SmartIDEAthon 2023 invites applications to share startup ideas for sustainable and resilient community building. The last for idea submission is June 10, 2023.

About SmartIDEAthon

SmartIDEAthon is a student pitching competition of ideas built on themes that are currently relevant to our nation and with the aim to create sustainable and resilient communities. It is organized by Venture Development Centre, GITAM annually in collaboration with StartupIndia, Northeastern University Center for Emerging Markets, Boston and Northeastern University Center for Entrepreneurship Education (NUCEE), Boston.

  • SmartIDEAthon is for college students ( UG & PG level) participants from across the country to showcase their venture ideas.
  • From the year 2022, GITAM collaborated with StartupIndia, Northeastern University Center for Emerging Markets, Boston and Northeastern University Center for Entrepreneurship Education (NUCEE), Boston for SmartIDEAthon.
  • With an overwhelming response from all Indian States, it had received 1200+ applications. The cash and grant prizes were worth up to 30 Lakhs.

Program Details and Eligibility Criteria

  1. The competition is open only to current students of undergraduate or postgraduate programs who are enrolled in Full Time courses in recognized universities and also who will be graduating in 2023 or later.
  2. Indian citizens studying in India are only eligible for participating in SmartIDEAthon – 2023
  3. Teams in the advanced Ideation, prototype or research stage will be eligible.
  4. Founder/Co-Founder is only eligible to apply and represent in the SmartIDEAthon – 2023.
  5. Founder/Co-Founder both should adhere to criteria number 1
  6. During the application process, the students should submit their bonafide certificates and photo-based student identification card (ID cards).
  7. In the event of suspicion of candidature, SmartIDEAthon – 2023 team has all the rights to ask for any other additional documents.
  8. If all members of a team are from the same institute, one joint letter is acceptable.

Choose a Relevant Industry for Your Exclusive Idea

  • Agriculture
  • Green Technology
  • Fashion
  • Food & Beverages
  • Education
  • Renewable Energy
  • Technology Hardware
  • Healthcare & Lifesciences
  • Internet Of Things
  • Social Impact
  • Textiles & Apparel
  • Transportation & Storage
  • Logistics
  • Robotics
  • Waste Management
  • Toys And Games

Problem Statement

Food & Health

  • There has been a drastic increase in lifestyle-based diseases in recent times.
  • In order to take preventive measures and solve the same, there needs to be more focus on a healthy diet, alternatives to rice, gluten & meat and on foods to tackle obesity, malnutrition and other occupational hazards.

Toys For S.T.E.M

  • To have an educational impact in the field of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math among kids and others, Toys can be the new novel medium to impart skills for regular education and special needs.
  • The Toys for S.T.E.M encourages participants to think beyond traditional approaches, incorporating elements of technology, experimentation, and interactive learning to ensure that the toys developed are both educational and captivating.

Sustainable fashion

  • The fashion industry is known to be responsible for its contribution to human-caused greenhouse gas emissions, global wastewater, and the usage of more energy.
  • Creating own & zero-waste raw materials, recycling fashion items, and building the right disposal process will help the industry be sustainable.

Frugal Innovation

  • There is known to be a scarcity of certain resources in our country.
  • Frugal innovation can be effective to solve this as it is often driven by a need to do more with less.
  • Innovations in agriculture, education, transportation, water & sanitation, and waste management which has the potential to scale up the last mile impact.
  • These sectors represent a few areas where frugal innovation is making a significant impact in India.
  • However, frugal innovation can occur across various industries and sectors, driven by the need to create affordable, sustainable, and impactful solutions for the masses.

Prizes

Fiscal Incentives/ Cash Prize: INR 4,50,000 Cash Prizes to be won across various categories.

Non Fiscal Incentives:

  1. INR 3,00,000 worth of Northeastern University Center for Entrepreneurship Education’s IDEA venture development coaching program for one year, to each finalist.
  2. INR 1,00,000 worth of cloud credits and goodies.

Special Incentives

  1. Winner – SmartIDEAthon – 2023 will have a fully sponsored two weeks trip for two members (Founder and co-founder ONLY) to Boston worth INR 6,00,000). Includes visa fee, roundtrip economy airfare, food, stay and local transportation.
  2. Runner up – SmartIDEAthon – 2023 will have a partly-sponsored two weeks trip for two members (Founder and co-founder ONLY) to Boston, worth INR 3,00,000. Includes visa fee, food, stay and local transportation.

Special Category Incentives

  1. Best Woman-led Entrepreneurship Idea
  2. Leben Johnson People’s Choice Award

Important Dates

  • Call for ideas – 17th May 2023
  • Idea Submission Deadline – 10th June 2023
  • First Round Selection of Ideas – 22nd June 2023
  • First Bootcamp for selected ideas – 2nd July 2023
  • Submission of Updated Pitch Decks by selected ideas – 8th July 2023
  • Second Round Selection of Ideas (Semi-Finalists) –15th July 2023
  • Advanced Bootcamp for second round selected ideas – 22nd July 2023
  • Final submission of Pitch – 24th July 2023
  • Semi-Finals – 24th August 2023 (Offline event at GITAM Hyderabad)
  • Grand Finale- 25th August 2023 (Offline event at GITAM Hyderabad)

How to Participate?

Interested students can participate through this link.

FAQs

Q1. Will the Travel and Accommodation for the event be arranged?

  1. Yes, Semi-finalists and finalists will be provided with a reimbursement of to & fro 3-tier Atravel fare upon producing the proof of travel.
    • The fare for reimbursement is set at a 3-tier AC ticket fare. Anything above the base fare will not be reimbursed.
    • Example: If the ticket fare is 900 INR you will only be paid the same amount.
  2. Food, accommodation, and internet access will be provided at GITAM student hostels (separate for boys and girls) on a twin-sharing basis for your stay during the event which will be 3 days and 2 Nights.

Important note:

  • Ticket booking should be in the name of the founder and the co-founder only.
  • A hard copy of your travel tickets must be submitted during event registration of
  • SmartIDEAthon-2022 at the venue.
  • Participants need to adhere to the rules of their respective hostels which will be shared as an annexure.
  • Any kind of support for your work (city tours, personal tasks) will not be provided.

Q2. Will I be reimbursed if I come by other means of transport other than a three-tier AC?

Yes, we will reimburse the travel fare charges only equivalent to the cost of an AC 3-tier ticket from your source station to Hyderabad and travel back to your origin.

Click here to view more FAQs

Deadline

The last for idea submission is June 10, 2023.

Click here to view the SmartIDEAthon 2023 by StartupIndia associated with GITAM & NUCEE