About the Challenge
Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Campus Fund today announced the sixth edition of Grand Challenge, a flagship nationwide initiative that continues to recognize and support India’s most innovative student-led startups. This edition is powered once again by 360 ONE and now features a dedicated onchain track sponsored by Base, the Ethereum layer 2 incubating at Coinbase.
Building on the momentum of previous editions, Grand Challenge 2025 invites student entrepreneurs from across the country to apply by September 15, 2025. The challenge is open to current students, recent graduates, and even dropouts (from 2022 onwards), across all sectors.
Since its inception in 2020, Grand Challenge has evolved into a movement, celebrating the entrepreneurial potential of India’s youth. Over the last five editions, 57 standout student-led startups have emerged as winners, with 23 ventures raising over $90 million (~₹750 Crores) in follow-on capital for reputed global investors.
The mission is clear – Empowering India’s Student Innovators and bringing them to fore. With a robust format that combines mentorship, national exposure, direct access to investors and Who’s Who of India Inc, Grand Challenge offers a unique platform for young founders to scale. This is also the first time Base has sponsored a dedicated onchain track of the Grand Challenge, which will reward teams with a prize pool of up to 10k USD.
Timelines
- Deadline for Applications – September 15, 2025
- Top 15 Startups Announced: November 2025
- Grand Finale: December 10, 2025 (Mumbai)
Eligibility
- Open to all sectors
- Current university students, recent graduates, and dropouts (2022 and after)
How to Register?
Interested candidates can register online via the link given at the end of the post.
Format & Journey
- Online Application
- Shortlisting & Elimination Rounds
- Mentorship with Industry Experts
- Grand Finale in Mumbai: Top 15 present live to the Grand Jury
Benefits & Support
- $10,000 in non dilutive grants for winners
- Up to ₹8 Crores (~USD 1M) in potential funding for winners
- Up to USD 25,000 in AWS Activate Credits
- Access to top tools: Notion, DocSend, ClickUp, Freshworks, WebFlow, Typeform
- Special mentorship to top startups building on chain by the Base India team
Click here to register.
