E-Cell IIT Hyderabad · March 13–15, 2026

E-Summit '26

E-Summit is the flagship entrepreneurship festival of E-Cell IIT Hyderabad, bringing together students, founders, investors, and industry leaders for talks, startup showcases, competitions, and networking. The summit aims to foster innovation and strengthen the startup ecosystem by turning ideas into impactful ventures.

Events

Startup School '26

Where Founders Share Their Playbook

Startup School '26 is a curated series of high-impact talks designed to give students and aspiring founders real, practical insights into building startups. From ideation and MVP building to funding, legal frameworks, D2C branding, and AI-driven ventures — this series brings experienced founders and industry leaders to share actionable lessons from their journeys.

IIT HyderabadOpen to all

Timeline

14th March (Saturday)

· Where do Startup Ideas Come From? — Prakash Balasubramanian, CEO, 18startup
· Building an MVP and Team Formation? — Vikram Prabhakar, Co-founder, Recykal

15th March (Sunday)

· Don't Get Sued: Startup Legalities — Sridhar Subramanian, Co-founder, Startup Movers
· How to Get Funded? — Draper Startup House
· AI and Entrepreneurship — Kashyap Kompella, Founder, RPA2AI Research

Startup Fair '26

Live Startup Showcase & Investment Arena

Startup Fair '26 is the dynamic exhibition arena of E-Summit '26 where innovative startups showcase their products, engage with IIT Hyderabad's student community, and interact directly with visiting VCs and incubators. Featuring a live Investment Game, this platform blends exposure, competition, and networking into one high-energy startup marketplace.

IIT Hyderabad, SangareddiStartups & Students

Timeline

For Startups

· Showcase your product to IIT Hyderabad's students and faculty
· Interact directly with visiting VCs and on-campus incubators
· Compete in a Live Investment Game where the IITH fraternity invests virtual money in your startup
· Top startups earn a chance to participate in Fetching Fortunes (Pitching Competition)
· Opportunity to be featured on ZEE TV's Ideabaaz

For Students

· Meet cutting-edge startups from across the country
· Interact directly with founders
· Become an investor: Receive virtual money and invest in promising startups
· Help decide the winner of Startup Fair
· Discover internships, projects, and networking opportunities

CEO Summit '26

A Strategy & Problem-Solving Challenge

CEO Summit '26 is a flagship live problem-solving challenge at E-Summit '26 where student teams work directly on real startup challenges and present their solutions to founders. Designed to simulate real-world strategic decision-making, the competition tests structured thinking, prioritisation, and execution under constraints — just like a startup strategy team or early founding hire.

IIT Hyderabad, Sangareddi, Telangana2–4 Members · UG & PG (All Streams)Mode: OfflineDeadline: 15 Feb 2026, 02:37 PM IST

Timeline

March 3 — Round 1: Founder Thinking Challenge

· Respond (max 600 words) to a real startup scenario
· Identify the one key problem to prioritise (Product / Market / Execution)
· Propose two actions to take in the next 30 days
· State one action to avoid and justification

March 5–13 — Stage 2: Startup Engagement Phase

· Shortlisted teams paired with partner startups
· Assigned a real, non-confidential business problem to analyse and solve

March 14 — Stage 3: Final Presentation

· Teams pitch solutions directly to startup founders on campus
· One winning team selected per startup

Fetching Fortunes '26

Startup Pitching Arena · ₹10,00,000 Prize Pool

Fetching Fortunes '26 is the flagship startup pitching competition of E-SUMMIT '26, the 6th Entrepreneurial Summit of IIT Hyderabad. In collaboration with Ideabaaz, the event provides high-potential startups a national platform to pitch before a distinguished jury of investors and industry leaders. Top-performing startups receive Fast-Track Entry to the Ideabaaz Final Round, creating a direct pathway from campus innovation to national recognition.

IIT Hyderabad, Sangareddi1–5 Members · Offline15 March 2026Prize Pool: ₹10,00,000

Timeline

March 4 — Round 1: Pitch Deck & Video Submission

· Submit a Pitch Deck (PDF)
· Submit a Pitch Video (Max 7 Minutes, Founder-led preferred)

March 15 — Round 2: Final Pitch Showdown

· Jury: Ideabaaz Representative, IIT Hyderabad / ITIC Nominees, External Investors
· 3-minute pitch per startup
· 7-minute Q&A session
· Top 3 startups: Fast-Track Entry to Ideabaaz Final Round