When innovation took center stage: Entrepreneur Challenge Season 2 celebrates India's brightest startups

It was an evening charged with energy, ambition, and a celebration of India’s most promising entrepreneurial minds. The grand finale of the Entrepreneur Challenge Season 2, presented by Dell Technologies and powered by YourStory, brought together innovators, changemakers, and visionaries for a high-stakes showdown at the heart of Bengaluru’s startup ecosystem. With EY as Process Advisor and Prime Venture Partners as Investing Partner, the challenge concluded on a resounding note, marking a culmination of months of preparation, pitching, and passion.

Season 2 of the Entrepreneur Challenge was built on a commitment to recognize bold ideas from every corner of India, and from its very inception, the challenge was structured to spotlight two distinct tracks: one celebrating women-led startups and MSMEs, and the other focused on general startup founders and co-founders. This thoughtful segmentation allowed for nuanced mentoring, equal opportunity, and sharp focus on diverse strengths of India’s innovation landscape.

Road to the finale: From over 2,000 applicants to 11 standout startups

From over 2,000 applications received in October 2024, a rigorous multi-round evaluation, powered by EY, narrowed the field to 100 startups, followed by 30 quarter-finalists in March 2025, and finally 11 standout ventures who made it to the in-person grand finale in April. The shortlisted startups were chosen not only for the potential of their ideas but for the passion behind them.

The finale unfolded in two electrifying segments. First, six ventures representing the women-led track took the stage: AdiUvo Diagnostics, Genomiki Solutions, Glovatrix, Kristalball Smart Solutions, Poocho Research Technologies, and TerraBlue. This was followed by pitches from five ventures in the general startup track: Bioqube Inc, Euphotic Labs, Good Mind, Rosa Technology, and Sectr Consol.

Presiding over the day’s proceedings was a jury panel rich in diversity and depth, bringing together the sharp lenses of venture capital, tech leadership, and startup growth. The panel included Brij Bhushan, Venture Partner at Prime Venture Partners; Sangeeta Bavi, COO of YourStory Media; Samriddhi Bhattacharyya, Director & GM – Generative AI Growth Business- Enterprise & Startups, India, Dell Technologies, Meghna Agarwal, Co-founder of IndiQube; and Vijai Kanagaraj, Managing Director - Technology Audit at Protiviti India.

As the evening built towards its high point, the results were finally revealed: Euphotic Labs was crowned the grand winner in the general startup category, winning Rs 16 lakh worth of Dell Technologies products and solutions. In the women-led category, the grand winner title went to AdiUvo Diagnostics, also taking home Rs 16 lakh worth of tech empowerment. The runners-up were Rosa Technology in the general track and Kristalball Smart Solutions in the women-led track, each awarded Rs 8 lakh worth of Dell solutions.

Voices from the finalists

Beyond the prizes, what stood out was the camaraderie, reflection, and sheer optimism from the finalists. For Rajalakshmi Borthakur, Founder and CEO of TerraBlue, the most enriching part was the connections she made. “The amazing learning experience has been talking to my peers who are building very beautiful products. The biggest takeaway for me has been the feedback.”

Taapsi Ramchandani, Co-founder and CEO of Poocho Research Technologies, echoed a similar sentiment. “You should come for the prize money, of course, but you should stay and continue through the competition, because it will give you an opportunity to pitch yourself,” she said.

Deeksha Bhartiya, Founder and Director of Genomiki Solutions, spoke of her intent to deepen ties with Dell: “The main server that we are using is a Dell server. So, we wanted to understand how we can take this collaboration further. Right now, we’re figuring out how Dell can help us in that.”

Aishwarya Karnataki, Co-founder and CEO of Glovatrix, reflected on the iterative journey through the rounds. “Through each of the journeys—quarterfinals, semifinals—there was a pitch, there was feedback, and that feedback was very, very useful. We incorporated that.”

Dibayan Das, CEO and Head of Product at Bioqube Inc., appreciated the learning curve and peer inspiration. “It's been a very exciting journey, a lot of learning. And during the journey, we met a few other founders who are doing amazing work. So, it's also an inspirational process.”

For Girish Tiwaskar and Jayesh Tiwaskar, Founders of Sectr Consol, the diversity of the jury made a lasting impression. “What stood out was the quality and balance of the jury. It wasn’t just technologists or only venture capitalists; the panel brought diverse perspectives to the table.”

The timing of the win couldn’t have been better for Geethanjali Radhakrishnan, Founder and MD of AdiUvo Diagnostics. “As part of our organization, we are moving towards setting up our own servers, our own cloud computing, edge computing, and having a good IT setup done. So this award and the opportunity using Dell Technologies came in at the very right time.”

And for Smriti Singh, Founder and CEO of Kristalball Smart Solutions, the recognition meant everything. “It's a big win for the team. And when you're a small team trying to do really big things, everything along the way counts. So definitely, this is the beginning for us.”

Season 2 wrap-up: A launchpad for the future of India’s innovation ecosystem

As the curtains closed on Season 2, what emerged was that this challenge was a launchpad for bold ideas, a crucible of constructive feedback, and a celebration of India’s vibrant entrepreneurial spirit. With continued support from Dell Technologies, Prime Venture Partners, EY, and YourStory, these startups are now better equipped to scale their impact—and write the next chapter of India’s innovation story.