Bengaluru, India – As the Indian startup ecosystem continues to mature, the 11th edition of The Economic Times Startup Awards shines a spotlight on a new wave of entrepreneurial energy emerging directly from university campuses. The Best on Campus category celebrates student-founded ventures that are not only ambitious in vision but have also demonstrated tangible market validation, investor confidence, and real-world impact.
Among this year’s finalists is Bidaal Technology, founded in 2020 by Rishi Kant Rajpoot and Kalash Nibjiya in Noida. With backing from Arali Ventures, Campus Fund, and TEXMiN, Bidaal is bringing AIOT-driven digital monitoring systems to heavy industries, bridging the gap between operational safety and data intelligence.
Another standout is Nawgati Tech, a fueltech innovator founded in 2019 by Vaibhav Kaushik, Aryan Sisodia, and Aalaap Nair. Supported by GAIL and MeitY Startup Hub, Nawgati is tackling India’s fuelling challenges through compliance automation and congestion monitoring, delivering smoother experiences for providers and consumers alike.
In the biotech frontier, ISMO Biophotonics is pushing scientific boundaries with its organ-on-chip platforms, AI-based drug analytics, and proprietary biosensors. Founded in 2020 by Ikram Khan and Prof. Shantanu Pradhan at IIT Madras Research Park, the company collaborates with global pharma firms, IVF clinics, and research institutions to accelerate clinical trials and personalise treatments.
The consumer-tech landscape is represented by Stimuler, a Bengaluru-based B2C platform founded in 2022 by a group of IIT and IIIT graduates. With AI-driven tools that help users enhance their speaking skills, Stimuler has already amassed five million users across 200 countries, showcasing the global appetite for personal development solutions.
Lastly, Try My Style (Virtstyle Technologies), launched in 2022 by BITS Pilani alumni Dhruv Gupta, Amarpal Singh, and Yuvraj Singh Sekhon, is revolutionising the beauty-tech space. Through its patented Smart Mirrors powered by Gen-AI and computer vision, the startup is turning traditional fashion retail into immersive digital experiences.
The Best on Campus nominees collectively embody the next generation of innovation — blending technology, creativity, and market foresight. As the awards approach, these ventures stand as powerful reminders that transformative ideas often begin within the walls of a classroom, before reshaping industries on a global scale.
