defined list of sectors (AdTech, AgriTech, BioTech, HealthTech/MedTech, SpaceTech, mobility, manufacturing, energy).
• Leap to Unicorn is open to any sector, but requires at least a working MVP or prototype and at least one founder over 18.

Applying to the wrong track for your stage or sector is the most common way to be screened out early.

How applications work

Each programme has its own online form, taking about 15–30 minutes. Direct applications by email are explicitly not considered for Pulse or VELOCITY — use the official form link on the programme page. Both accelerators note they do not charge a programme fee, but reserve the right to invest through partly paid equity in the companies they select, so read the equity terms before applying if that matters to your cap table.

How selection works

Pulse and VELOCITY both run a multi-stage process: initial application review, a call or demo, a deeper questionnaire, partner evaluation, a term sheet, third-party due diligence, and finally a shareholders' agreement before funds are released — expect this to take weeks, not days. Leap to Unicorn instead narrows a large open registration pool down through a bootcamp, a pitch-video round and a jury round to a small final cohort.

What to have ready

For the accelerators, have a working MVP, clear traction numbers, and a technical team you can speak to specifics about — the evaluation stages are built around calls and demos, not just the written form. For Leap to Unicorn, product images or video and identity documents were part of the registration ask.

SanchiConnect is a deep-tech enablement network founded in 2022 and headquartered in Noida, Uttar Pradesh. At its core it is a free-to-join community and matchmaking platform: startups, investors, enterprises and mentors sign up to find each other, rather than apply to be selected into a cohort. Alongside that network, SanchiConnect and its partners run a small number of named, application-based accelerator programmes for deep-tech and fintech founders, and it operates a physical co-working space for the community in Noida.

What they support

The network is open to deep-tech startups broadly — AI/ML, robotics, biotech, cleantech, space and quantum computing are all named as areas members work in. Its two accelerator programmes narrow this further: VELOCITY, run with YourNest VC, looks for DPIIT-registered deep-tech hardware and software startups with core IP, from MVP stage through to early revenue, across sectors including AdTech, AgriTech, BioTech, HealthTech/MedTech, SpaceTech, mobility, manufacturing and energy. Pulse, run with Thinkuvate, is narrower still: AI-driven fintech startups incorporated in India or South-East Asia, at proof-of-concept or early-revenue stage with a working MVP. A third programme, Leap to Unicorn, was open to India-based founders in any sector with at least an MVP or working prototype, and did not focus on deep tech specifically.

On the network side, joining does not require being selected — any deep-tech startup, investor, enterprise or mentor can sign up, and SanchiConnect says there is no subscription fee to join.

Programmes

Pulse is a 24-week AI and fintech accelerator, run jointly with Thinkuvate. Selected startups get one-on-one sessions with industry leaders and functional experts, access to a pool of expert mentors, a demo day in front of investors, and investment on a term sheet issued after due diligence. SanchiConnect does not charge a programme fee, but reserves the right to take equity in each company it invests in. Its most recent intake closed applications in December 2025 after receiving 598 applications, with cohort selection due by January 2026.

VELOCITY, run with YourNest VC, is a 60-day scale-up accelerator for DPIIT-registered deep-tech startups with core IP, aimed at near-commercialisation or early-revenue companies. Selected startups get mentorship from YourNest partners, a programme focused on go-to-market and global alliances, and market access, with investment again offered on a milestone-based term sheet after due diligence. Like Pulse, there is no programme fee, and SanchiConnect reserves the right to take equity. Its last published cycle drew 1,282 applications.

Leap to Unicorn was a free, no-equity founder programme structured in phases: open registration, a shortlist of 400 founders invited into a 15-day virtual bootcamp of masterclasses and pitch coaching, a pitch-video round narrowing to 20, and a jury round selecting a final 5 for a studio finale. Participants who progressed got media exposure, investor access, expert mentoring and a feature in a top-100 startups-to-watch report, with IDFC FIRST Bank, Moneycontrol and CNBC-TV18 as partners. Its most recent published cycle closed registration in February 2024; SanchiConnect's homepage references a later season, suggesting the programme has run more than once, but no open or upcoming cycle was found on the programme's own page.

All three programmes were closed to new applications at the time of this review — none had an open intake.

Facilities and support

SanchiConnect runs DeepTech Hub, a physical co-working space at the Delhi–Noida border, next to the Sector 16 Metro station, for founders, investors and domain experts to work alongside each other. Beyond the accelerators, SanchiConnect also offers Technology Investment Advisory, an investment-banking-style advisory service for deep-tech fundraising, family-office co-investment, cross-border capital raises and IPO readiness, aimed at founders and investors rather than being part of a cohort programme. It also lists a software platform for managing ecosystem data, and video-pitching tools that let startups pitch to investors directly through the platform.

Who runs it

SanchiConnect is led by Dr. Sunil K. Shekhawat as CEO and co-founder, with a leadership team covering growth, investments and technology. Its advisory panel includes Rahul Bhasin, Managing Partner at Baring PE Fund, alongside advisors with backgrounds at Global Logic and T-Hub. SanchiConnect's own homepage names Baring Private Equity Partners-India, Seafund and 8X Ventures as having funded the organisation.

Locations

SanchiConnect is headquartered in Sector 3, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, with its DeepTech Hub co-working space located separately at the Delhi–Noida border. Its accelerator partners include YourNest VC and Thinkuvate, and its broader partner list spans T-Hub, Nasscom and IIT Kanpur.

How to apply

There is no single application route into SanchiConnect: joining the free network is a straightforward sign-up, while each accelerator programme (Pulse, VELOCITY, Leap to Unicorn) runs its own online application form, taking roughly 15–30 minutes to complete, with the programme team explicit that applications sent directly by email will not be considered.