Applications for the seventh edition of the Grand Challenge close today — 10 October 2026. The flagship nationwide initiative by Amazon Web Services (AWS), IDFC FIRST Bank and Campus Fund, powered once again by 360 ONE, supports India's most innovative student-led startups.
The challenge is open to current students, recent graduates who graduated in or after 2023, and dropouts from the 2023 graduating cohort onwards — across all sectors. Since its inception in 2020, the Grand Challenge has become one of India's leading national platforms for young founders; the sixth edition drew over 1,500 applications from student-led startups across the country.
Selected founders get mentorship, national exposure, direct access to investors and the Who's Who of India Inc — with a jury comprising veterans including Ashwini Tewari (MD, State Bank of India) and Bharat Shah (co-founder, HDFC Bank). "India's campuses are home to some of the most ambitious young founders we meet," said Campus Fund founder Richa Bajpai.
The programme combines mentorship, capital, network and platform — exactly the package early student founders usually struggle to assemble on their own.
Why it matters for founders
If you're a student or recent graduate building a startup, today is your last chance to enter — apply by 10 October 2026. Past editions prove this is a genuine launchpad: 1,500+ applicants compete, and winners get capital plus direct access to India's top bankers and investors.
Find these funders and apply in one click — browse investor profiles at /investors and prepare your application with the /apply-kit.