The Grand Finale of Leap To Unicorn Season 1 lives up to its promise of big funds

Season 1 of Leap To Unicorn began with a flood of applicants vying to be part of a startup growth program like no other, created by IDFC FIRST Bank, in association with CNBC-TV18 and Moneycontrol. It culminated in an exciting Grand Finale, hosted by Chandra R Srikanth, Editor – Technology, Startups & New Economy, Moneycontrol, where the Top 6 startups showcased their pathbreaking ideas and defied predictions of a funding winter to secure millions in funds from an elite jury of investors, including Siddarth Pai - Founding Partner, 3ONE4 Capital, Bhavik Vasa - Founder & CEO, GetVantage, Aakrit Vaish - Co-Founder & CEO, Haptik, Shanti Mohan – Co-founder & CEO, LetsVenture & trica and Dr. Apoorv Ranjan Sharma, Co-founder, Venture Catalysts & 9Unicorns.

The rules were simple. Each startup had to make a pitch to the jury and state their funding requirements. If a jury member chose to make a funding proposal, they hit the buzzer placed in front of them. The proposals were captured in a statement of intent, signed by the startup founders and concerned investors. First to present were Expertia AI, led by their dynamic co-founders, Kanishk Shukla and Akshay Gugnani. Their innovative use of technology to ease the process of hiring won them commitments of up to $3.25 million from Dr. Sharma, Bhavik Vasa and Siddharth Pai. Next up were Thoughtle, whose stated aim is to “make autonomous finance available to companies around the globe”. Aakrit Vaish offered the company upto $500,000, while Shanti Mohan promised an undisclosed amount out of her professional regard for Siddhartha Sharma, one half of Thoughtle’s founding team.

That wasn’t the only time a founder made a deep impression on the jury. Dr. Nusrat Sanghamitra captivated the jury with an impactful presentation on her startup, Cygenica, and its revolutionary drug delivery mechanism, GEENIE. Cygenica were duly rewarded with commitments of upto $3.5 million from Siddharth Pai and Dr. Sharma. Sandeep Sinha, Co-Founder of Arficus Private Ltd., stepped up to the plate too, weaving a compelling narrative around MEDHINI, the company’s trademark AI-powered SAMD (Software as a medical device). Arficus walked away with funding offers of upto $2.25 million from Dr. Sharma, Shanti Mohan and Bhavik Vasa.

The final two startups evoked new possibilities and exciting funding opportunities. Healthysure displayed a determination to grow the ranks of the insured through clever use of insurtech. Bhavik Vasa offered them $0.12 million in revenue-linked funding. The final startup was TechEagle, which operates a growing drone-based logistics network. Dr. Sharma appreciated founder Vikram Singh Meena’s clarity of vision, before offering the company upto $1 million. Shanti Mohan too expressed an interest in following Dr. Sharma’s lead and investing an undisclosed amount.

The funds flowed thick and fast at the Grand Finale of Leap To Unicorn Season 1, along with incisive questions and sharp insights from the jury members. The startup founders showed supreme mettle in answering all queries and doubts cast at them. They are destined to become perfect role models for the next generation of ambitious start up founders, when Leap To Unicorn returns for Season 2. Till then, we can enjoy the startup excellence on display all throughout Season 1, achieving a glorious apogee at the Grand Finale.

You can watch the Grand Finale here.  https://youtu.be/O4RXjzMZ2V4.

Moneycontrol journalists were not involved in the creation of the article.