GITAM’s SmartIDEAthon Invites Entrepreneurs to their Mega Pitchfest
11 months ago Rituka MGITAM University is organizing a student pitching competition for student entrepreneurs and startups to showcase and pitch their innovative ideas. With the overwhelming success of the 2022 SmartIDEAthon with over 1200 applications, the 2023 Pitchfest is all set to have its grand finale on August 24-25 at GITAM’s Hyderabad campus.
SmartIDEAthon is an annual pan-India student pitchfest of ideas built on current themes to build a thriving community of entrepreneurs. The shortlisted participants receive personalized coaching and grooming with boot camps and coaching sessions from internationally trained venture coaches. Apart from this, the winners will also receive incentives in the form of cash prizes worth up to INR 30 Lakhs.
Venture Development Centre, GITAM (Deemed to be University) is organizing this event in collaboration with StartupIndia, Northeastern University Center for Emerging Markets, Boston, and Northeastern University Center for Entrepreneurship Education (NUCEE), Boston. The themes for this year’s pitchfest include Food & Health, Toys for STEM, Sustainable Fashion, and Frugal Innovation.
Key Points To Remember
- The competition is open only to current Indian undergraduate and postgraduate students enrolled in recognized universities.
- Teams in the advanced Ideation, prototype, or research stage will be eligible.
- The teams shall consist of not more than 2 members, i.e., the founder and co-founder.
- The closing date for the submission of applications is 10th June 2023.
- There are 3 rounds in total throughout the competition.
A. During Round 1, the teams will submit a 1-minute video pitch which will be reviewed by a panel for completeness, relevance, and innovation. The shortlisted teams will be notified via email and the results for round 1 will be announced by 22nd June 2023.
B. In Round 2, up to 100 teams will be shortlisted and invited for online BootCamp and coaching sessions by trained venture coaches and industry experts. Upon completion of the BootCamp, the teams will submit a refined pitch deck which will be reviewed by a panel for completeness, innovation, scalability, and impact. 32 teams will then be shortlisted and proceed to the semi-finals. The results for Round 2 will be announced by 15th July 2023.
C. The teams that qualify for the semi-finals will be assigned a personal venture coach to help prepare for the semi-final and final rounds. One week before the semi-finals, the teams are required to submit their pitch decks and a video pitch. The semi-finals will be held on 24th August 2023, where the teams shall receive 15 minutes (10 min pitch, 5 min Q&A) to pitch their deck of a max of 10 slides. The pitches will be presented through a closed door to a panel of judges and a small team of venture coaches and observers.
D. For the Finals, 8 teams will be shortlisted and present their Final pitches (10 slides, 10 minutes to present, and 10 minutes for Q&A) to a live audience on stage in an auditorium setting. The reality show-style grand finale will take place on 25th August 2023.
Prizes and Accolades
Among the 8 finalists, the SmartIDEAthon Winner will receive
- A cash prize of INR 2,00,000
- Fully sponsored two weeks trip for two members (Founder and co-founder ONLY) to Boston worth INR 6,00,000). Includes visa fee, roundtrip economy airfare, food, stay, and local transportation.
- Goodies worth INR 20,000
- Access to Northeastern University’s NU-IDEA Ready-Set-Go Structured Venture Development Program and one on one coaching from VDC venture coaches worth INR 3,00,000
The SmartIDEAthon-2023 Runner-up will receive:
- INR 1,00,000 cash prize
- Partly-sponsored two weeks trip for two members (Founder and co-founder ONLY) to Boston, worth INR 3,00,000. Includes visa fee, food, stay, and local transportation.
- Goodies worth INR 20,000
- Access to Northeastern University’s NU-IDEA Ready-Set-Go structured Venture Development Program and one on one coaching from VDC venture coaches worth INR 3,00,000
Best Social Impact Business Idea winner receives:
- INR 50,000 cash prize
- Goodies worth INR 20,000
- Access To Northeastern University’s NU-IDEA Ready-Set-Go structured Venture Development Program and one on one coaching from VDC venture coaches worth INR 3,00,000
Best Woman-led Entrepreneurship Idea winner receives:
- INR 50,000 cash prize
- Goodies worth INR 20,000
- Access To Northeastern University’s NU-IDEA Ready-Set-Go structured Venture Development Program and one on one coaching from VDC venture coaches worth INR 3,00,000
Lastly, the Leben Johnson People’s Choice Award winner will be chosen based on the basis of voting by the audience during the finals and will receive:
- INR 50,000 cash prize
- Eligibility to participate in NUCEE’s Ready-Set-Go venture development coaching program for one year, worth INR 2,00,000 each. Access to the modules is online with individual personalized coaching for each module
Apart from this, all the finalists are also eligible to participate in NUCEE’s Ready-Set-Go venture development coaching program for one year, worth INR 3,00,000 each. Access to the modules is online with individual personalized coaching for each module.
Additionally, all the semifinalists and finalists will receive a certificate of recognition, jointly issued by GITAM University and NUCEE, Boston, USA.
“StartupIndia SmartIDEAThon 2023 is a brilliant platform for students and aspiring student entrepreneurs from all across the country to present their ideas to the world and win some exciting prizes and the opportunity to network with renowned experts. This is an invaluable opportunity to meet like-minded people and be a part of the vibrant entrepreneurship ecosystem!†said  Prof. Balkumar Marthi, Dean – Of Innovation, GITAM (Deemed to be University).
Register yourself here through their website and present your innovation at an international level.
