SDG 9.3University spin-offs and start-ups
UPES gives students, alumni, school pupils and local innovators the support to turn ideas into ventures.
Impact
UPES helps students, alumni, school pupils and local innovators turn ideas into ventures.
- Thirty start-ups in Runway's fourth pre-incubation cohort pitched for grants, and six received microgrants.
- An aerospace engineering alumnus was named in Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2025.
- Since 2015, Project Vikalp's Rural Women Technology Park has helped village women make and market their own products.
- Runway Incubator. Mentoring, seed funding and networks for early-stage ventures. More than 250 start-ups have been incubated since Runway's launch in 2021, and UPES received a ₹5 crore grant under NIDHI i-TBI for an inclusive technology business incubator.Source: UPES Start-Up University
Related events
Workshop on IPR for MSMEs and start-ups
The IPR Cell and Runway, with FICCI, invited participants to the workshop “Fostering Innovation and Growth in MSMEs & Startups through IPR”.
Link: LinkedIn post
A September 2025 workshop on intellectual property for MSMEs and start-ups. - The Pitch. An investor showcase where early-stage ventures in renewable energy, health technology, education technology and deep-tech security pitch to a jury of academic leaders and investors; four start-ups won funding in 2025. On 3 June 2026 Runway took The Pitch 3.0 to Delhi, at Pearl Academy, where three AI-driven start-ups were selected for funding of up to ₹25 lakh each.Source: UPES fuels start-up dreams at The Pitch (GUS news)
Runway Incubator on LinkedIn: The Pitch 3.0, Delhi Chapter, 3 June 2026. - UHackathon. The School of Computer Science's 24-hour hackathon drew more than 1,200 participants in over 350 teams from India and abroad in 2023; KPMG India presented job opportunities, and a team from the University of Konstanz, Germany, won the international teams' award.Source: UPES announces winners of UHackathon 4.0 (Garhwal Post)
Related events
Hackathon 9.0: Build4Bharat
A 24-hour coding marathon on the theme “Tech for Community” at the UPES campus.
Link: LinkedIn post
UPES-CSI Hackathon 8.0
Teams worked on real-world problems with technology solutions and competed for prizes.
Link: LinkedIn post - Udbhav 2025. UPES hosted Level II of the Uttarakhand AI Mission's state hackathon, with innovators from more than 25 institutes presenting solutions in AI, generative AI, IoT, blockchain, extended reality and robotics.Source: Event report: Udbhav 2025 state hackathon
Related events
Udbhav 2025 state hackathon
UPES hosted Level II of the Uttarakhand AI Mission state hackathon, with innovators from more than 25 institutes presenting solutions in AI, generative AI, IoT, blockchain, XR and robotics.
Link: Event report
Udbhav 2025, the Uttarakhand AI Mission state hackathon hosted by UPES. - Pre-incubation grants. After mentoring, prototyping, company incorporation and pitch training, 30 start-ups in Runway's fourth pre-incubation cohort pitched for their first grant, and six received microgrants.Source: Event report: Pre-incubation cohort 4: microgrants for six start-ups
Related events
Pre-incubation cohort 4: microgrants for six start-ups
After mentoring, prototyping and pitch training, 30 start-ups pitched for their first grant and six received microgrants.
Link: Event report - Young Founder Summit 2025. Runway hosted school students from Chandigarh, Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh for three days of start-up workshops, elevator pitches, a marketing masterclass and a visit to UCOST.Source: Event report: Young Founder Summit 2025
Related events
Young Founder Summit 2025
School students from Chandigarh, Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh spent three days on start-up workshops, elevator pitches, a marketing session and a visit to UCOST, Dehradun.
Link: Event report - Alumni building industry. Aerospace engineering alumnus Prashanth Sharma (2017–21) was named in Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2025 in the Industry, Manufacturing and Energy category for his work on India's space ecosystem.Source: Event report: Alumnus named in Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2025
Related events
Alumnus named in Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2025
Prashanth Sharma, a B.Tech Aerospace Engineering graduate (2017–2021), was listed in the Industry, Manufacturing and Energy category for his work on the space ecosystem.
Link: Event report - Future Founders Challenge. A national entrepreneurship competition run by the School of Business and Runway for students in Classes 9 to 12, with mentoring, online workshops and prizes of up to ₹1 lakh.Source: Future Founders Challenge 2025 (The Tribune)
News report, 5 September 2025: UPES launches Future Founders Challenge 2025 to inspire young entrepreneurs across India. - Grassroots innovation. Since 2015, Project Vikalp's Rural Women Technology Park has helped women from nearby villages make recycled-paper products and ICT-assisted art and craft designs, grow medicinal and aromatic plants, and market what they produce.Source: Project Vikalp
This section covers the indicators on university spin-offs and support for start-ups and entrepreneurship.
Links and sources
- UPES Start-Up Universityhttps://www.upes.ac.in/start-up-university
- UPES fuels start-up dreams at The Pitch (GUS news)https://www.globaluniversitysystems.com/news/institutions/upes-fuels-startup-dreams-with-funding-boost-at-the-pitch
- UPES announces winners of UHackathon 4.0 (Garhwal Post)https://garhwalpost.in/upes-announces-winners-of-uhackathon-4-0/
- Future Founders Challenge 2025 (The Tribune)https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/business/upes-empowers-next-generation-of-innovators-with-future-founders-challenge-2025/
- Project Vikalphttps://www.upes.ac.in/social-impact/project-vikalp
- Event report: Udbhav 2025 state hackathonupes-sdg9-event-udbhav-2025-state-hackathon.html
- Event report: Pre-incubation cohort 4: microgrants for six start-upsupes-sdg9-event-pre-incubation-cohort-4-microgrants.html
- Event report: Young Founder Summit 2025upes-sdg9-event-young-founder-summit-2025.html
- Event report: Alumnus named in Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2025upes-sdg9-event-alumnus-in-forbes-30-under-30-asia-2025.html
Supporting documents
These documents support the evidence in this report.
- Solar energy and energy efficiency (PDF).
- Water treatment and reuse (PDF).
- AICWiC'25: ACM India Celebration of Women in Computing (PDF).
- Alumnus named in Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2025 (PDF).
- AWS Community Day Dehradun 2025 (PDF).
- Code Connect mentoring event (PDF).
- CXO Insights: digital transformation (PDF).
- Distinguished professors join HILL (PDF).
- DrishtiKone 2025: an industry perspective (PDF).
- Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers and Maritime SkillsPlus delegation (PDF).
- Masterclass on climate risk profiling (PDF).
- Pre-incubation cohort 4: microgrants for six start-ups (PDF).
- Udbhav 2025 state hackathon (PDF).
- University of Malta delegation on AI and health care (PDF).
- WAAI'25: Workshop on Advances in Automotive Industry (PDF).
- Workshop with London South Bank University experts (PDF).
- Young Founder Summit 2025 (PDF).