Varanasi: The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), BHU honoured four promising start-ups during the Start-up Pitching and Evaluation Programme organised as part of its Institute Day celebrations, ‘Utthaan 2026’, on Saturday.The programme was coordinated by Prof Manoj Kumar Meshram, Professor In-charge, Entrepreneurship and Innovation (E&I), IIT-BHU.According to the institute spokesperson, 39 start-ups participated in the programme, of which 18 shortlisted ventures pitched their innovations and business models before a panel of investors, industry experts and academicians. The participating start-ups represented sectors including agriculture, healthcare, textiles, advanced manufacturing and information technology.Based on the evaluation, Angika Kushwaha of Kashikari Textiles Pvt Ltd received the Utthaan 2026 Women Entrepreneur Award. Prof RK Singh of Aarshtech Innovations Private Limited was honoured with the Innovation Award, while Aman Singh of Freshily19 Agri-Tech Pvt Ltd received the Scalable Startup Award. Hemant Singh of Freshnic Agribusiness Pvt Ltd was presented with the Impact Award.The evaluation committee appreciated the quality of innovation, technological maturity and entrepreneurial vision demonstrated by the participating start-ups, noting that IIT (BHU)’s innovation ecosystem is fostering ventures with strong national and global growth potential.
