Three days of pitching
Pitching runs on all three days in front of 30+ investors, with a new mentor line-up, a new panel discussion and new investors every single day. You pitch on one day, the day you pick.
12-14 August 2026 · Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi
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PITCHING ARENA
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PITCHING ARENA
at Bharat Mandapam
India’s Biggest Startup Pitching Event takes the national stage. Pitch Karo India × BISE, live inside Bharatiya Vyapar Mahotsav 2026, the country’s largest Made-in-India expo. Pitch to 30+ investors before a million-strong audience. One shot. National spotlight.
10 Lakh+Expected footfall
30+Investors & VCs
100+Startup stalls
1,000+Total exhibitors
2,00,000+Business delegates
The Pitchathon is Pitch Karo India’s startup stage inside Bharatiya Vyapar Mahotsav 2026, a joint initiative of ITPO & CAIT, supported by the Government of India.
Startup stage & channel partner
You made the Top 500, here’s what awaits
India’s biggest stage.
India’s biggest stage.
Your startup on it.
The Bharatiya Vyapar Mahotsav is India’s largest Made-in-India trade expo - 1,000+ exhibitors, 2,00,000+ delegates, nearly a million visitors. Pitch Karo India × BISE has secured a startup Pitching Arena inside it. Here’s what your place on that stage unlocks.
Access to government grants
Get in front of DPIIT #StartupIndia and government scheme desks, discover grants, incentives and support you can actually apply for.
Win prizes & recognition
Daily winners announced each evening. Awards, cash prizes and a credibility stamp that money usually can’t buy.
Direct access to investors
Real cheque-writing investors, VCs and angels scouting the floor. Shortlisted startups get 1:1 investor speed-meetings.
Your own startup stall
A branded space among 100+ startup stalls, demo your product to a million-strong footfall over three days.
Network that changes everything
CAIT’s 9+ crore members and 48,000+ trade associations, plus founders, mentors and buyers. The room is the reward.
The room you’ll pitch to
Investors & mentors on the floor.
A rotating panel of investors, VCs and operators scouting at Bharat Mandapam. More added every week.
Speaker 
Investor 
Investor 
Speaker 
Investor 
Mentor 
Investor 
Mentor 
Investor 
Investor
Three days, built to get you funded
What happens across 12-14 August.
Pitching runs on all three days, and every day brings a different mentor line-up, a different panel discussion and a different set of investors. Come for one day, two days or all three. You pitch on one day only: the day you confirm in your dashboard.
Attend
Any day, or all three
Your pass is valid across 12, 13 & 14 August. Walk the floor, sit in on panels, meet investors.
Pitch
One day only
You take the stage on the single day you confirmed. Time slot is assigned on-site at registration.
Every day
New mentors, new panel, new investors
The line-up rotates daily, which is exactly why attending more than one day is worth it.
Day 1 · 12 Aug
Showcase & First Pitches
- Stall setup and startup showcase opens to the expo floor
- Pitching begins: take the stage in your assigned slot
- Grants desk: meet DPIIT #StartupIndia & scheme officials
- Day 1 winners announced in the evening
Day 2 · 13 Aug
Pitch, Invest & Connect
- Day 2 pitching rounds across sector tracks
- Investor 1:1 speed-meetings for shortlisted startups
- Buyer-seller meets: land B2B orders & distribution
- Day 2 winners announced in the evening
Day 3 · 14 Aug
Finale, Deals & Prizes
- Final-day pitches & grand finalist showdown
- On-spot term-sheet conversations & MoUs
- Awards & cash prizes: Best Pitch, People’s Choice, Jury’s Pick
- Grand winners announced & networking gala
Total Prize Pool
₹3,00,000
Only cash prizes · one single pool
The full pool is awarded on stage by the jury. There is no fixed position-wise split, alongside the cash, winners take away investor connects, mentorship and national visibility.
The venue
Bharat Mandapam.
Bharat Mandapam.
India’s grandest stage.
A 1,00,000 m² world-class convention centre at Pragati Maidan, host to the G20 Summit and India’s biggest global events. This is where your startup gets to stand.
Registrations closed
Applications are closed.
Applications are closed.
The Top 500 have been announced.
We received 7,000+ applications from founders across India, thank you for the incredible response. The Top 500 startups selected to pitch live at Bharat Mandapam have now been announced.
Check your dashboard →
Selected? Keep an eye on your email & confirm your pitching day.
12August
13August
14August
Required before you travel
Apply as a Business Delegate →
Apply for your Business Delegate pass
Venue entry is controlled by Bharatiya Vyapar Mahotsav. Every Top 500 participant must apply as a Business Delegate, not as a visitor. Delegates are admitted from 10:00 AM, when the Arena opens, for the full day. Visitors are only let in from 3:00 PM and would miss the morning pitching.
Stage schedule, day by day
BISE Central stage, Bharat Mandapam. Sessions run through the day and the line-up changes daily, so there is a reason to come back on more than one day.
Inauguration day. The floor is at its fullest and the visitor crowd is the largest of the three days.
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11:00 AM 6:00 PMPitching
Pitch Karo India x BISE, live pitching
- Top 500 founders on stage
- Investor and mentor panel
- Slots assigned on-site
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11:00 AM 11:30 AMCeremony
Inauguration
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12:45 PM 1:00 PMKeynote
Keynote: Eshan Kaul
- Eshan Kaul
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1:00 PM 2:00 PMFixed
Ability Expo stage session
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2:00 PM 3:00 PMPanel
Panel 1: How to Build a Sustainable Business
- Sahil Jindal (Jindal Group)
- Mayank Jain (Kreeva, Meredian Capital)
- Mohit Srivastav (Flapone)
- Amar Dixit, moderator (Swiftseed)
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2:00 PM 2:15 PMKeynote
Keynote: Hari Sir
- Hari Sir
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2:00 PM 3:00 PMFixed
Meenakshi Huda, Boxer
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3:00 PM 3:40 PMPanel
Panel 2: Building and Scaling Startups
- Ankit Mehrotra (Founder, Dineout)
- Palash Arneja (Bla Bli Blu)
- Nitin Goyal (Grest)
- Vinay Solanki (CBO, Elecbits)
- Prachi Sharma
- Himanshu Jain, moderator
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4:00 PM 5:00 PMFixed
Ability Expo stage session
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5:00 PM 6:00 PMPanel
Panel 3: What Startups Need Beyond Investment
- CA Tripti Somani (KG Somani)
- Prateek Choraria (Specialty Flocks)
- Ishant Sachdeva (B and S Ventures)
- Raunak Jhunjhunwala (Dawn and Dusk Advisors)
- Preet Sandhu (Startup Stairs)
- Himanshu, moderator
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6:00 PM 6:15 PMCeremony
Rabindra Sangeet
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6:15 PM 7:00 PMCeremony
Naari Vandan
A fresh mentor line-up, a different panel and a different investor set. The Naari Vandan awards close the evening.
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11:00 AM 6:00 PMPitching
Pitch Karo India x BISE, live pitching
- Top 500 founders on stage
- Investor and mentor panel
- Slots assigned on-site
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11:00 AM 12:00 PMPanel
Panel 4: Creator Panel
- Ayushman Pandita
- Satish Kushwah
- Rahul Sharma
- Nandini Sharma
- Prateek Choraria, moderator
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11:45 AM 12:00 PMKeynote
Keynote: Mragank Jain
- Mragank Jain (Global South Capital)
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12:00 PM 1:00 PMPanel
Panel 5: Growth Stage Investing Landscape in India
- Mragank Jain (Global South Capital)
- Gautam Gupta (Tanas Capital)
- Aditya (InnoVen Capital)
- Suryakant (AIC NITI Aayog)
- Himanshu, moderator
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1:30 PM 2:15 PMPanel
Panel 6: Building and Scaling Startups
- Arunabh Sinha (UClean)
- Soumya Kant (Clovia)
- Nimith Aggarwal (Doctco)
- Saurabh Gupta (VeriSmart)
- Prateek Choraria, moderator
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3:00 PM 4:30 PMFixed
Ability Expo stage session
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4:30 PM 5:30 PMKeynote
Keynote: Rohit Bansal, and award distribution
- Rohit Bansal
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5:30 PM 6:00 PMCeremony
Mr Mukesh
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6:00 PM 8:00 PMCeremony
Naari Vandan awards ceremony
Closing day, with the early stage investing panel in the morning and the awards to finish.
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11:00 AM 6:00 PMPitching
Pitch Karo India x BISE, live pitching
- Top 500 founders on stage
- Investor and mentor panel
- Slots assigned on-site
-
11:00 AM 12:00 PMPanel
Panel 7: Early Stage Investing
- Sirajuddin (Yasha Capital)
- Kshitij Ladia (Thank9)
- Nilesh Maheshwari (Cervin)
- Bibin Babu (GrowQR)
- Swapnil Pandey (Vanavya Consulting)
- Prateek Choraria, moderator
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12:45 PM 1:45 PMPanel
Panel 8: Global Funding Opportunities for Indian MSME
- Yashwardhan (ReNew Capital)
- Eshan Kaul (Sinarmas Capital)
- Karthikeyen K (VP, Invest India)
- Himanshu Jain, moderator
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1:45 PM 2:00 PMKeynote
Keynote: Y Ravi
- Y Ravi
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3:00 PM 5:00 PMFixed
Ability Expo stage session
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6:00 PM 6:15 PMCeremony
Rabindra Sangeet
Getting in on the day
Business Delegate pass, Gate No. 4, Hall No. 1
Three things, in this order. Miss any one of them and you will be turned away at the entrance, so please read this before you travel.
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1
Carry your Business Delegate pass
Apply in advance at bharatiyavyaparmahotsav.com and choose Business Delegate Registration, not Visitor Registration. Delegates are admitted from 10:00 AM for the full day. Visitors are only let in from 3:00 PM and would miss the morning pitching. Save the confirmation or QR code they send you, and screenshot it in case the network is slow at the gate.
Apply for the delegate pass → -
2
Enter through Gate No. 4, Bharat Mandapam
This is the entrance to use. Other gates serve different halls and the staff there cannot redirect you quickly on a busy expo day. Nearest metro is Supreme Court Metro Station (Blue Line), connected to Pragati Maidan, Gate 10. Carry a government photo ID, it is checked at the gate along with your delegate pass.
Open directions in Google Maps → -
3
Find the Pitching Arena in Hall No. 1
Once inside, head to Hall No. 1 and look for the Pitch Karo India x BISE desk. Report there with your Arena pass to collect your running order. Time slots are assigned on-site, so arrive by 9:00 AM to be placed early.
Carry with you
- Government photo ID
- Business Delegate pass or QR
- Your Arena entry pass
- Deck as a PDF on your laptop, plus a USB backup
- Printed one-pagers for investors
If anything goes wrong at the gate
Text +91 87967 52205, Team Pitch Karo India. Text only, please do not call. Most questions are already answered on the help page.
Official contact
+91 87967 52205
Team Pitch Karo India
Text only. Please do not call this or any other number.
This is the only official number. Please ignore any other number
you may have been given.
Most questions are already answered.
Check the help page first →
Questions
Everything founders ask.
Are registrations still open?
No, registrations are now closed after an incredible response of 7,000+ applicants. The Top 500 have been announced. If you applied, check your email and dashboard.
I made the Top 500, what do I do now?
Log in to your dashboard, confirm your participation and choose your pitching day (12, 13 or 14 August). Your time slot is assigned on-site at Bharat Mandapam. You can still come along on the other two days as a visitor.
Where and when is the event?
Live at Bharat Mandapam, Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, across three days: 12, 13 and 14 August 2026, inside Bharatiya Vyapar Mahotsav 2026, India’s largest Made-in-India expo.
Is there any participation fee?
No. There is no fee for the selected Top 500, simply confirm your spot from the dashboard.
What is the prize pool?
A single total prize pool of ₹3,00,000, plus investor connects, mentorship and national visibility. There is no fixed position-wise split, the pool is awarded by the jury.
Can I attend all three days?
Yes. Pitching runs on all three days, 12, 13 and 14 August, with a different mentor line-up, a different panel discussion and different investors each day. You are welcome to attend any one day, any two days, or all three. Your own pitch, however, happens on one day only: the day you confirm in your dashboard.