IdeabaazSTARTUP FEST 2026
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Season 2 loading Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi

India’s founder-firststartup festival.

Five days where the pitch, the capital, the floor and the cameras are in the same building. 26–30 August 2026.

50 startup cohort 150+ investors Live on OTT & YouTube
Book your stall Investor Pass — early bird
Doors open in
500+Startups
5Days
150,000+Attendees
150+Investors
The bigger story

You already know Ideabaaz. Now experience it live.

Season 1 ran on Zee TV and Zee5 with 86 startups, ₹41 crore in deals and ₹8.5 crore on a single cheque. Startup Fest 2026 is the moment the show comes off the screen and into the room.

Chapter 1

The Show

Aired on Zee TV and Zee5. 86 startups. ₹41 crore in deals.

Season 1 — aired
Chapter 2

The Fest

Five days at Bharat Mandapam. 150+ investors. Live pitches, stalls, awards and media.

Aug 26–30, 2026 — open
Chapter 3

The Show Returns

Bigger stage. Bigger panel. Bigger cheques. Bharat watches again.

Season 2 — announced
Five days

The programme.

Inauguration & Ecosystem Day

Full schedule, all halls Build your own schedule in the app
Ideabaaz cohort 2026

Pitch where capital, media and opportunity meet.

Fifty startups are selected. The top ten pitch live on Demo Day at Bharat Mandapam in front of 150+ Indian and global investors, streamed on OTT and YouTube. Ideabaaz commits ₹25 Lakhs to the Top 10.

How the cohort works 2026 applications closed
50
STARTUPS SELECTED
10
PITCH LIVE ON STAGE
₹25L
IDEABAAZ COMMITMENT
4 wk
MENTORSHIP RUN-UP
Ecosystem

The people writing the cheques.

Investors confirmed on the Ideabaaz panel across the show and the fest.

Exhibition floor

Your stall. Your visibility.

Nine sizes from a 1 × 1 M pod to the 10 × 5 M flagship. Every booking includes listing, five-day floor access, workshops and the founder community.

Reserve a stall
Supported by

Academia, capital markets and broadcast.

Idea Buddy

Ask the fest anything. Get the published answer, not a guess.

Idea Buddy answers in English and Hindi from Ideabaaz’s own published information. It has no open-ended model behind it, so it cannot invent a price or a date. When it does not know, it says so and logs the question for the team.

ScopedAnswers only from Ideabaaz content
EN / हिन्दीNative-language switch
OfflineWorks without a connection
Human-approvedNew answers published by an operator
Questions

Before you book.

Who can participate in Ideabaaz Startup Fest 2026?
Startups, SMEs, enterprises, service providers, colleges, incubators, banks, government bodies, FMCG brands and corporates. All sectors, any stage, any city in India.
What is included in every stall booking?
Five-day branded stall space, exhibition floor access, a platform profile, workshop access, priority exhibitor listing and founder community access.
Can early-stage startups book a stall?
Yes. The fest is built for every stage, from idea to scale. Early-stage founders are encouraged to take a pod or a booth.
Will investors actually attend?
150+ investors are expected across the five days, including VCs, angels and family offices. Day 3 is a dedicated investor connect and Day 5 carries the investor jury on Demo Day.
How do investors participate?
Through the Investor Pass at ₹10,000 + GST on early bird, down from ₹20,000. It covers curated deal flow, scheduled 1:1 founder meetings, Demo Day floor access and the lounges.
Are cohort applications still open?
Applications for the 2026 cohort are closed. Stall bookings, award nominations and Investor Passes remain open.
Will startups receive media visibility?
Yes. The fest is broadcast on national television and streamed on OTT and YouTube, with coverage reaching viewers across eight regional languages.

More questions? Write to support@ideabaaz.co.in.

Install the fest app