The inaugural Startup Pitch Competition at the India Conference at Harvard 2025, celebrating Indian entrepreneurship and innovation, concluded on Feb.16 with founders showcasing groundbreaking ventures before a panel of investors, industry leaders, and mentors.
Finalists delivered their pitches in a high-stakes event, competing for up to $15,000 in cash prizes designed to fuel their business ambitions. The competition provided invaluable exposure and encouraged meaningful conversations around emerging ideas and industries.
Following a gruelling selection process, seven finalists have emerged, each presenting a visionary approach to tackling critical global and local challenges. Prior to the presentation, all finalists received mentorship from Anand Daniel, partner at Accel, who has been instrumental in scaling several successful ventures in India.
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The competition consisted of two rigorous rounds. In the first round, founders had to effectively articulate the problem they are addressing, their solution, traction, and team strength.
Advancing to the second round, the top four teams have had the opportunity to present their business model, go-to-market strategy, and long-term vision to a distinguished panel of investors and industry leaders.
After the presentations and a Q&A session with the judging panel—including Abhinav Shashank (Founder & CEO, Innovaccer), Akriti Dokania (Partner, Ridge Ventures), and Ritesh Malik (Founder, Innov8)—startups LogicFlo AI and P-TAL emerged as the first and second prize winners, receiving $12,000 and $5,000 in cash prizes, respectively.
The seven finalists included second-place winner P-TAL, led by Aditya Agrawal, reviving traditional Indian metals through handcrafted products; OnFinanceAI, founded by Anuj and Priyesh Srivastava, offering an AI agent for compliance officers; first-place winner LogicFlo AI, with founders Udith Vaidyanathan and Arun Ramakrishnan, building AI agents for life sciences organizations; Morpho AI, co-founded by Ayna Arora and Andrew Spielberg, automating the design of new machines and robots; xPub, led by Kalyan Gautham, Pallavi Bansal, and Gregory Schweickert, deploying local language models to automate sales documentation; Spike AI, founded by Deepesh Kumar and Shrestha Pratik, providing an intelligence layer for marketing automation; and Unpause, with founders Nitya Dintakurti, Balaji Teegala, and Prashant Jha, developing smart technologies for menopausal women.
The startup pitch competition at ICH has garnered overwhelming interest, receiving over 160 applications from Indian founders spanning the globe—from North America, UK to India. These applications were a vast array of cutting-edge innovations, from AI breakthroughs to female health solutions, climate tech, and agri-tech.
Co-Director of the pitch competition Manan Patel said, “The response has been nothing short of outstanding. The level of competition is fierce, and the judges have their work cut out for them. The caliber of innovation coming out of India is truly world-class.”
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The competition is a testament to the boldness and ambition of Indian entrepreneurs, showcasing world-class ideas with high-impact potential, the ICH team said in a media release.
“The quality of entrepreneurial talent at the first ever Startup Pitch Competition at ICH is a testament to the bold ambition of new India’s young entrepreneurs. Always extremely excited to support the country’s startup ecosystem,” said Sanchit Dayal, co-director of the pitch competition.