Bower School of Entrepreneurship Hosts Founders’ Arena Pitch Event in Hyderabad

Bower School of Entrepreneurship, the pioneering institution transforming entrepreneurship education, successfully conducted its flagship event, Founders’ Arena, a launchpad for India’s Young Startup Talent at Bower campus, in the middle of Hyderabad Tech Park today. An innovative pitch competition, it included startup mentors, innovation leaders, and investors as jury members, and witnessed innovative pitches from a diverse set of 100+ individuals from across sectors, including EdTech, FinTech, sustainable products, social innovation and many more.

The Founders’ Arena tested the mettle of early-stage entrepreneurs, along with students and enthusiasts to test their ideas, receive feedback and build meaningful connections in India’s growing innovation ecosystem. Divided into three leagues — Junior (Under 18), Open (18-30) and Pro (30+ or MVP ready) — the pitching competition democratized opportunities irrespective of age and experience, assisting individuals with raw concepts & prototypes to revenue-generating ventures in their entrepreneurial journey. Each participant received a time of 7 minutes for pitching, followed by live Q&A and feedback from the juror panel.

Mr. Pavan Allena, Founder of Bower School of Entrepreneurship & serial entrepreneur, shared his insights on Founder’s Arena by saying, “One of the things most early-stage founders are looking for is validation to know if their idea can work. And the best way to get that is not just from users, but also from fellow founders and investors. That’s why we built Founders’ Arena to create a safe but serious platform to test, pitch, and grow.”

Before the event, Bower School of Entrepreneurship received 200+ applications in under two weeks, highlighting the growing enthusiasm for entrepreneurship among young Indians. It also emphasizes the inclusive format of Founders’ Arena that goes beyond established ventures, to include high-potential thinkers who are often left out of traditional startup showcases. This notion was a focus at the event, where jurors offered a meaningful feedback loop to pitchers, offering live critique, mentorship and referrals to incubators and accelerator programs. 

In the Junior League (U-18), Noah Anis Nathani (1st) and Taswika Gujjari (2nd) were rewarded with the top 2 spots in the Grades 3-6 vertical and were rewarded with cash prizes of INR 15,000 and INR 10,000 respectively. Kshema Girish and Daksha Valleri were deemed the two best pitchers for Grades 7-12, and received cash prizes of INR 15,000 and INR 10,000 respectively. For the Open League (Aged 18-30), Lakshmi Narayanan from Sai Lakshmi Bio-Fuel was deemed the no.1 pitcher, followed by Kartekiya & Hasini from DTaaS (Drone Tech as a Service). The winners of the Open League were rewarded with cash prizes worth INR 50,000 and INR 25,000 respectively. The Pro League (30+ or MVP ready) vertical witnessed Rajesh & Anjali Gupta clinch the top spot for Lasarkaali, the world’s first IDA-approved ingestible for clinical oral nutrition and also received a cash prize worth INR 50,000. The runners-up spot was won by Girijakanth from Tamata, a fresh produce delivery venture based in Hyderabad, who received cash prizes worth INR 25,000.

The event also marked a significant aspect for the participants, being empowered with visibility, validation and resources that will accelerate their entrepreneurial journey. Beyond a single-day event, the Founders’ Arena also highlighted Bower’s core mission of entrepreneurship-first education with a multi-stage learning pathway irrespective of age or experience. At present, Bower offers entrepreneurship education in three verticals — Seed (for students in Grades 3-10), UG Program (full-time 3-year undergraduate program) and LEAD (working professionals transitioning to entrepreneurship). Bower is also building India’s most comprehensive pipeline to develop, mentor, and launch founders starting as early as school, assisting them in becoming IPO-ready ventures.