Startup Hunt

Event Overview:

• High-stakes, Shark Tank-style startup pitch competition
• Teams pitch original startup ideas to real investors and seasoned judges
• Compete across two rounds, an online submission and a live finals showdown
• Focus on innovation, business viability, design, and pitch delivery
• ₹20,000 prize pool with direct investor exposure on the line

Team Rules:

• Team size: Minimum 1, Maximum 4 members
• All team members must be present during the finals
• No team changes allowed after shortlisting
• Pitches must be delivered in English only
• Creativity is encouraged but professionalism must be maintained
• No unapproved props or videos permitted
• Judges' and organizers' decisions are final

Prizes:

• 1st Place: ₹10,000
• Best Idea: ₹5,000
• Best Design: ₹5,000

Prelims Round:

• Submit a 7-slide presentation focused on design and startup concept
• Maximum 7 slides, exceeding this limit results in disqualification
• Accepted formats: PDF or PPTX
• Submission deadline: 21st April
• 8 teams will be shortlisted by an internal jury
• Selected teams will be notified by 22nd April

Slide Format:

1. Intro -  member names, startup logo, GitHub link (if any)
2. Origin story - how the idea came about
3. Technical details
4. Design - UI, brand book, colours, logo, prototype, or physical product
5. Business model
6. Marketing strategy and target audience
7. The ask - investment required and how it will be used

Finals Round:

• Live pitches before judges and investors
• Format per team: 7-minute pitch followed by approximately 3 minutes of Q&A (10 minutes total)
• Pitch order determined randomly
• Finals date: Saturday, 25th April, from 1:00 PM onwards
• Only 8 shortlisted teams compete

Judging Criteria:

• Idea - 40% (innovation, scalability, market fit)
• Pitch - 30% (delivery, storytelling, timing)
• Design - 20% (visual appeal, readability)
• Q&A - 10% (knowledge, quality of responses)
• Best Idea award: highest idea score
• Best Design award: highest design score
• Tiebreaker: lead investor's score

Disqualifications:

• Incorrect team size or exceeding the slide count
• Plagiarism - all ideas must be original
• Disruptive or unprofessional behaviour

Event Flow:

• Event introduction (7–10 minutes)
• Judges' address (minimum 25 minutes)
• 8 live pitches (minimum 80–100 minutes)
• Event conclusion (minimum 20 minutes)

Key Highlights:

• Real investor panel with the potential for actual funding discussions
• Dual-track awards recognising both creative vision and execution quality
• Competitive shortlisting process - only the top 8 teams advance to the live stage

Winning Focus:

• A compelling, well-researched business idea with clear market fit
• Confident and concise pitch delivery under pressure
• Strong design and visual identity across the presentation

Objective:

• Build a startup worth believing in, pitch it like you mean it, and walk away with funding, recognition, or both

Special Provision for Outstation Colleges:

Participants from IITs, NITs, IIITs, GFTIs, and colleges located significantly far from IIIT Pune will be allowed to present in the Finals Round through an online mode. This will be conducted via a strictly monitored live pitch and presentation session in front of the judges. All rules, including the 7-minute pitch and 3-minute Q&A format, will remain unchanged to ensure fairness and consistency across all teams.