BusinessWire India

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], January 3: Campus Fund and Amazon Web Services (AWS), in collaboration with 360One, successfully concluded the 5th Edition of the Grand Challenge recently. This prestigious student entrepreneurship challenge has once again demonstrated the incredible potential of young innovators across the country.

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NCF Energy emerged as the Student Startup of the Year, showcasing a revolutionary solution in thermal energy technology. Their Nano Carbon Florets (NCF) technology promises to transform solar-to-thermal energy conversion, delivering an impressive 90% solar absorption and potentially reducing carbon emissions by up to 66%.

The runners-up, Poccet Labs from AIIMS Delhi and Kuberns from Vellore Institute of Technology, also presented remarkable innovations. Poccet Labs is developing a groundbreaking point-of-care testing device that can perform lab tests using just two drops of blood, while Kuberns offers an innovative Platform as a Service solution that promises zero-configuration cloud deployments.

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The 5th Edition of Grand Challenge received an impressive 1,012 applications from student entrepreneurs. The rigorous selection process involved four evaluation stages. 51 selected startups received one-one mentorship from industry experts.

The top 12 startups who competed at the Finale represent a remarkable breadth of innovation across multiple sectors:

1. Bakeland: A multi-chain blockchain gaming platform bridging crypto ecosystems2. Blue Brew: A direct-to-consumer denim brand targeting Indian and global markets3. Bob: A ride-hailing aggregator platform revolutionizing urban transportation in India4. Breer: A creative food upcycling startup brewing craft beer from surplus bread5. HyPrix: Advanced defense technology for supersonic and hypersonic aviation6. Kuberns: Cutting-edge DevOps automation platform7. MagicRoll: AI-powered content creation tool for video editing8. Mumbai Pav Co. (MPC): Transforming street food with standardized, hygienic quick-service restaurants9. NCF Energy: Sustainable thermal energy solutions10. Tesseract: Innovative gaming approach to molecular discovery11. Panoculon Labs: Developing smart glasses for the visually impaired12. Poccet Labs: Revolutionizing point-of-care medical testing

Grand Challenge continues to be a launchpad for student entrepreneurship. Notably, 23 out of the 57 startups from previous editions have collectively raised over INR 250 Crores, demonstrating the program's significant impact on nurturing young talent.

A distinguished jury of industry leaders as given below, brought their extensive expertise to evaluate and support the next generation of entrepreneurial talent.

1. Akarsh Hebbar (Director, Vedanta)2. Aditya Ghosh (Co-Founder, Akasa Air; Ex-President, IndiGo Airlines)3. Ashwni Kumar Tewari (MD & Board Member, State Bank of India)4. Bharat Shah (Co-Founder, HDFC Bank)5. Phanindra Sama (Co-Founder, redBus)6. Soumya Rajan (Founder & CEO, Waterfield Advisors)7. Ullas Kamath (Former Joint MD, Jyothy Labs)8. Vinita Bali (Former CEO, Britannia Industries)9. Yatin Shah (Co-Founder, 360One; Joint CEO, 360One Wealth)

Richa Bajpai, Founder & CEO of Campus Fund, said, "With a humble beginning in 2020, Grand Challenge has morphed into a national movement - providing a platform to young innovators with capital and confidence to build global businesses of the future from India for the World."

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