In a powerful move to encourage entrepreneurship and innovation at the grassroots level, President Droupadi Murmu inaugurated the MSME Idea Hackathon 5.0 at IIT Indore. The event reaffirms the Government of India’s commitment to nurturing early-stage startups by bridging the gap between ideas and execution through strategic incubation and funding support.
Organized under the Ministry of MSME, the MSME Idea Hackathon is a national initiative designed to identify and support breakthrough business ideas from young Indian entrepreneurs. The latest edition — Hackathon 5.0 — was launched in collaboration with IIT Indore, which has emerged as a critical player in India’s innovation and startup ecosystem.
IIT Indore: Nurturing Innovation, Mentorship & Impact
IIT Indore has carved out a reputation not just as an academic institution but also as a launchpad for startup success stories. Through its dedicated incubation center — iTIC Incubator — IIT Indore provides budding entrepreneurs with the resources, mentorship, funding access, and research-driven guidance needed to transform an idea into a viable product or service.
The institute’s startup ecosystem is designed for high-impact nurturing and includes:
- iTIC Incubator: A state-of-the-art facility providing workspace, lab access, and networking opportunities.
- Mentorship Programs: Guidance from successful entrepreneurs, IIT faculty, and industry leaders.
- Technical and Business Workshops: Regular events on IP, product development, business modeling, and fundraising.
- Seed Funding and Grant Support: Access to schemes under MSME, DST, and Startup India missions.
- Collaborations: Partnerships with leading institutions, angel networks, and global accelerators.
Over the years, IIT Indore has supported dozens of startups across diverse sectors including health tech, agri-tech, deep tech, clean energy, and AI-driven platforms — several of which have gone on to secure national and international recognition.
Achievements of MSME Idea Hackathon 4.0
The success of MSME Idea Hackathon 4.0 laid a strong foundation for this fifth edition. In the previous edition:
- More than 7,500 innovative ideas were submitted from across India.
- Over 300 ideas were selected for funding and incubation.
- Startups in areas such as biotech diagnostics, green mobility, and smart farming solutions received up to ₹15 lakh in financial assistance.
- Many startups from Hackathon 4.0 went on to raise follow-on investments, patent their innovations, and launch products in the market.
These tangible outcomes demonstrate the Hackathon’s real-world impact and its role in turning entrepreneurial dreams into scalable enterprises.
MSME Idea Hackathon 5.0: Fueling the Next Wave of Startups
The fifth edition of the Hackathon, inaugurated by President Murmu, seeks to identify disruptive solutions from early-stage startups and guide them through the critical stages of ideation, prototyping, validation, and market launch.
President Murmu praised the Hackathon as a timely initiative to empower India’s youth and highlighted how early-stage MSME ideas, when properly incubated, can address pressing challenges in health, sustainability, rural livelihoods, and digital transformation.
The event also serves as a bridge between India’s policy vision (Atmanirbhar Bharat) and the entrepreneurial energy of its young population.
Conclusion
With President Murmu’s inspirational call to innovate, the MSME Idea Hackathon 5.0 is set to unleash a new wave of startups from India’s heartland. The invaluable contribution of IIT Indore — with its innovation-friendly culture, robust startup ecosystem, and proven mentoring support — will be central to transforming bold ideas into national success stories.
Aspiring entrepreneurs now have not just a platform, but a complete ecosystem backing them — from MSME idea incubation to real-world execution.
