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Masters’ Union Ventures, the ₹100 crore early-stage investment fund focused on founders below the age of 25, hosted its first-ever Demo Day in Bengaluru, giving student entrepreneurs an opportunity to present their businesses directly to venture capital firms and angel investors. The event was held at Startup Park, Bengaluru, and featured 25 student-led startups, including 15 from the Masters’ Union ecosystem and 10 from external campuses.
The participating startups secured around ₹60.5 crore in soft funding commitments, with investors making commitments within an hour of the founders’ pitches. More than 65 venture capital firms and angel investors participated in the showcase, including Entrepreneurs First, Kae Capital, Avaana Capital, Beenext and Rainmatter. The commitments represent investor interest and are not the same as completed funding, as they may be subject to due diligence, negotiations and final investment documentation.
Student Startups Showcase Solutions Across Emerging Sectors
The startups presented businesses across artificial intelligence, climate technology, space technology, biotechnology, consumer businesses and advanced manufacturing. Among the ventures that attracted some of the highest funding commitments were Sanyark, Saubha Aerial Systems and CarbonM.
Sanyark is developing a LEO-based NAV-COM satellite constellation for autonomous applications, while CarbonM is working on converting inconsistent waste inputs into usable fuel through pyrolysis. Saubha Aerial Systems focuses on end-to-end hardware solutions designed to support safe and reliable autonomous drone operations. Consumer-focused ventures such as Lexi’s, a gourmet sandwich cloud kitchen in Gurgaon, and Oohlala, a designer nightwear brand for plus-size women, also attracted investor interest.
The event also included an AI Hackathon conducted with Qualcomm Developer, encouraging participants to explore practical applications of AI and use emerging tools to develop solutions for real-world challenges. Alongside the hackathon, Masters’ Union Ventures launched Don’t Start a Stupid Startup, a practical guidebook aimed at helping aspiring founders evaluate and validate their startup ideas before deciding to leave full-time employment.
Venture Initiation Programme Gives Students Hands-On Startup Experience
Around 60% of the participating startups were built through Masters’ Union’s Venture Initiation Programme (VIP), a year-long initiative that allows students to take an idea from problem discovery and market testing to product development, customer acquisition and investor preparation.
The programme combines academic learning with hands-on business building, allowing students to work on real ventures and interact with founders, operators, industry mentors, investors and faculty. Students also receive support in refining business models, strengthening go-to-market strategies and preparing for discussions with early-stage investors.
Since its inception, the Venture Initiation Programme and related entrepreneurship initiatives have supported more than 80 student startups. According to Masters’ Union, 50 VIP-incubated startups have collectively raised more than ₹320 crore and are projected to generate over ₹530 crore in revenue by FY27. Recent ventures from the ecosystem include PlaySuper, a gaming commerce startup recognised in Forbes Asia 30 Under 30 2026, and Meta Fashion, a digital fashion startup that recently raised around USD 400,000 in a pre-seed round led by Lumikai.
Masters’ Union Expands Support for Young Founders
Pratham Mittal, Founder, Masters’ Union University, said Bengaluru’s startup and technology ecosystem provides an important platform for student founders to showcase businesses, connect with investors and engage with the wider entrepreneurial community. He said Masters’ Union Ventures and its entrepreneurship ecosystem aim to provide students with access to capital, mentorship and networks to build businesses at an early stage.
Saksham Kotiya, Head of Entrepreneurship & Investments, Masters’ Union, said the investor interest demonstrated at Demo Day reflects the work undertaken by student founders to understand customers, develop products and validate their businesses. He added that the focus is to help students build with greater rigour from the beginning and provide access needed to turn early validation into scalable businesses.
The Bengaluru edition of Demo Day is part of Masters’ Union’s broader effort to create opportunities for students to build, test and scale businesses alongside their education. Through Masters’ Union Ventures, entrepreneurship programmes and its network of founders, investors and industry leaders, the institution is expanding opportunities for young entrepreneurs to gain practical exposure to venture building and early-stage investment.
