UPES Runway, the dedicated business incubator at UPES, successfully hosted the New Delhi leg of The Pitch 3.0. Designed to empower early-stage AI-native and AI-driven startups, the event brought together founders, tech mentors, corporate leaders, and venture capitalists in the National Capital Region (NCR).
The initial phase in New Delhi attracted more than 20 applications from high-growth technology sectors. After rigorous pre-screening, seven shortlisted finalists pitched directly to an esteemed investment panel, seeking seed capital, strategic direction, and market entry channels.
As India accelerates toward becoming a global deep-tech hub, UPES Runway’s initiative directly aligns with the university's overarching vision of embedding artificial intelligence within entrepreneurship and higher education. The competing startups demonstrated scalable applications across diverse verticals:
Fintech & Wealthtech: Smart portfolios and automated financial management tools.
Retail Analytics & Deep Tech: Next-generation retail data intelligence and quantum computing concepts.
Edtech & Disaster Management: Predictive modeling for critical real-world infrastructure and learning.
Fleet Technology & Image Recognition: Autonomous tracking and computer-vision systems.
Key Winners and Investment Allocations
Out of the seven pitch presentations, the jury selected three high-impact ventures to receive funding support of up to ₹25 Lakhs each. These startups demonstrated exceptional technology readiness, clear unit economics, and distinct market differentiation:
Arthik AI (Wealthtech): Revolutionizing wealth management with automated, data-driven financial insights.
StoreLink (Retail Analytics): Delivering real-time consumer intelligence and inventory forecasting for physical and omnichannel retail.
Memintel (Accounting & Finance): Serving as an AI-powered "Digital CFO" to streamline corporate financial strategy, auditing, and bookkeeping.
Comprehensive Capital Framework
Under The Pitch 3.0, UPES Runway aims to back 10 standout startup innovators this year. The incubator provides a multi-tiered funding mechanism:
Standard Seed Grant: Up to ₹25 Lakhs per selected venture for acceleration, product refinement, and go-to-market testing.
Advanced Growth Grant: Up to ₹50 Lakhs for exceptional deep-tech or AI-native ventures displaying high technical complexity, IP creation potential, and long-term scalability (subject to Investment Committee evaluation).
High-Level Jury and Evaluation Framework
The pitch day served as a stress-test environment for the competing founders. They received direct feedback from a distinguished panel comprising corporate leaders, venture capitalists, and academic strategists:
Rahul Nainwal – CEO, Runway Incubator and Dean, School of Business, UPES
Navneet Mehta – Chief Financial Officer, UPES
Bharat Kharbanda – Chief Business Officer, GUS Global Services India
Somesh Singh – Head of IT, UPES
Prominent angel investors and venture capital partners from the Delhi NCR ecosystem.
Startups were evaluated on stringent performance metrics:
Strength of the AI Core: Depth of artificial intelligence integration and technical defensibility.
Technology Readiness Level (TRL): Practical execution capability and functional prototype viability.
Business Viability & Scalability: Addressable market size, unit economics, and go-to-market strategy.
Execution Potential: Founder background, team capability, and operational resilience.
"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."
— Rahul Nainwal, CEO, Runway Incubator and Dean, School of Business, UPES
Incubator Track Record and Road Ahead
The Growing Legacy of UPES Runway
Established in 2021, UPES Runway has positioned itself as a key startup incubator in North India. Over five years of operation, Runway has successfully incubated more than 50 startups. It maintains active institutional alliances with leading government and industry accelerators:
Department of Science and Technology (DST-TBI)
Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY)
Shell E4
MaXcel Accelerator
Pearl Academy
Global University Systems (GUS)
Expanding South and West: The September 2026 Horizon
Following the completion of the New Delhi leg, UPES Runway is expanding its geographic reach. The next chapter of The Pitch 3.0 will take place in Bengaluru in September 2026. This upcoming southern leg will focus on deep-tech founders, AI developers, and tech entrepreneurs across Southern and Western Indian startup corridors who were unable to participate in the northern edition.
About UPES: Leading Higher Education and Innovation
Established via the UPES Act, 2003 (State Legislature of Uttarakhand), UPES is a top-ranked, UGC-recognized private university. It consistently ranks among India's elite academic institutions:
NIRF 2025 (Ministry of Education, India): Ranked 45th among all universities nationwide (18th in Law, 36th in Management, 43rd in Engineering).
Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2026: Placed in the 501–600 global bracket and 5th overall in India (jumping to 299th globally for Research Quality).
QS World University Rankings 2026: Ranked #1 Private University in India for Academic Reputation, placing in the top 2% of global universities.
Global Benchmarks: Awarded 5 Stars for Employability by QS Rating, with over 50 faculty members listed in Stanford University's top 2% global researchers.
UPES hosts over 20,000 students and 1,500 faculty across seven specialized schools. Its network of 40,000+ alumni drives leadership across major global firms including Google, Microsoft, McKinsey & Company, EY, KPMG, Bain & Company, Deloitte, Accenture, Amazon, and Oracle.
