Ideabaaz has announced the launch of Ideabaaz Startup Fest 2026, a five-day startup ecosystem event that will be held from August 26 to 30, 2026, at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.
The festival is being built as a large meeting ground for founders, investors, mentors, ecosystem leaders, media representatives and visitors. More than 300 curated startups and over 150 Indian and global investors are expected to participate, making the event a major platform for startup discovery, funding conversations, mentorship and recognition.
At a time when many young founders continue to struggle with access to capital, investor networks and structured guidance, Ideabaaz is positioning the festival around a simple promise: “Idea Aapka. Paisa Humara.” The idea is to give entrepreneurs a space where they can present their ventures, receive mentorship, meet investors directly and build visibility beyond their immediate circles.
From TV Pitching to a Larger Startup Platform
Ideabaaz is building the festival after the first season of its startup-focused television property, which aired on Zee TV and streamed on Zee5. The 2026 edition expands that format into a wider ecosystem event with a startup exhibition, founder cohort programme, live pitches, awards, workshops and investor networking.
The centrepiece of the festival will be the Ideabaaz Cohort and Demo Day programme. Applications opened on June 1, 2026, after which 50 startups from across India will be selected for a six-week programme covering mentorship, investor-readiness training and business coaching.
From this cohort, the top 10 startups will pitch live on Demo Day before a room of more than 150 investors, including venture capital firms, family offices, angel investors, syndicates and celebrity investors.
Demo Day, Awards and OTT Visibility
The Demo Day is expected to be one of the most closely watched parts of the festival, with organisers planning to bring together founders, investors and well-known personalities on the same stage. The aim is not just to create a pitching room, but to offer participating startups a wider visibility push.
Both Ideabaaz Demo Day and the Startup Awards Grand Finale will be streamed on a prominent national OTT platform. This will allow participating founders to take their ideas to a larger audience beyond Bharat Mandapam.
The festival will also host 50 startup awards, recognising entrepreneurial excellence across innovation, impact, resilience and business growth.
Focus Areas Across Emerging Sectors
The event will include workshops, mentorship sessions and networking opportunities for startups working across sectors such as AI, fintech, climate tech, D2C, manufacturing, healthcare and other emerging industries.
By combining exhibition space, mentorship, investor access, awards and national visibility, Ideabaaz Startup Fest 2026 is trying to create a broader launchpad for founders who are ready to move from idea validation to serious growth conversations.
Founder’s Vision
Speaking about the launch, Jeet Wagh, Founder and CEO of Ideabaaz, said India’s startup ecosystem has grown tremendously, but many founders still face challenges in accessing the right mentorship, networks and capital.
“Ideabaaz Startup Fest 2026 is designed to bring entrepreneurs, investors, and ecosystem enablers together on a single platform to unlock meaningful growth opportunities,” Wagh said.
He added that the festival is more than an event and is being planned as the foundation of a long-term ecosystem that will support founders through dedicated programmes, strategic partnerships and year-round engagement initiatives.
For early-stage founders, visibility alone rarely solves the larger challenge of building investor confidence. A structured cohort, live pitching opportunity, sector-focused mentoring and access to investors can help sharpen both business models and funding conversations.
With its planned mix of startups, investors, awards, workshops and OTT distribution, Ideabaaz Startup Fest 2026 is aiming to become a high-visibility meeting point for India’s next generation of growth-focused ventures.
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