The Hyderabad regional of UpStart, the national business-model competition E-Cell IIT Kanpur has been running for 11 years. It is not a 10-minute elevator-pitch stage: shortlisted founders go through two days of structured brainstorming and 1-on-1 sit-downs with a VC panel before the pitch morning, with on-spot funding on the table. The 2026 edition hosts the Hyderabad leg at T-Works, the Telangana government hardware prototyping centre. Prizes top 15 lakh across tracks, there is a dedicated cybersecurity track with C3iHub, IIT Kanpur, and regional finalists advance to the national grand finale in Kanpur in January. Applications close 14 October; screening 16 to 18 October.

  • pitch
  • demo_day
  • investors
  • deeptech
  • cybersecurity
  • india