Prayagraj: The Innovation and Incubation Hub MNNIT Foundation (IIHMF) of MNNIT Allahabad has invited deep-tech startups from across UP to take part in Deep Tech Hunt 2026, an initiative aimed at connecting emerging ventures with investors, mentors and policymakers. Sharing details on Thursday, chief executive officer of IIHMF Ram Kumar Mishra said UP has rapidly emerged as a centre of innovation, with several promising startups working on cutting-edge technologies in universities, research institutions and incubation centres.However, many such ventures often struggle to get exposure before investors and venture capital firms. He said Deep Tech Hunt 026 has been designed to bridge this gap by offering a platform for startups to showcase their ideas before leading investors, industry experts and policymakers.The programme is open to early-stage startups, from Seed to Series A, registered in UP and working in sectors such as artificial intelligence, robotics, semiconductor technologies, spacetech, defencetech, biotechnology, climate tech, advanced materials and cleantech.The event will be organised in Noida, Varanasi, Prayagraj, Lucknow, Kanpur and Gorakhpur. Startups will make presentations before expert panels at their nearest host incubator, while the best-performing ventures will move to the grand finale, where they will pitch before venture capital investors and senior govt officials.For the Prayagraj region, the pitching session will be hosted at IIHMF, MNNIT, on Jun 30. The last date for submitting applications for Deep Tech Hunt 2026 is Jun 26.Mishra appealed to entrepreneurs, innovators, researchers, faculty members and students working on deep-tech innovations to apply before the deadline. He also said applications for IIHMF Startup Cohort 5.0 are open till Jun 30. Under the cohort, selected startups will receive incubation support, mentoring, investor connect, networking opportunities and assistance in technology commercialisation.
