April 18th, 2016

-Nukkadshops emerge as the winner of the intense battle

-Startup entrepreneurs engaged in a one-on-one pitch battle inside a boxing ring

-Event co-hosted by DHI Labs at the Impact Chapter: Startup Challenge event

-NASSCOM 10K startup program is the official partner for Get in the Ring Foundation(GITR) in India

Select Indian startup entrepreneurs got into a one-on-one pitch battle inside a boxing ring as a part of the Indian chapter of a global startup competition, ‘Get in the Ring’ hosted by National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM). The international event which is targeted at innovative startups in India and abroad was co-hosted by DHI Labs, a German based Start-up Incubator venture at Impact Chapter: Startup Challenge in Hyderabad. After sweating it out in an enthralling and captivating performance in the ring, Nukkadshops has qualified to represent India at the Finals of the Get In the Ring; a unique startup pitching model mimicking a boxing match which assesses the potential of a startup in quick five 30-second back to back duels between two competitors standing in a ring.

The unique challenge saw participation from 32 startup which included both Indian and International ones. This was internationally the Kickoff event of the new GITR season.

Mr. Rajat Tandon, Vice President, NASSCOM 10 K start-up program, said “Platform like GITR is ideal for young entrepreneurs who are looking at getting an extended exposure to the startup community of other countries. It gives the startups visibility internationally which is useful for market access. Initiative like GITR will not only support current startups in India by facilitating them in scaling up their operations, but will also encourages more people to join the league”.

NASSCOM 10,000 startups program organized the first GITR challenge on the sidelines of the NASSCOM Product Conclave last year becoming the official partners for the Get in The Ring Foundation in India. GITR is a non-profit organization that helps startups avail existing opportunities, including capital requirement, expertise and talent acquisition. It has been hosted in more than 80 countries so far, providing startups an effective chance to connect with mentors, investors and corporates.

Vivek Shukla, Founder at Nukkadshops commented, “We are very excited to win GITR, it was an amazing experience for us. Winning GITR will help Nukkad Shops in generating more exposure at a global platform towards the good work we have been doing for local retailer community. We are thankful to Nasscom 10000 startups for providing us this platform.”

To capitalize on the local talent and expand the outreach of these startups, NASSCOM 10k provided an opportunity to start-ups to participate in a pitch battle where two start-ups were pitted against each other. During the investment battle, two startups pitched at the same time in a five round verbal sparring in front of a full-house audience. During five brief rounds they presented their startup to a jury of champion investors, and an audience of potential investors and fans, in a competition that will result in a potential investment for the winner.

The reward for the winner includes a flight ticket to the international finals, credits from Amazon, Cameras and credits from Microsoft and funding pitch with Indian Angel Network for the semifinalists.

The event was held at Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC), HICC Complex , Near HITECH City, Hyderabad, Telangana. Between 2012 and 2014, the concept of Get In The Ring spread rapidly around the world. After three editions, Get in the Ring was organized in 64 countries and saw participation from more than 3,000 startups.

About NASSCOM 10,000 Startups

10,000 Start-ups is an ambitious attempt by NASSCOM to scale up the start-up ecosystem in India by 10x. 10,000 Start-ups aims to enable incubation, funding and support for 10,000 technology start-ups in India over the next ten years. The program’s vision is to foster entrepreneurship, build entrepreneurial capabilities at scale and strengthen early stage support for tech start-ups. The initiative brings together key stakeholders of the ecosystem including start-up incubators, accelerators, angel investors, venture capitalists, start-up support groups, mentors, and technology corporations. Since its launch in April 2013, we’ve done about 600 events in 25 cities of the country which were attended by a whopping 30,000 attendees and received 11,000 Applicants, 1100 Start-ups Shortlists, and 150 Impacts. The program is supported by Google for Entrepreneurs, Microsoft Ventures, Kotak, Amazon Web Services and IBM.