Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS), Pilani has announced Conquest 2015 — a start-up conclave that celebrates the spirit of entrepreneurship. Any idea-stage start-up or a start-up registered with the Companies Act after January 1, 2013 can participate in the event. The registration for participation began on April 1 and will close on May 15.
BITS Pilani has joined hands with Applyifi this year to ensure a uniform selection process and comprehensive evaluation of the applicants. The top 50 shortlisted contestants will be announced online in June, followed by mentoring sessions in various cities. The final session will be held in New Delhi on September 6.
The contest will offer incubation opportunities, IP filing, expert mentoring and networking sessions with industry experts, angel investors and leading venture capitalists. This year Conquest, sponsored by DCB Bank, will focus on Tier-II and Tier-III cities, where the next start-up revolution is expected to originate from. The contest has over a million dollars worth of cash prizes, services and networking opportunities for the participants.
Last year, the BITS Pilani conclave had offered ₹3 lakh in equity-less seed money and over $1 million worth of services, licences and incubation opportunities. The resource pool for the finalists of Conquest 2015 (cloud computing credits, accounting, sales, marketing, PR) has crossed ₹2 crore.