New Delhi : UPES Runway, the startup incubator at UPES, hosted the New Delhi leg of The Pitch 3.0, an initiative designed to identify and support AI-native and AI-driven startups across North, Central and Southern India. The first leg, held in New Delhi, brought seven shortlisted startups before investors, mentors and UPES leaders, following more than 20 applications from founders working at the forefront of technology-led innovation.
Built intentionally around artificial intelligence, The Pitch 3.0 aligns with UPES’ broader AI vision and its commitment to enabling founders using emerging technologies to solve real-world problems. The shortlisted ventures represented a wide range of sectors, including AI image recognition, fintech, edtech, disaster management, fleet technology, quantum computing and deep tech, reflecting the breadth of AI-led innovation emerging from India’s startup ecosystem. The Delhi pitch day marked the first leg of the initiative, with the next round planned for September 2026 in Bengaluru, focusing on the south and west markets and offering an opportunity to entrepreneurs who couldn’t be part of the earlier round.
Under The Pitch 3.0, UPES Runway plans to support 10 innovators this year, with funding support of up to Rs 25 lakh per selected startup. For exceptional AI-led innovations with strong technology depth, market relevance and scalability, the support may go up to Rs 50 lakh, subject to evaluation and approval by the investment committee.
The New Delhi pitch day gave founders the opportunity to present their ideas, stress-test their business models and receive feedback from an investment committee comprising leaders across finance, technology and business. The committee included Navneet Mehta, Chief Financial Officer, UPES; Bharat Kharbanda, Chief Business Officer, GUS Global Services India; Somesh Singh, Head of IT, UPES; and Rahul Nainwal, CEO, Runway Incubator and Dean, School of Business, UPES; as well as investors from the industry.
The evaluation considered the strength of the AI application, technology readiness, business model, scalability, market relevance and the founders’ ability to convert innovation into a sustainable venture. Following the presentations, the jury had the challenging task of evaluating a strong pool of startups, each bringing compelling business plans, technology-led solutions and clearly defined scale-up strategies.
Following the presentations, the jury had the challenging task of evaluating a strong pool of startups, each bringing compelling business plans, technology-led solutions and clearly defined scale-up strategies. After detailed deliberation, the committee selected Arthik AI working in the Wealthtech space, StoreLink from the Retail Analytics space and Memintel from the Accounting & Finance ‘Digital CFO’ space, for funding support, recognising the strength of their innovation, market potential and readiness to scale. Each of the selected startups was awarded funding support of up to Rs 25 lakh to help them accelerate product development, market access and business growth.
Reflecting on the significance of the initiative, Rahul Nainwal, CEO, Runway Incubator and Dean, School of Business, UPES, said, “The Pitch 3.0 reflects UPES Runway’s commitment to backing founders who are building AI-led solutions with real market potential. By combining funding, mentorship and investor access, we are creating a stronger bridge between technology innovation and venture scale.”
Launched in 2021, Runway, the startup incubator at UPES, has evolved into a serious platform for entrepreneurial growth. In about five years, over 50 startups have been incubated through Runway, in association with DST-TIBI, MeitY, Shell E4, MaXcel Accelerator, Pearl Academy and Global University Systems.
With The Pitch 3.0, UPES, as an AI-first university, builds on its larger vision of integrating AI-led innovation and entrepreneurship into the fabric of higher education. By combining academic excellence with practical opportunities for funding, mentorship and investor engagement, UPES is helping young founders move closer to the market and aligning itself with India’s ambition of becoming a global hub for innovation-driven entrepreneurship.