UPES, firmly establishing its position as India’s leading Startup University, has given an impetus to young founders through a ₹3 crore funding pool recently. The budding entrepreneurs, from institutions such as the National University of Singapore, Delhi Technological University, IIT Ropar, BITS Pilani, SRM University, UIET Panjab University, Nagpur University, IBS Mumbai and UPES, participated in The Pitch, a high-stakes Shark Tank-style funding event held at UPES campus in Dehradun.
The initiative saw early-stage startups competing for the prize pool, demonstrating the university’s commitment to supporting entrepreneurial talent with real resources and mentorship. By empowering young founders to build sustainable ventures, UPES is not only nurturing innovation by its own students and faculty but is also supporting a new generation of job creators beyond the campus.
The Pitch brought together a dynamic mix of student entrepreneurs, seasoned investors and industry leaders. A total of 12 startups presented their business ideas to a distinguished panel, comprising university leadership, investors and ecosystem enablers. At the end of the event, funding commitments were announced on the spot, giving the winning teams a significant boost to scale their ventures.
Among the standout startups were Envinova Smartech Private Limited, which secured funding for its innovative solar solutions designed to create smarter, more sustainable spaces; Genetico Research and Diagnostics Pvt. Ltd., which received support to advance its sophisticated technologies and software that improve patient outcomes in the field of rare and genetic diseases; Othniels Experiment Labs Technologies Private Limited, awarded funding to expand its AI-powered tools and expert-designed programs that help education consultants maximise student success; and Reagvis Pvt. Ltd., which will scale its next-generation deepfake detection and visual authenticity solutions for high-stakes sectors including finance, insurance and law enforcement. Their solutions span sectors such as renewable energy, healthcare, education technology and deeptech security, reflecting the diversity and depth of innovation emerging from UPES and the wider startup community.
The event was evaluated by a distinguished jury featuring Dr. Ram Sharma, Vice Chancellor of UPES; Mr. Navneet Mehta, Chief Financial Officer, UPES; Dr Abhishek Sinha, Dean, School of Law, UPES; and Mr Vivek Jhorar, Founder, Tremis Capital. Bringing together diverse expertise across academia, investment and industry, the panel assessed each pitch on innovation, scalability and potential for real-world impact. Their combined perspectives ensured that funding decisions reflected both rigorous evaluation and a shared commitment to nurturing the next wave of entrepreneurs.
Reflecting on the significance of the event, Rahul Nainwal, Dean, School of Business, UPES, said, “The Pitch reflects UPES’ deep commitment to building a thriving startup ecosystem. By investing in early-stage ventures, we’re not just supporting ideas; we’re backing bold dreams, future leaders, and a culture of innovation that begins right here on our campus.”
Sharing his perspective as an investor, Mr Vivek Jhorar added, “The Pitch is a great opportunity for founders to learn from and connect with the investors. A successful raise can lead to solid visibility and media attention, in addition to the capital needed to accelerate the growth.”
Launched in 2021, Runway, the startup incubator at UPES has rapidly evolved into a serious platform for entrepreneurial growth. In under four years, it has supported over 250 startups, and attracted more than ₹20 crore in grants from national and state agencies such as DST, MeitY, BIRAC SPARSH, NITI Aayog and the Uttarakhand Government. Besides entrepreneurs from other innovation hubs, UPES’ own faculty and students, with promising start-ups such as Pension Box, UGreen Technologies, Indian Hempstore, have also found tremendous support through Runway.
The Pitch is a testament to UPES’ larger vision of integrating entrepreneurship into the fabric of higher education. By combining academic excellence with practical opportunities for funding and mentorship, the university is aligning itself with the government’s vision of positioning India as a global hub for innovation-driven entrepreneurship.
