New startup competitions closing soon: Karnataka First Initiative, HackX 3.0, IEEEXtreme and more

This October, Indian founders have 14 active startup competitions to consider, offering a combined Rs 11.5 crore+ in prizes along with incubation, mentorship and market access. Four are newly launched initiatives, and 12 have deadlines falling within the next two weeks — several land this week, so founders should move fast.

Newly launched

The Karnataka Government First Initiative (Startup Karnataka) invites deployment-ready solutions for public problem statements, with the state government acting as a potential first customer. It offers Rs 25 lakh in prizes with a deadline of 23 October 2026. The Liveability Challenge 2027 offers a bumper Rs 7.5 crore prize pool, with applications open until 12 February 2027. The CoE Innovation Challenge: AI Exam Scheduling Assistant for GSSSB is newly launched with a rolling deadline, and the Together 7.0 Indo-Canada Bootcamp & Pitch (Schulich School of Business, York University, with Startup India) closes today, 11 October 2026, with Rs 10.5 lakh in prizes.

Closing this week and next

HackX 3.0 (Manipal University Jaipur), a 36-hour hackathon with Rs 5 lakh in prizes, closes 12 October. The Anandi Fellowship by Bombay Shaving Company (prizes Rs 1 lakh–Rs 1 crore), the Youth Entrepreneurs Challenge 2027 (Rs 30,000–Rs 1.5 lakh) and the Tamil Nadu Tourism Innovation Challenge all close 15 October. The SIDBI Innovation Challenge Fund (Rs 2 crore) closes 16 October, RISE IISER's IDEAPOOL (Rs 2.5 lakh plus six months' free incubation) closes 17 October, and E-Cell IIT Bombay's Ten Minute Million (Rs 35 lakh on-the-spot funding) closes 18 October.

IEEEXtreme 20.0 (Rs 9.2 lakh) runs 21 October, the Hyundai CoE Mobility Innovation Ideathon (Rs 1–4 lakh) closes 23 October, and the IEEE ClimateChain Global Hackathon (Rs 2.8 lakh) closes 25 October.