ThinkForBharat 1.0 Ideathon — ₹15,000 Prize Pool for Indian Students — Frequently Asked Questions

It is a national, online Open Innovation Ideathon run by Code Capital & Coffee. Students from colleges and universities across India are invited to propose innovative, scalable answers to real-world challenges. What sets it apart from a typical hackathon is that judging focuses on how well the problem is identified and how strong the idea is on innovation, validation, feasibility, impact and business potential — not on whether you have built a finished product.

The cash prizes are ₹8,000 for first place, ₹5,000 for second place and ₹2,000 for third place, which adds up to a prize pool of up to ₹15,000. In addition, the top 20 teams receive a .xyz domain, and winners are offered internship opportunities.

Registration closes on 14 July 2026. The Grand Finale takes place the very next day, on 15 July 2026, so the timeline is tight once registrations shut.

Any student enrolled at a college or university in India can take part. You may enter individually or in a team of 1 to 4 members, and mixed teams from different colleges or different disciplines are allowed. No prior startup experience and no technical background are required.

No working product is necessary. Your main submission is a 10–12 slide pitch deck in PDF format covering the problem statement, target audience, market validation, existing solutions and gap analysis, proposed solution, innovation and technology, business model, feasibility and implementation plan, expected impact, and future roadmap. A prototype, MVP, Figma design, website, demo video or supporting documents are welcome as optional additions, and AI tools, no-code platforms and design software may all be used.

Yes. You are free to choose any domain — Artificial Intelligence, Healthcare, Climate & Sustainability, EdTech, FinTech, Cybersecurity, Agriculture, Consumer Technology, Future of Work, Social Impact, or Governance and CivicTech. There is also a special Smart India Track for teams focused on Governance, Smart Cities, Rural Development, Public Services, Education, Transportation, Agriculture, Digital India, Infrastructure, Disaster Management and National Development.

An expert panel scores submissions on a fixed weightage: Problem Importance 20%, Innovation & Originality 20%, Feasibility & Execution 15%, Market Validation & User Research 15%, Business Potential & Scalability 15%, Business Model 10%, and Presentation & Pitch Quality 5%.

Each team is allowed only one submission, so pick your strongest concept and develop it thoroughly. All ideas must be original — any entry found to be plagiarised will be disqualified.

No. ThinkForBharat 1.0 is an ideathon, not an investment or accelerator deal. The rewards are cash prizes, a .xyz domain for the top 20 teams and internships for winners, and you keep full ownership of your idea.

Applications go through the official Unstop listing for ThinkForBharat 1.0. Register individually or as a team on that page before the registration deadline of 14 July 2026.

No. DPIIT (Startup India) recognition is not listed as a mandatory requirement for ThinkForBharat 1.0 Ideathon — ₹15,000 Prize Pool for Indian Students, though having it can strengthen your application and unlock other benefits.