The Student Founder Summit

Overview E-Cell BGR, CHRIST (Deemed to be University), in collaboration with Founder Startup House (FSH) and India 2047 Ventures, presents The Student Founder Summit, a two-day event built around one idea: Building the India that we want. Learn | Connect | Pitch | Grow. The centrepiece is the Student Founder of the Year Pitch Competition. 25 shortlisted student startups pitch live, Y Combinator-style, to Karan Bahadur, Founder of Founder Startup House. Eligibility Open to currently enrolled UG/PG students from any college or university in India, and graduates of 2025 or later. The startup must be founded or co-founded by a student. At least one founder must be a current student or a 2025 graduate. Startups at any stage can apply, from idea or prototype to MVP to early revenue. Startups from any sector are welcome.

Team Guidelines Team size: 1 to 4 members.

Inter-college teams: Allowed.

Inter-specialisation teams: Allowed. Teams can combine members from any stream or discipline. One person can be part of only one team. One registration per startup. Format and Process

Round 1: Online Submission (Screening) Register on Unstop and submit a pitch deck of no more than 10 slides, in PDF. The deck should cover the problem, solution, business model, traction (if any) and vision. The top 25 startups will be shortlisted and informed by [date] through Unstop and email.

Round 2: Startup 101 (Day 1, 16 November, Founder Startup House, Koramangala) A session on startup fundamentals by Nivin Joseph, Partner at Founder Startup House. It covers startup vs. business, the lean startup approach (hypotheses, MVPs, customer validation, pivots), and real founder stories. Open to all registered participants / Mandatory for shortlisted teams.

Duration: 2 hours.

Round 3: The Big Stage, Final Pitch (Day 2, 18 November, CHRIST University, Bannerghatta Road Campus) Opens with a keynote by Karan Bahadur on “Building for India 2047”. Each of the 25 shortlisted startups gets 3 minutes to pitch, followed by [2 minutes] of Q&A with the jury. Pitches must cover the problem, solution, business model, traction and vision. Evaluated by Karan Bahadur, Founder of Founder Startup House. Number of Problem Statements None. This is an open-innovation pitch competition, so teams pitch their own startup. Duration of Rounds

Round 1: Online, open until the submission deadline.

Round 2: 2 hours, 16 November.

Round 3: 3-minute pitch plus 2-minute Q&A per team, 18 November. Judging Criteria Problem clarity and market need Innovation and quality of solution Business model and scalability Traction and validation Team strength and pitch delivery Rules Pitches must be strictly 3 minutes. Teams that go over time will be stopped. The startup and its idea must be the team’s own original work. Plagiarism or misrepresentation leads to disqualification. Teams must bring their final deck on a pen drive and also email it to [email] by [time/date before the event]. At least one team member must be present in person for the final pitch on 18 November. Online pitches will not be accepted. Participants must carry a valid college ID [or proof of graduation] on both days. Team composition cannot change after the submission deadline. The jury’s decision is final and binding. Participants must follow the code of conduct of CHRIST University and Founder Startup House at both venues. Travel and accommodation are the participants’ own responsibility. The organisers may change the schedule or rules if needed. All updates will be posted on Unstop. Rewards and Recognition 1st Place, Student