The Innopreneurs Season 12 Top 10 Innovations of India, facilitated on stage at Viksit Bharat Conclave, RTMNU Nagpur, April 2026.
Quick Answer
The Innopreneurs Season 12 Top 10 Innovations of India were announced on April 11, 2026 at the Viksit Bharat Conclave at RTMNU Nagpur. From 2,500 startup applications across India, 10 were selected through a 0.4% selection rate. The cohort spans AI, agritech, aerospace, health tech, sustainability, edtech, rural commerce, and hospitality. The finalists were facilitated on stage by Maharashtra Education Minister Pankaj Bhoyar, with an appreciation letter from Union Minister Nitin Gadkari.
The Complete Innopreneurs Season 12 Top 10 Winners List
These are the 10 startups selected as India's Top 10 Innovations at Innopreneurs Season 12, organised by Lemon Ideas (founded by Deepak Menaria). The final 10 were announced at the Viksit Bharat Conclave at RTMNU Nagpur on April 11, 2026.
Each startup pitched live to a panel of 5 judges in front of a 400+ person audience. The cohort spans eight sectors: AI, aerospace, rural commerce, beauty, sustainability, edtech, marketplace, and social enterprise.
Shiv Varun Singh Rajput · Aerospace & Defence
Defence-focused aerospace startup building advanced unmanned aerial systems for the Indian defence sector. Developing indigenous drone technology for surveillance, logistics, and combat applications.
Vamsi Udayagiri · Rural Commerce
Rural commerce platform enabling last-mile delivery and digital commerce in Tier 3+ India. Building distribution infrastructure where traditional e-commerce cannot reach.
Kanikka Dewani · D2C / Beauty
Direct-to-consumer cosmetics brand building clean beauty products for the Indian market. Focused on sustainable formulations and inclusive beauty standards.
Madhur Rathi · Sustainability
Circular economy startup converting waste into furniture and usable materials. Building a complete recycling-to-product pipeline with Econiture as the product brand.
Krishnkant Chaturvedi · Edtech
Reimagining school education in India through technology-enabled learning. Building a scalable model for quality education delivery across underserved regions.
Nimitai
Our startupNilansh Gupta & Archit Dhir · AI / B2B SaaS
AI-powered conversation intelligence platform for B2B sales teams. Records, transcribes, and analyses sales calls in real-time, providing live coaching, deal intelligence, and pipeline insights. IIT Ropar TBI incubatee. $149/seat/month.
Bibhuti Dash · Marketplace
Marketplace platform building at scale. Focused on connecting supply and demand in underserved categories with a technology-driven distribution model.
Dr. Chandra Mishra · Social Enterprise
Impact-driven social enterprise working on employability and economic mobility for underserved communities. Using technology and training to create sustainable employment pathways.
Aviotron Aerospace
Vaishnav C H · Aerospace & Drones
Deep-tech aerospace and drone technology startup. Building advanced unmanned systems for commercial and industrial applications across India.
Bibhuti Anand · AI / Fintech
AI-powered platform operating at the intersection of artificial intelligence and financial technology. Founder philosophy: "In a startup, everyone is a salesperson and marketing person."
About the ranking
How Were the Top 10 Selected?
Innopreneurs uses a multi-stage funnel that narrows 2,500 applications down to 10 through five rounds. The process takes several months and combines online evaluation with physical pitching at the conclave. For a detailed breakdown of what each stage involves, see our complete founder's guide to applying to Innopreneurs.
Innopreneurs Season 12 Selection Funnel
Applications received
Startups from across India applied online at innopreneurs.in
Initial shortlist
Passed the first screening round
Best picks
Advanced for deeper evaluation by the Lemon Ideas team
Semi-finalists
Evaluated in detail across problem, solution, traction, and team
Finalists
Invited to RTMNU Nagpur for the physical conclave
Top 10 Innovations of India
Named on stage at Viksit Bharat Conclave by Maharashtra Education Minister Pankaj Bhoyar
Final selection rate: 0.4% — fewer than 1 in 250 applicants made the Top 10
The final round is a live pitch at RTMNU Nagpur in front of a panel of 5 judges and an audience of 400+ people. Startups demonstrate their product, defend their business model, and answer questions in real time. There are no pre-recorded presentations — the pitch is live.
Out of 2,500 startups from across India, only 10 were named Top Innovations. That is a 0.4% selection rate — tighter than most accelerator programmes in the country.
Who Were the Judges at Innopreneurs Season 12?
The judging panel at Innopreneurs Season 12 included VCs, serial entrepreneurs, and AI industry leaders. All 25 finalists pitched to this panel at the Viksit Bharat Conclave auditorium. For a deeper analysis of what the judges looked for and how to prepare, see the five lessons we learned pitching to India's top VCs.
Dr. Vishesh Kasliwal
Founder, Medysense Technologies
Health-tech entrepreneur and founder of Medyseva. Drilled into metrics, user count, and product accuracy during pitch evaluations. Known for clinical precision in questioning.
Sagar Bhajani
Co-founder, Khichdiwala
Serial entrepreneur who built Khichdiwala from scratch. His advice on pivoting came from lived experience: "Pivot is not the end; it is the next step ahead."
Akash Kirtane
CTO, Acube AI
AI industry leader who provided technical guidance during pitch evaluations. Known for his practical advice: "Stick to it and do deep research daily."
Amit Singal
Partner, Fluid Ventures & Indicorn Angels
VC investor, head judge, and guest speaker. One of the most active investors at the event, engaging with multiple startups and providing pointed, direct feedback.
Yaseen Shareef
Venture Partner, Ind44 Capital
Jury member for the final-stage pitch evaluation. Had detailed post-event conversations with founders about market opportunities and fundraising strategy.
What Happened at the Viksit Bharat Conclave?
The Viksit Bharat Conclave was held at RTMNU Nagpur on April 10-11, 2026. The two-day event was organised by Lemon Ideas (Deepak Menaria) and VED Council (Vidarbha Economic Development Council), aligned with the Government of India's Viksit Bharat 2047 initiative.
Venue
Auditorium at RTMNU Nagpur — Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University. 400+ attendees including founders, investors, industry leaders, students, and media.
Government presence
Maharashtra Education Minister Pankaj Bhoyar facilitated all Top 10 finalists on stage. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari sent a letter of appreciation to the cohort and organisers.
Investor access
VCs from Fluid Ventures, Enrisson India Capital, Ind44 Capital, and angel investors circulated throughout the two-day event. Networking sessions and lunch interactions were structured for founder-investor access.
Event format
Two full days of live pitches, panel discussions, guest speaker sessions, networking, and an awards ceremony. The pitch round happened in front of the full audience and 5-judge panel.
The Gadkari letter specifically recognised the contribution of Lemon Ideas and VED Council in fostering innovation across India. It was addressed to the Innopreneurs cohort and publicly shared at the conclave — adding institutional weight to the Top 10 recognition that goes beyond a certificate.
A letter from Nitin Gadkari and facilitation by the Maharashtra Education Minister. This is not a startup weekend. This is a national-level recognition platform.
Where Is Nimitai Now? (6th Place Winner Update)
Nimitai placed 6th in the Innopreneurs Season 12 Top 10 Innovations of India. We are an AI-powered conversation intelligence platform for B2B sales teams, founded by Nilansh Gupta (CEO) and Archit Dhir (CTO), incubated at IIT Ropar TBI.
At the conclave, we pitched the product live — a real-time AI demo running on a sales call, in front of 400+ people and the 5-judge panel. No slides. A working product. That pitch and the lessons we took from it shaped how we approach every investor conversation since.
Product
Nimitai records, transcribes, and analyses B2B sales calls in real-time. It provides live coaching during calls, automated deal intelligence after calls, and pipeline insights across the team. Pricing starts at $149/seat/month.
Team
Founded by Nilansh Gupta (CEO) and Archit Dhir (CTO), with Shubham Gupta (COO) running operations. Incubated at IIT Ropar Technology Business Incubator.
Post-Innopreneurs
The Innopreneurs Top 10 recognition opened investor conversations, media coverage, and network effects that continue. We documented every detail of the journey — from the first-ever flight to Nagpur to the pitch itself.
Read the full story of how we got there: Innopreneurs Season 12 by Lemon Ideas: How Nimitai Reached India's Top 10 Innovations. Or read Shubham's account of our first-ever flight and first-ever stage.
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