From 2,500 applicants to the Top 10 Innovations of India, with every key VC, judge, and founder we met at Viksit Bharat Conclave Nagpur.
Nilansh Gupta
Founder & CEO at Nimit AI
Nilansh Gupta and Archit Dhir on stage at Innopreneurs Season 12, Viksit Bharat Conclave Nagpur.
“Innopreneurs Season 12 had a 0.4% selection rate: 2,500 applications narrowed to 1,200, then 500, then 100, then 25, then 10. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari wrote a letter appreciating the cohort, and Maharashtra Education Minister Pankaj Bhoyar facilitated all 10 finalists on stage. We met 24+ investors, including Ind44 Capital, Enrisson India Capital, and Fluid Ventures, and pitched a live AI demo to 400+ people and a panel of 5 judges.”
Innopreneurs Season 12 is the twelfth edition of India's national innovation programme by Lemon Ideas, founded by Deepak Menaria in Nagpur. From 2,500 applications, only 10 were named the Top 10 Innovations of India and presented at the Viksit Bharat Conclave at RTMNU Nagpur on April 10-11, 2026. Nimitai was one of those 10, facilitated on stage by Maharashtra Education Minister Pankaj Bhoyar.
Innopreneurs is a national innovation programme organised by Lemon Ideas, a Nagpur-based entrepreneurship organisation founded by Deepak Menaria. Now in its 12th season, it evaluates early-stage startups from across India through a multi-stage selection process and names 10 as the Top 10 Innovations of India.
Season 12 culminated in the Viksit Bharat Conclave at Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University (RTMNU) on April 10-11, 2026, organised with VED Council (Vidarbha Economic Development Council). Union Minister Nitin Gadkari wrote an appreciation letter, and Maharashtra Education Minister Pankaj Bhoyar personally facilitated all finalists on stage. The event is part of the broader Viksit Bharat 2047 initiative by the Government of India.
| Number | What it stands for |
|---|---|
| 2,500 | Applications |
| 10 | Top Innovations |
| 37 | People documented in this post |
| 24+ | Investors met |
The programme cut the field in six stages. Selection rate: 0.4%, fewer than 1 in 250 applicants.
| Stage | Startups | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2,500 | Applications from startups across India |
| 2 | 1,200 | Shortlisted after initial screening |
| 3 | 500 | Best picks for deeper evaluation |
| 4 | 100 | Semi-finalists |
| 5 | 25 | Finalists invited to Nagpur |
| 6 | 10 | Top 10 Innovations of India |
We had been building Nimitai quietly for most of 2025, analysing hundreds of B2B sales calls and interviewing founders about where deals broke down. When the Innopreneurs selection came through, it validated months of work we had done largely out of view. Shubham wrote about what the journey to Nagpur felt like from the inside, including our first-ever flight and first-ever stage.
The three of us arrived in Nagpur with matching Nimit AI t-shirts and a QR code printed on the back that linked straight to the product.
It sounds like a small thing. It was not. Over two days, the QR code pulled more people into conversations than any slide we showed on stage. Founders, judges, and investors scanned it in the corridor, at lunch, and in the auditorium queue, then came to find us with questions.
If you are applying to a programme like this, bring something people can scan. It works harder than a deck.
The secret weapon: Nimitai QR codes on the back of our t-shirts. These started more conversations than our pitch deck.
The pitch happened in the main auditorium at RTMNU Nagpur, packed with 400+ people. Five jury members sat in front. We did not just present slides. We ran a live demo of Nimitai's AI agent: real-time conversation analysis, buyer intent signals, and the research agent in action. No safety net.
The Q&A was intense. Judges drilled into user metrics, accuracy, and go-to-market strategy. Archit wrote up the five key lessons from pitching to VCs that came out of those conversations. Dr. Vishesh Kasliwal (Medyseva) pushed us on numbers. Sagar Bhajani (Khichadiwala) reframed how we think about pivoting. Akash Kirtane (Acube AI) told us to go deeper on research every single day.
"Pivot is not the end; it is the next step ahead." Sagar Bhajani, Co-founder of Khichadiwala.
Watch the full interview: Nilansh explains Nimitai at Innopreneurs Season 12 on YouTube.
All three of us on stage, presenting Nimitai's AI conversation intelligence platform to the full auditorium at RTMNU Nagpur.
VCs, judges, industry leaders, and the Lemon Ideas team, prioritised by the depth of interaction and impact on our journey.
| Name | Role and organisation | What happened | What they told us |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dr. Abhay Deshmukh | Director, Incubation Foundation | The single most impactful conversation of the event. Spent a full hour with us on day two, breaking down how we should position Nimitai: not around features, but around the emotional pain sales leaders feel when deals slip away. Reframed our entire go-to-market thinking. | "Focus on emotional needs over just functional needs." |
| Deepak Menaria | Founder and Chief Idea Farmer, Lemon Ideas | The architect of Innopreneurs. Personally connected us with VCs, introduced us to the right people in the room, and provided strategic guidance that went far beyond the competition itself. | |
| Amit Singal | Partner, Fluid Ventures and Indicorn Angels | VC investor (fluidvc.in), head judge, and guest speaker. One of the most active investors in the room. Engaged with multiple startups and gave pointed feedback. | "He appreciates our ideas." |
| Harsh Deodhar | Principal, Enrisson India Capital | Venture capitalist and guest speaker. Gave direct feedback during the lunch session on what institutional VCs look for in early-stage AI startups. | "You are doing well. Keep it up." |
| Yaseen Shareef | Venture Partner, Ind44 Capital | Jury member for the final-stage pitch evaluation. Had a detailed post-event conversation about Nimitai and the conversation intelligence market in India. | |
| Dr. Vishesh Kasliwal | Founder, Medysense Technologies | Judge who drilled into metrics, user count, and product accuracy during our pitch. His clinical precision in questioning pushed us to tighten our numbers. | "Work on accuracy and improve user numbers." |
| Sagar Bhajani | Co-founder, Khichdiwala | Judge for the pitch round. A founder who built Khichdiwala from scratch. His advice on pivoting came from lived experience, not theory. One of the most quotable people at the event. | "Pivot is not the end; it is the next step ahead." |
| Rina Sinha | President, Vidarbha Economic Development Council | President of VED Council, the co-organiser of Innopreneurs Season 12. Discussed how Nimitai could fit into the broader Vidarbha business ecosystem and offered to make introductions. | "She loved the idea and wants to connect." |
| Shreyas Ugemuge | Chief of Staff, Vidarbha Infotech | One of the youngest leaders at the event. Provided sharp startup insights and connected us with the Vidarbha tech community. His encouragement was genuine and specific. | "He appreciated us and wished us good luck." |
| Ravi Kumar | Founder, UdChalo / VR BIKE | Built UdChalo (udchalo.com, a defence personnel travel platform) into a well-known brand. Offered to make introductions and discussed founder-to-founder challenges. | "He loves the idea and will connect to help." |
| Akash Kirtane | CTO, Acube AI | AI industry leader who gave us technical guidance during the pitch discussion. His advice to do deep research every day became a team mantra. | "Stick to it and do deep research daily." |
| Vilas Kale | Past President, VED Council | Guest speaker on building stable companies. Decades of business experience distilled into advice that was direct and memorable. | "Be strong at your last point." |
| Mukesh Ashar | Director, Lemon School of Entrepreneurship | Runs the Lemon School of Entrepreneurship under Lemon Ideas. Supportive throughout and offered ongoing mentorship. | "You are doing good and keep working on that." |
No coverage of Innopreneurs is complete without Deepak Menaria. He built Lemon Ideas and Innopreneurs from the ground up in Nagpur, and over 12 seasons it has become one of the most competitive startup programmes in India.
Lemon Ideas also runs the Lemon School of Entrepreneurship (directed by Mukesh Ashar). For Season 12, it partnered with VED Council and brought government ministers, VCs from firms like Fluid Ventures, and industry leaders under one roof at RTMNU Nagpur. Deepak personally connected us with investors and gave strategic guidance that went well beyond the competition itself. We wrote a separate profile of Deepak Menaria and Lemon Ideas.
With Deepak Menaria, Founder of Lemon Ideas, the force behind Innopreneurs. His support extended far beyond the event.
Founders, speakers, and professionals from across the Innopreneurs Season 12 ecosystem: 24 people in total.
| Name | Role and company | Discussion summary |
|---|---|---|
| Bibhuti Anand | Founder, vitt.ai | Spoke about sales mindset: "In a startup, everyone is a salesperson and marketing person." |
| Bibhuti Dash | Founder and CEO, LOUOJ | Shared his vision on building a marketplace model at scale. |
| Dilip Kamdar | Co-founder, Naivedyam Hospitality | Guest speaker seeking investment. Inspired the team to think bigger. |
| Vimal Panjwani | Founder and CEO, AgriVijay | Listened to our Nimitai pitch on day one and appreciated the AI approach to sales. |
| Shiv Varun Singh Rajput | Founder and CEO, Nautical Wings Aerospace | Fellow Top 10 cohort member. Aerospace startup building in defence tech. |
| Vamsi Udayagiri | Founder and CEO, HESA | Rural commerce founder in the cohort. Discussed distribution challenges in Tier 3+ India. |
| Kanikka Dewani | Founder and CEO, Mintree Cosmetics | Post-lunch conversation on day one about D2C and brand building. |
| Madhur Rathi | Co-founder, Recycle Bell / Econiture | Sustainability-focused startup. Discussed circular economy models. |
| Krishnkant Chaturvedi | Founder, Kommon School | Edtech founder reimagining school education. Exchanged notes on AI in education. |
| Rahul Joshi | Co-founder and CEO, Techdome | Day one meeting. Shared technology insights and discussed similar AI architectures. |
| Devendra Jahagirdar | CEO, Drive-Tech Intelligence | Guest speaker and panelist. Told us "Keep it going. You're doing great work." |
| Dr. Shri Ramjee Pallela | Sr. Consultant, ISBA | Guest speaker on strategic investing. Admired our approach and encouraged us to keep going. |
| Dushyant Deshpande | Director, Vidarbha Defense Industrial Hub | Day one guest speaker. Appreciated our idea during the lunch interaction. |
| Abin Alexander | Director and Founder, Join Habibi | Met end of day one. Expressed interest in Nimitai's avatar module for his business. |
| Danish Ali | Founder and CEO, Dialit CRM | Curious about Nimitai's product. Discussed potential CRM integration possibilities. |
| Akiev Samson | Director, San Industries | Loved the Researcher and prep agents. Discussed AI automation for industrial workflows. |
| Pranay Rokde | Director, EEC Exports Pvt. Ltd. | Day two post-ceremony. Said he is ready to onboard Nimitai as a service for his export business. |
| Vikram Gandhe | Winner, MasterChef India 2026 | Day two guest speaker. Shared his journey from cooking passion to entrepreneurship. |
| Dr. Chandra Mishra | Founder and CEO, Beggars Corp | Social enterprise founder in the cohort. Discussed impact-driven business models. |
| Poonam Menaria | Counsellor, Lighthouse People | Mental health startup. Discussed founder mental health challenges in early-stage companies. |
| Vaishnav C H | Co-founder and CBO, Aviotron Aerospace | Aerospace and drone technology startup in the cohort. Exchanged notes on deep-tech fundraising. |
| Devendra Parekh | Past President, VED Council | Day one guest speaker on startup success and building discipline as a founder. |
| Kaustubh Chavhan | Mgmt. Trainee, Sakal Media Group | Media professional. Loved the idea and discussed potential media coverage opportunities. |
| Shri Sanjay Ingale | Marketing Head, MADC | Government representative from Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation. |
On the final day, Maharashtra Education Minister Pankaj Bhoyar personally facilitated all 10 finalists on stage. Our name was called. We walked up. The recognition validated that the problem Nimitai solves, helping sales teams understand why deals are lost, is recognised as one of the most important innovation challenges in India.
We left Nagpur with 24+ investor conversations in progress, strategic introductions, and a clearer picture of where Nimitai fits in the national startup landscape. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari later wrote to the cohort; we covered what his letter to Lemon Ideas says about Viksit Bharat 2047 separately.
Apply even if you think you are too early. The programme evaluates potential, not just traction. Prepare a live demo if you can; slides alone do not land the same way. And bring branded merchandise: the QR code on our t-shirts started more conversations than our pitch deck.
The Top 10 Innovations of India on stage: the culmination of a 2,500-applicant journey at Viksit Bharat Conclave Nagpur.
This article cites the following official sources and third-party coverage for verification:
We demoed the platform to 400+ people at Innopreneurs. If you want to see what the judges saw, Nimitai is $149 per seat per month, month-to-month, no seat minimum.
Innopreneurs Season 12 is the twelfth edition of the Innopreneurs national innovation programme, organised by Lemon Ideas, a Nagpur-based entrepreneurship organisation founded by Deepak Menaria. It received approximately 2,500 startup applications from across India, shortlisted them through multiple rounds (1,200, then 500, then 100, then 25, then 10), and named 10 startups as the Top 10 Innovations of India. The final cohort was presented at the Viksit Bharat Conclave at RTMNU Nagpur on April 10-11, 2026, facilitated by Maharashtra Education Minister Pankaj Bhoyar.
Innopreneurs is organised by Lemon Ideas, a Nagpur-based innovation organisation founded by Deepak Menaria (Founder and Chief Idea Farmer). Lemon Ideas runs programmes including Innopreneurs, the Lemon School of Entrepreneurship (led by Director Mukesh Ashar), and accelerator cohorts. For Season 12, Lemon Ideas partnered with VED Council and hosted the conclave in the presence of Maharashtra Education Minister Pankaj Bhoyar, with a letter of appreciation from Union Minister Nitin Gadkari.
Extremely competitive. Innopreneurs Season 12 received approximately 2,500 applications. The programme shortlisted 1,200, selected 500 best picks, narrowed to 100 semi-finalists, picked 25 finalists, and named only 10 as Top 10 Innovations of India. That is a 0.4% selection rate, fewer than 1 in 250 applicants. Nimitai, an AI conversation intelligence platform for B2B sales teams, was one of those 10.
The judging panel included Dr. Vishesh Kasliwal (Founder, Medysense Technologies), Sagar Bhajani (Co-founder, Khichdiwala), Akash Kirtane (CTO, Acube AI), Amit Singal (Partner, Fluid Ventures and Indicorn Angels), and Yaseen Shareef (Venture Partner, Ind44 Capital). Startups pitched to a jury of 5 in front of a 400 to 500 person auditorium at RTMNU Nagpur.
Key investors included Harsh Deodhar (Principal, Enrisson India Capital), Yaseen Shareef (Venture Partner, Ind44 Capital), Amit Singal (Partner, Fluid Ventures and Indicorn Angels), and Ravi Kumar (Founder, UdChalo). The Nimitai team met 24+ investors over the two-day event at Viksit Bharat Conclave Nagpur.
Nimitai is an AI-powered conversation intelligence platform for B2B sales teams, built by co-founders Nilansh Gupta (CEO) and Archit Dhir (CFO). It records, transcribes, and analyses sales calls in real time, providing live coaching and deal intelligence. It was selected for the Top 10 because it addresses a critical gap: helping sales teams understand why deals are won or lost using AI analysis of actual conversations.
Deepak Menaria is the Founder and Chief Idea Farmer of Lemon Ideas. He created the Innopreneurs programme, which has run for 12 seasons, evaluating thousands of Indian startups. Under his leadership, Lemon Ideas has partnered with VED Council and RTMNU Nagpur, and attracted endorsements from Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and Maharashtra Education Minister Pankaj Bhoyar.
Viksit Bharat Conclave Nagpur is a national-level conclave aligned with the Government of India's Viksit Bharat 2047 vision. The Nagpur edition (April 10-11, 2026) brought together startup founders, VCs, industry leaders, and government officials at RTMNU Nagpur. The Innopreneurs Season 12 Top 10 were facilitated at this conclave by Maharashtra Education Minister Pankaj Bhoyar.
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Founder & CEO at Nimit AI
Building AI meeting intelligence to bridge the gap between sales conversations and closing deals.
Founder PlaybookThe definitive list of all 10 winners from 2,500 applicants at Viksit Bharat Conclave Nagpur, April 2026. Names, founders, sectors, judges, and what happened next.
Shubham Gupta
COO & Co-founder at Nimit AI
Founder PlaybookInnopreneurs Season 13 applications close April 30, 2026. Application process, selection funnel, pitch tips, and insider advice from a founder who placed 6th at Season 12.
Shubham Gupta
COO & Co-founder at Nimit AI
Founder PlaybookArchit and I had never been on a flight before Innopreneurs Season 12. Two days later we were on stage in front of 400 people at RTMNU Nagpur, pitching Nimitai to a panel of VCs and judges.
Shubham Gupta
COO & Co-founder at Nimit AI
