§1What this business is
A digital platform that runs the full life of an innovation event — registration, team formation, submissions, judging, awards, mentoring and links to incubation. It serves students, developers, schools, colleges, startups and corporate sponsors, and maps each idea on the Technology Readiness Level (TRL 1–9) scale at entry and exit.
Capacity: Stabilised revenue ₹3.60 crore a year: event hosting ₹1.80 crore, subscriptions ₹90 L, sponsorships ₹60 L, premium services ₹30 L.
§2Is it right for you?
Who it is for
Someone from the startup, incubation or academic ecosystem with tech skills.
Who it is not for
Someone without contacts in colleges or industry.
Advantages
- Colleges, governments and companies run many such events
- Institutional subscriptions give repeat income
- Sponsors pay for visibility
- Fits national innovation and NEP 2020 goals
Drawbacks
- Several established event platforms already exist
- Sales cycles with institutions are slow
- Event peaks are seasonal (academic calendar)
- Needs strong tech to handle big events
Skills you need
- Event design and management
- Platform development
- Institutional and sponsor sales
- Mentor and judge networks
Why difficulty 3/5: Moderate technology; the challenge is winning institutions and sponsors.
§3Market
Who buys
- Colleges, universities and schools
- Companies seeking talent and solutions
- Government departments and incubators
- Students and early-stage founders (participants)
How it sells
- Institutional subscriptions
- Corporate sponsorships
- Online outreach to student communities
Good to know
- The profile links the platform to NEP 2020, startup incubation and industry problem-solving.
§4Raw material & machinery
| Item | Qty | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Platform development | 1 | ₹40,00,000 |
| IT infrastructure | 1 lot | ₹10,00,000 |
| Office setup | 1 | ₹8,00,000 |
- Cloud hosting and event software services
- Prizes, certificates and event float₹8 L event float in working capital
§5Licences & registration
- Udyam registration
- GST registration
- IT Act compliance and data-protection policy
- Terms protecting participants' intellectual property
- Trademark for the brand
§6Schemes & subsidies
- MudraCentralActiveLoan up to ₹20 lakh, no collateral
- CGTMSECentralActiveNo collateral, up to ₹10 crore
- Stand-Up IndiaCentralClosed₹10 lakh – ₹1 crore loan
MUDRA (up to ₹20 L) and CGTMSE can fund part of the ₹1 crore; Stand-Up India for eligible founders.
§7Money
How the investment is worked out: Fixed capital ₹70 L (platform development ₹40 L, IT infrastructure ₹10 L, office ₹8 L, branding and launch ₹7 L, pre-operative ₹5 L) + working capital ₹30 L (marketing ₹12 L, operations ₹10 L, event float ₹8 L) = ₹1.00 crore.
Working capital: ₹30 L — marketing and outreach ₹12 L, operating expenses ₹10 L and an event float of ₹8 L.
Year not printed on the DUY profile. The figures are the profile's own indicative estimates — check current costs before you plan.
§8Export potential
A digital platform business; it has no goods of its own to export.
§9Risks — where people fail
- Platform outage during a live event
- Disputes over participants' intellectual property
- Dependence on a few sponsors
- Low repeat use
§1030 / 60 / 90-day plan
A general plan that applies to any business. A plan for this business will be added after research.
- Days 1–30: Visit a working online platform for hackathons and startup competitions unit, ask 10 buyers about price and quantity, and get quotations from 3 suppliers.
- Days 31–60: Udyam and the licences you need (Udyam registration, GST registration), a project report (DPR), and the scheme or loan file.
- Days 61–90: Space and machines, trial production, and first deliveries to 10 customers.
§11Who to connect with
Associations, clusters and training institutes — the directory is being built. Connect
§12Watch
There is no episode on this business yet. Shows are coming soon on the Podcast page.
Want to start Online Platform for Hackathons and Startup Competitions?
DPR, loan file or registration — ask us on WhatsApp.
¶Sources
Data review: 6 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Report it. For information only — not legal or financial advice.