Bengaluru: Deeptech startups fought it out at the IIT-Madras Alumni Association’s Sangam Pitch Fest Saturday in Bengaluru for prize amounts ranging from Rs one to three lakh, with three innovations knocking out the rest by the end of the high-energy competition.
The event was held at the Taj Hotel on M.G. Road, Bengaluru, and saw 20 shortlisted startups, selected from among more than 200, deliver rapid-fire 10-minute pitches to a panel of venture capitalists and industry experts. Kalaari Capital, a venture fund that created the bank of prize funds totalling Rs six lakh, awarded the top three innovations.
Later, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal, who attended the event, addressed the assembled entrepreneurs, academics, and IIT Madras alumni, saying, “I have seen the passion, the enthusiasm, the bright ideas and the willingness to explore the unknown, the spirit of inquiry all of you have demonstrated; it truly makes all of us proud of your work so much that now having committed the entire first Rs 10,000 crore allotted for ‘Fund of Funds’ in the last budget, another Rs 10,000 crore has now been provided.”
The ‘Fund of Funds for Startups’ scheme launched by the central government in 2016 under the Startup India initiative invests in venture capital and other alternative investment funds, which then invest in startups, providing capital and fostering innovation in deeptech, artificial intelligence (AI), semiconductors, etc. The 2015–2025 tranche was Rs 10,000 crore, followed by Rs 10,000 crore allotted for the scheme in the Union Budget 2025–26.
In the competition, Folium Sensing, a Chennai-based startup, was crowned the winner. It is revolutionising infrastructure monitoring with its patented fibre-optic sensing technology, which detects structural weaknesses in real-time—a potential game-changer for the ageing bridges and pipelines across India. The team won Rs three lakh.
The second prize of Rs two lakh went to a Karnataka firm, Q-axis Motors, which impressed judges with the first military-grade precision gimbal technology in India. The technology produces clear footage even in unsteady conditions. The innovation by the Karnataka firm has achieved sub-100 microradian accuracy with its technology intended for defence and surveillance applications.
The third prize of Rs one lakh was secured by Zentor Medtech for their breakthrough solid-state laser system for ophthalmic surgery, promising to make delicate eye procedures safer and more accessible.
IIT Madras and IIT Madras Alumni Association (IITMAA) held Sangam 2025, the sixth edition of the innovation and alumni summit, on 4 and 5 July.
The event took place in Bangalore for the first time this year, with the central theme, Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Artificial Intelligence. Previously, Hyderabad and Chennai had been the venues. For this edition, judges spend days vetting over 200 applications to select the top 20 startups, which competed in the main event on Saturday.
“I am a startup guy, and they have been doing it in Chennai. I said that is great, but when the biggest ecosystem is in Bangalore, why is it being done in Chennai?” Swadeep Pillarisetti, a founding partner & managing director of Blue Ocean Venture Partners and one of the main organisers of the event, told The Print.
The event featured global leaders in the field of AI and innovation, such as Aparna Chennapragada, chief product officer at Microsoft’s devices and experiences department, and Srinivas Narayanan, vice president at OpenAI’s engineering department. Pass-outs from IIT-M, both of them came to India from the US to attend the summit.
Another IIT-M alum, Tarun Mehta, co-founder and CEO of Ather Energy, also attended the event, which brought together over 500 people, including alumni, faculty members, entrepreneurs, investors, and students.
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)
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