As part of Innoventure 2026, PGPEM at IIM Bangalore presents Founder's Dilemma, a case challenge built around decisions faced by real startups. Teams will examine a live business issue provided by a participating startup, define the core problem, evaluate the available information and recommend a practical, evidence-based course of action. The jury will assess each team's reasoning, business judgement and ability to respond to questions. The competition is designed for management learners who want to apply classroom concepts to real entrepreneurial situations. The strongest teams will combine original thinking with clear analysis and recommendations that a founder could realistically act on.
Competition: Innoventure 2026 - Founder's
Dilemma Host: PGPEM, Indian Institute of Management
Bangalore Mode: A multi-round competition concluding with an in-person presentation to startup founders and jury members.
Schedule: Registration and round-wise dates will be published through the official event channels. Eligibility & Team Composition Open to students enrolled in recognised postgraduate or executive management programmes only .
Team composition: Each team must have 3 to 5 members. Each participant may register as part of only one team in Founder's Dilemma. Competition Stages & Presentation Guidelines Registration and Case
Assignment Registration: One member must be nominated as the team leader and submit the complete team registration by the notified deadline. Round 1 - Online Quiz The first round is an online screening quiz comprising multiple-choice and application-based questions. It is designed to assess business awareness, analytical reasoning and decision-making. The quiz will contain 25 questions to be completed in 10 minutes. There is no negative marking. The quiz window will be open from 9:00 PM to 9:10 PM on the announced date. Participants must begin at 9:00 PM. The quiz must be attempted on a laptop or desktop computer. Questions will appear sequentially. Once a question is skipped or submitted, it cannot be revisited. Results will be announced on the same day. The 50 highest-ranked eligible teams will advance to Round 2. Round 2 - Case Solution Submission Teams qualifying from Round 1 will receive a startup case and must submit their proposed solution as a presentation deck. A three-slide solution deck must be submitted by 24th Sept 2026 . Detailed submission requirements and the evaluation criteria will be communicated to qualified teams. The five highest-scoring teams will proceed to Round 3. Round 3 - Final Presentation
Founder interaction: Before the final, shortlisted teams will join a virtual session with the relevant founder to seek factual clarifications and better understand the case context. The session is expected to be held 3 to 5 days before the event, subject to founder availability. Finalists will present their detailed solutions in person at the IIM Bangalore campus. 3.2
Venue
Indian Institute of Management Bangalore
Bangalore, India
Presentation time: Up to 8 minutes, followed by a 5-minute jury Q&A.
Final deck: Upload the presentation in PDF, PPT or PPTX format before the notified deadline. There is no prescribed slide limit, but the presentation must remain within the allotted time.
Reporting time: Teams must report at least 15 minutes before their assigned slot. Late entry or slot exchanges will be allowed only with prior approval from the organisers.
Presenters: Teams may decide how speaking roles are divided; every member is not required to present.
General Rules: Round 2 case material will be available only to teams that qualify in Round 1. Each team must have 3 to 5 members, and every member must be enrolled in an eligible programme at the time of registration and submission. Teams must include members from same institutes. There is no limit on the number of teams from an institute. However, a participant cannot join more than one team; all teams involving a duplicate participant may be disqualified. Only the first complete submission received before the applicable deadline will be evaluated, unless the organisers expressly permit a resubmission. All participants, including shortlisted finalists, must arrange and bear the cost of their travel, local transportation and accommodation. The organisers will not reimburse these expenses. By registering, participants confirm that they have read and accepted the following
Terms and Conditions: The Innoventure Organising Committee at the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore will determine all matters concerning eligibility, originality, interpretation of rules and results. The on-campus schedule or event format may be adjusted for operational reasons. Any material change will be communicated through official channels. The organising committee's decisions will be final and binding on all participants. Conduct, Integrity & Professional Standards All analysis and recommendations must be the team's original work. External data, frameworks, visuals and o