Mangaluru: The Coastal Startup Fest 2026 was launched on Saturday, setting the stage for a two-day event scheduled from March 28 to bring together curated start-ups, angel investors, industry leaders, academia and ecosystem partners to foster collaboration, investment and sustainable growth.The fest is a flagship initiative of AIC-Nitte Incubation Centre, K-Tech Innovation Hub, and the NITTE–Govt of Karnataka Centre of Excellence in Aquamarin Innovation, with the objective of positioning the Mangaluru–Udupi corridor as a leading tier-2 innovation hub in India.
AP Achar, CEO of AIC-Nitte Incubation Centre, Nitte (Deemed to be University), said the programme will feature multiple events. The first is an exhibition showcasing 30 product-oriented start-ups from the region, where visitors will validate products through QR code voting. Five start-ups will be selected for a start-up award.Another key event is Spark 2026, a student business idea challenge offering cash prizes and six months of mentorship. Organisers are inviting start-up ideas from 40,000 graduates in the region. From these, 1,000 ideas will be shortlisted, narrowed to 100 for a boot camp, then filtered to 20, and finally the best 10 start-ups will be selected for funding and mentorship for six months, Achar said.The fest will also host an industry–academia roundtable aimed at strengthening campus innovation, along with structured investor networking targeting more than 50 interactions. The roundtable, chaired by industry leaders and heads of educational institutions from the region, will focus on improving start-up culture on campuses. A session is also planned for aspiring entrepreneurs on accessing funding through Union and state govt schemes and industry seed-funding avenues.Guests at the launch included Ameet Ganu S, general manager, corporate strategy, MRPL; Manjunath Singai, general manager, Canara Bank, Mangaluru; Divakar Kochikar Pai, vice-president, KCCI; SS Nayak, MSME and start-up mentor; Athmika Amin, Industry–Academia Panel convenor, CII Mangaluru; and others.
