India’s own ‘Shark Tank’ with $1-million funding launched

Aspiring entrepreneurs from across the country can now pitch their business models to a panel of investors and persuade them to invest money in their idea at $1-million funded ‘Campus Tank’, the first-of-its-type university-led platform launched here on Monday.

The initiative will work on the lines of ‘Shark Tank’, an American business reality television series.

To empower next generation of startup founders, Apna, an Indian Unicorn, which serves as networking platform and Venture Catalysts (VCats), India’s leading early-stage investment firm and the country’s first integrated incubator, in collaboration with Chandigarh University, launched ‘Campus Tank’. It is India’s first university-led startup launch-pad for young innovators to pitch their ideas and get funding to launch their start-ups along with expert venture guidance, strategic ecosystem alliances and immersive startup incubation.

The portal for ‘Campus Tank’ (https://apna.co/contests/campus-tank-2025) was launched in the presence of Rajya Sabha MP and Chandigarh University Chancellor Satnam Singh Sandhu, Apna’s Chief Operating Officer Karna Choksi, Vice-President Dr Preet Deep Singh, founding member and managing partner at Venture Catalysts Rishabh Golchha.

By registering for ‘Campus Tank’ till August 14, the founders and co-founders under the age of 30 will compete for investment from a pledged fund of $1 million to grow their start-ups.

While the selected start-ups will get the opportunity to present their ideas before top investors from Venture Catalysts on demo day to be held at Chandigarh University, selected teams will also get incubation support from Cube Founders Space to learn from founders and experts through training and master classes.

Sandhu said by supporting start-ups in their growth journey, the initiative encourages innovation and design by empowering the next generation of entrepreneurs in line with the ‘Startup India’ initiative launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2016.

“India has firmly established itself as the third-largest start-up ecosystem in the world with over 1.76 lakh start-ups in the last decade as compared to 500 in 2016 and 118 unicorns with $1 billion valuation. As instead of job seekers, India’s youth are now becoming job providers, over 18 lakh direct jobs have been created by start-ups in the last decade with smaller cities contributing over 51% of these start-ups,” he said, while sharing that through ‘Campus Tank, the aim is to play a role in nurturing this growth and empowering the next generation of entrepreneurs.

Dr Preet Deep Singh said, “With ‘Campus Tank’, we are launching a powerful stage for India’s youngest and brightest entrepreneurs. This is where ideas from college dorms, canteens and jamming sessions get the chance to be seen, heard and funded.”

He said each startup creates direct employment for 11 people on an average and four times more of it indirectly.

Rishabh Golchha said, “This platform is for young founders under 30 who are solving real problems with bold ideas. With up to $1 million in pledged investment pool on the table, we are bringing capital, mentorship and access to help them scale. Some may be students, others recent grads, or early professionals.”