Leap To Unicorn with IDFC FIRST Bank

The Indian Startup ecosystem is basking in a golden period. Many entrepreneurs are swiftly innovating and building in India for the world, thus partaking in the flourishing India growth story. Therefore, it becomes more pertinent that they have the right resources and opportunities at the right time to take the big leap and thrive.

With this intent, IDFC FIRST Bank has joined hands with Moneycontrol and CNBCTV18 to create ‘Leap To Unicorn’, a one-of-its-kind Founder Success Program that provides mentoring, networking, and fundraising opportunities for India’s most promising startups through a meticulously planned journey.

Apply NOW for Season 2 and give wings to your entrepreneurial dreams.

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Season 1 WINNERS

Cygenica’s Dr. Nusrat Sanghamitra (Cofounder & CEO) and Dr. Fazlul H Krishnan (Cofounder & Director Operations) with investors Siddarth Pai and Dr. Apoorv Ranjan Sharma
Expertia AI’s Kanishk Shukla (CEO & Co-Founder) and Akshay Gugnani (CTO & Co-Founder) with investors Bhavik Vasa, Dr. Apoorv Ranjan Sharma, Shanti Mohan and Siddarth Pai
Thoughtle Technologies’ Vinothkumar Srinivasan (Co-founder) and Siddhartha Sharma (Co-founder) with investors Aakrit Vaish and Shanti Mohan
Arficus’s Sandeep Sinha (Co-Founder & CEO) and Anurag Jain (Co-Founder & COO) with investors Shanti Mohan, Bhavik Vasa and Dr. Apoorv Ranjan Sharma
Healthysure’s Anuj Parekh (Co-founder & CEO) and Sanil Basutkar (Co-founder & Product Head) with investor Bhavik Vasa
Techeagle’s Vikram Singh Meena (Founder & CEO) with investors Dr. Apoorv Ranjan Sharma and Shanti Mohan

Ashwin Damera

CEO & Co-founder, Emeritus and Eruditus

Nikhil Kamath

Co-founder, Zerodha

Sabeer Bhatia

Co-founder, Showreel

Anand Chari

Deputy GM - SME & Startups Business Development), BSE

Shivangi Jain

Head - Corporate & Global Partnerships, Startup India

Sajith Pai

Director, Blume Venture

Anthony Anish

CDO, T-Hub

Amit Singh

Founder & CEO, Wow Labz

Vinayak Hegde

CTO, Microsoft For Startups

Arpit Agarwal

Director, Blume Ventures

Mohit Bansal

Founder, Deck Rooster

Mabel Chacko

COO & Co-Founder, Open Fintech

Arjun Vaidya

Partner, Verlinvest

Deepesh Agarwal

Co-Founder & CEO, MoveInSync

Chetan Bhatia

Founder, Honest Create

Gautham Sivaramakrishnan

Lead | Platforms - Market, Blume Ventures

Sanjay Mehta

Founder & Partner, 100X.VC

Akshay Verma

Co-founder, Fitpass

Akash Gehani

Co-Founder, Instamojo

Hemendra Mathur

Co-Founder, ThinkAg

LS Ravi

Director, Finvisage Treasury Solutions

Ashish Kumar Singh

CHRO, Meesho

Anand Bathiya

Partner, Bathiya & Associates

Tejas Desai

Partner - Tax & Regulatory Services, EY

Photo Gallery

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The Latest

Young Turks - Leap To Unicorn

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

The Grand Finale of Leap To Unicorn Season 1 saw India’s best startups take a big leap towards fulfilling their potential, armed with the funding and endorsements from an elite jury of investors.

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Leap To Unicorn Grand Finale

Watch now

Say Hello to the Top 20 Startups of Leap To Unicorn

The top 20 startups selected as part of the Leap To Unicorn program bear testament to the ingenuity and skill of India’s entrepreneurs.

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Jury

Bhavik Vasa
Founder & CEO, GetVantage
Has 14+ years of global experience across FinTech, E-Commerce, Digital Payments, and Mobile technologies. His platform "GetVantage" has funded over 500+ start-ups. He also mentors and serves on the boards of several leading startups, including BnT Fintech, Vested Finance, Blue Tokai, and LivingFood Company.

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Siddarth Pai
Founding Partner, 3one4 Capital
Helped close over 120+ funding rounds and investments into 35+ different funds across private equity and public markets. He is an Expert Council Member at iSpirt, IVAC youngest executive council member and was named in Forbes India's list of "Tycoons of Tomorrow" in 2021.

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Shanti Mohan
Co-founder & CEO, LetsVenture & trica
A serial entrepreneur and angel investor who has funded and mentored multiple startups through her various companies and venture funds. She is also a member of the Karnataka Digital Economy Mission's (KDEM) Advisory Council and is passionate about assisting entrepreneurs in finding the right opportunities.

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Aakrit Vaish
Co-Founder & CEO, Haptik
Invested in over 80 startups in India, the US, and Southeast Asia, including notable names like Unacademy and Pepper Content and Building Haptik, which was later acquired by Reliance. Aakrit has a strong foothold in the Indian tech space.

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Dr. Apoorv Ranjan Sharma
Co-founder, Venture Catalysts & 9Unicorns
His company has invested in 207+ startups, built an ecosystem of 5500+ Angel Investors across 40+ cities in India and 5 regions globally. He actively contributes towards startup ecosystem growth in India along with various Central Government initiatives.

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BOOTCAMP

PHASE 1

Orientation & Fundamentals Of Starting Up

PHASE 2

Building what people want

PHASE 3

Customer Acquisition & Expansion

PHASE 4

Building a Culture & Team

PHASE 5

Fundraising

Articles

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

Say Hello to the Top 20 Startups of Leap To Unicorn

Inside the Bootcamp Sessions that are Prepping India’s Startups for Funding Success

Take a look at the ‘Journey Beyond Unicorn’ with Nikhil Kamath

Can Leap To Unicorn help India’s best startups find their mark? We’re about to find out!

A Look at the Unique Vision and Idea that Powers Punt Partners’ Success

Subscribe to a New Way of Doing Business with Fleek

IDFC FIRST Bank: Unlocking Foreign Investment for Indian Startups

Taking Care of Business, with API Banking by IDFC FIRST Bank

The Big Lessons Startups Can Learn from the Success of BuymyEV

Charting the Rise of Health Tech in India with HealthismPlus

Explore What the Future of Indian Startup Ecosystem Means for the Country

7 trends creating unicorn opportunities in India

Grip Investments Shows the Power of an Idea Lies in its Execution

Startup Finance 101: When should you approach banks?

Finding The Right Investors For Your Startup

Discover the Spark Behind One of India’s Most Promising Start-ups

Celebrating a New Dawn for Women Entrepreneurship in India

India's Startups Prepare To Take Wing

FIRST Wings: Banking to Help Startups Scale New Heights

Young Turks - Leap To Unicorn

Leap To Unicorn Grand Finale

Startup Stories: OmniCard

How to Manage your Cap Table

Meet the Jury: Aakrit Vaish, Co-Founder & CEO, haptik

Meet the Jury: Bhavik Vasa, Founder, GetVantage

NASSCOM CoE Partners with Leap to Unicorn

Meet the Jury: Siddharth Pai, Founder, 3one4 Capital

A Fertile ecosystem for Startups - India

Startup Stories: NeoDocs

Startup Stories: BatX Energies

Investor’s Insights : Masterclass by Sanjay Mehta, Founder & Partner, 100X.VC

Startup Stories: CancerMitr (Women’s Entrepreneurship Day Special)

Giving Wings To Startups

Startup Stories: Metalbook

Startup Stories: LogiPe Fintech Private Limited

A VISION THAT INSPIRES

From founding one of India’s first unicorns to becoming an icon of meritorious achievement, the journey of V Vaidyanathan, MD & CEO, IDFC FIRST Bank, illustrates the power of belief and selflessness. Listen to the legend himself talk about the core values that have helped him rise above challenges and his passion to support other startups in their journey.

Helping You Grow

IDFC FIRST Bank is committed to supporting and strengthening the Indian Startup ecosystem and is invested in creating a platform for startups that promotes sustained growth. Under the FIRST Wings startup banking programme, we offer a suite of customized offerings including bespoke products and solutions for startups, founders, and investors.Visit here

Solution Stack

First startup current account
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Business first
mobile app
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Startup credit
card
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Working capital solutions
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Trade & FX
solutions
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Cash management solutions
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Founders success program
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Beyond banking support
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Employee
solutions
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About TiE Hyderabad

TiE Hyderabad, is a not-for-profit organization, and a vibrant platform for entrepreneurs, professionals, industry leaders, investors to interact with one another & forge long-lasting relationships. With a focus of giving back to the community, TiE Hyderabad focuses on generating and nurturing the next generation of entrepreneurs, with its five foundational programs, – Mentoring, Networking, Education, Funding, and Incubation. TiE Hyderabad devoted to entrepreneurs in all industries, at all stages, from incubation, throughout the entrepreneurial lifecycle.
Visit Here: https://hyderabad.tie.org/

Season 1 WINNERS

Mentors : Season 1

Ashwin Damera

Nikhil Kamath

Sabeer Bhatia

Anand Chari

Shivangi Jain

Sajith Pai

Anthony Anish

Amit Singh

Vinayak Hegde

Arpit Agarwal

Mohit Bansal

Mabel Chacko

Arjun Vaidya

Deepesh Agarwal

Chetan Bhatia

Gautham Sivaramakrishnan

Sanjay Mehta

Akshay Verma

Akash Gehani

Hemendra Mathur

LS Ravi

Ashish Kumar Singh

Anand Bathiya

Tejas Desai

Photo Gallery

The Latest

Young Turks - Leap To Unicorn

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

Leap To Unicorn Grand Finale

Say Hello to the Top 20 Startups of Leap To Unicorn

Prashanth Prakash

Jury

Bhavik Vasa

Siddarth Pai

Shanti Mohan

Aakrit Vaish

Dr. Apoorv Ranjan Sharma

BOOTCAMP

Orientation & Fundamentals Of Starting Up

Building what people want

Customer Acquisition & Expansion

Building a Culture & Team

Fundraising

Articles

Videos

A VISION THAT INSPIRES

Helping You Grow

Solution Stack

About TiE Hyderabad

Partners

Ecosystem Partners

Investment Partners

State Startup Cells