Become an Investable Founder in 5 Days:
Raise
30 Lakhs

5 Days In-Person Bootcamp
3 Months of 1:1 Mentorship
Koramangala, Bengaluru
25th Mar - 29th Mar, 2026

Benefits Of The Program

Raise Up to ₹30 Lakh in Seed Funding

This funding can come from private investments, debt funds, or even grants from SISFS or DST-Nidhi-iTBI (Subject to the terms of the funding source).

₹10 Lakhs worth of Tech Credits (AWS, Zoho, etc.)

Access technical credits from AWS, Notion, Zoho Suite, Webflow, providing the tools you need to build and scale your startup while minimizing initial expenses.

3 Months of 1:1 Mentorship with 50+ Domain Experts

Get personalized guidance tailored to your business stage, industry, and growth bottlenecks week after week.

Lifetime Access to 18startup Alumni Network

Learn from 500+ founders, access mentors beyond the program, and get exclusive templates, pitch decks, legal and financial tools.

Impact Created

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Startups Mentored

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Funded & Incubated

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Combined Valuation

Our Entrepreneurs Come From

Program Schedule

Day 1: Idea Validation for Venture Investment

Startup Fundamentals | Idea Validation | Peer Evaluation

Day 2: Cofounder Dynamics & Market Understanding

Team Building | Market Research | Consumer Behavior

Day 3: ICP Understanding & MVP Building  

Clarity on ICP (Ideal Customer Persona) | Building a Frugal MVP.

Day 4: Financial Projections & Pitch Preparation

Financial Projections | Story Telling | Pitch Deck Preparation

Day 5: The Demo Day

Pitch to the Investors & Incubator Panel | Get Feedback | Get Follow-on Support

After 5 Days: 1 :1 with Mentors (Virtually)

Work on Traction | Gain Insights & Feedback | Growth Strategies

We Back Traction

After 3 months of intensive support, all eligible startups will pitch at a virtual Demo Day in front of investors and Incubators. Startups stand a chance to receive up to ₹30 lakhs in funding, or get Incubated.

Selection decisions will be based on the traction founders build during the program.

No idea? Find the right team and identify a real problem to solve
Have an idea? Validate the problem and build a proof of concept
Have a POC? Develop an MVP and onboard real users
Have users? Convert them into paying customers and scale

Meet Your Mentor

Prakash is a seasoned finance professional with three decades of experience across banking, manufacturing, logistics, and technology. Prakash spent 30 years preparing, analyzing, and interpreting financial statements, he brings deep strategic insight into how businesses should understand and present their numbers.

He is a serial Entrepreneur and Angel investor, Prakash knows exactly what investors look for and how founders can use financial clarity to build confidence, attract funding, and make smarter decisions.

Know more:

Prakash B.
CEO - 18startup | Angel Investor

Who is this
Program for?

If you’re an early-stage startup founder who has taken the initiative to pursue your startup idea but feel stuck due to a lack of guidance and mentorship, then you are welcome to 18startup.

Note: The program fee is ₹34,999 (incl. GST) and is kicking off with a 5-day offline program on 25th Mar, 2026 in Bengaluru.

Listen To Our Community

Learn From Investors & Mentors

Founders hustled through the journey from ideation to funding and scaling, and who are now committed to supporting early-stage startup founders.

Ajay Rungta
Startup Mentor & Investor

A BITS Pilani alumnus and ex-founding engineer at Practo, he brings 15+ years of tech experience and now works as a startup advisor, investor, and mentor.

Prakash B.
CEO - 18startup

A finance professional with 20+ years of experience, having worked at NTC Logistics, ICICI Bank, Atlas Copco, and as a mentor with Wadhwani Foundation.

Rudrajeet Desai
CEO of VideoCX.io,

A serial entrepreneur with 25+ years of experience, having built multiple startups, raised 7 funding rounds, and authored the bestselling book "Breaking Out and Making Big."

Manoj Kumar
Hardware Startup Mentor

Ex-Caterpillar, an engineer and product mentor who helps hardware startups build frugal, market-ready products. He mentors through Atal Innovation Mission, T-Hub, AICs, UNIDO-FLCTD, and more.

Dharmesh Mehta
Founder: LMNX ventures

A serial entrepreneur, product designer, and angel investor with 15+ years of industry experience, he is actively supporting startups with strategic guidance, and early-stage investments.

Vivek Manoharan
CEO - 221B Biomedical

A Biomedical Scientist with a Ph.D. from NTU Singapore, he has founded multiple health-tech startups including Ferne Health (acquired), 221B Biomedical, and Bipolar Factory. while mentoring early stage startups.

Swatantra Verma
CEO - Gumbo Tech

An IITian, entrepreneur, and active angel investor who supports early-stage startups. With a background as a political strategist and a passion for growth, he is now building one of India’s largest community platforms.

Rishav Agarwal
CEO - Picxele

An active angel investor and mentor with 50+ startup investments (including Drinkprime, Zypp Electric, Jar, TrulyMadly), He has guided 100+ student-led startups through his Dhandho Fellowship.

Meet Our Alumni

Cumma
Cohort 10
Startup
Facilities
Spinacle
Cohort 6
AI
Infrastructure
Plug In
Cohort 9
Healthy
Foods
Fizmaa
Cohort 8
Event
Management
Poste It
Cohort 8
Social Media
Tool
Avatron
Cohort 3
Smart Home
Appliances
Redstring
Cohort 1
Startup
Hiring
Meet Goals
Cohort 3
Mental
Wellness
Azoodo
Cohort 8
Agriculture
Tech
Hasol Energy
Cohort 3
Renewable
Energy
Zoovit
Cohort 3
Girting &
Crafts
Creatiz
Cohort 3
AI Content
Writing
Founderly
Cohort 1
Startup
Education

Our Partners & Collaborators

Join the Program in 3 Easy Steps

Register Your Spot

Submit the form. Our team will review your application and assess your compatibility with the program, and we’ll get back to you within one week.

1:1 Evaluation Call

This is an interaction with our mentor, where we evaluate your overall compatibility with the program and the potential value you can gain from it.

If Selected, Confirm & Join the Program

If selected & aligned, pay the fee to officially secure your seat in Cohort 19 and be part of the 18startup community.

FAQs

Apply here
Apply Now