Delhi University StartUp Innovation Summit

Asia’s Largest Student-Run Startup & Innovation Summit'26 The Delhi University Startup & Innovation Summit ’26 will be held on 9th–10th March 2026 at North Campus, University of Delhi, and is positioned as Asia’s largest student-run startup and innovation summit. Organised by the UDAAY Society in collaboration with the Delhi University Students' Union, the Summit is designed as a high-impact national platform bringing together policymakers, cabinet ministers, leading founders, investors, celebrities, and more than 30,000–40,000 students and young entrepreneurs from across the country. With the 2026 theme “Building Global Startups from Indian Roots,” the Summit aligns with the broader national vision of Viksit Bharat, focusing on transforming campus innovation into global leadership. The Summit functions as a convergence point where policy meets entrepreneurship and youth ambition meets capital access. It is built not merely as a two-day event but as a sustained institutional movement within Delhi University’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. A defining objective driving this edition is Agenda 2028, a structured long-term commitment to nurture 50 high-potential startups, each targeting ₹1 crore+ valuation, through curated mentorship, direct exposure to policymakers, structured investor access, and ecosystem integration. This approach positions the Summit as a launchpad for scalable ventures rather than a symbolic gathering. The projected scale of the event reflects its national footprint, with an expected footfall exceeding 30,000 attendees, total viewership crossing 5,00,000+, and a projected social media reach of over 10 million impressions. Media coverage value is anticipated to exceed ₹10 crore, supported by collaborations with more than 30 government bodies, 100+ brand partners, 6–10 national media partners, 70+ startup stalls, and 30+ speakers spanning governance, entrepreneurship, entertainment, and investment. The Summit framework includes keynote addresses by union ministers and national leaders, high-impact policy and founder panels, startup pitching sessions with funding exposure, innovation competitions, award felicitation ceremonies, large-scale startup expos, and curated networking experiences that enable direct interaction between founders, venture capitalists, incubators, institutions, and policymakers. The 2026 guest lineup (tentative) reflects the Summit’s cross-sector stature. Political and policy leadership invited includes Devendra Fadnavis, Rekha Gupta, Anurag Thakur, Shashi Tharoor, Jayant Chaudhary, Swati Maliwal, and Brijesh Pathak, representing diverse national leadership perspectives. The entrepreneurial presence includes industry leaders such as Amit Jain, Founder of CarDekho; Aman Gupta, Co-founder of boAt Lifestyle; and Shaily Mehrotra, along with multiple emerging startup founders across sectors including health, D2C, sustainability, travel, and consumer brands. The cultural and entertainment segment includes prominent public figures such as Ranveer Singh, Sanjay Dutt, R. Madhavan, Arjun Rampal, Aparshakti Khurana, and Sara Arjun, further amplifying youth engagement and national visibility. All speaker confirmations remain subject to final scheduling and availability. The Summit offers a structured sponsorship framework ranging from Title Sponsor to General Sponsor categories, with integrated deliverables including on-stage branding, logo placement across all official communication channels, social media amplification campaigns, digital integrations, on-ground activation opportunities, customised hashtag promotions, participant database access, webinar permissions, video advertisement slots during the event, PAN-India campus ambassador outreach, and comprehensive post-event marketing reports. Title and Co-Title partners also receive deeper thematic integration within the Summit branding architecture. Delhi University Startup & Innovation Summit ’26 represents a rare alignment of government leadership, national media attention, entrepreneurial capital, and India’s largest youth academic ecosystem. Positioned at the intersection of policy, innovation, and high-scale ambition, the Summit stands not just as a flagship university event but as a youth-driven national movement aimed at building globally scalable startups rooted in Indian vision, infrastructure, and institutional support.