ET Startup Awards 2025: Nominees for Best on Campus
We are back with the 11th edition of The Economic Times Startup Awards. As we approach the main event, here are the nominees in one of the eight categories: Best on Campus.
The Best on Campus award will showcase a startup whose impact can be judged both by the idea and the execution. The founders should have been students whose aim was to build a commercial enterprise. There must be some level of validation either through an investor or a customer.
Here are the nominees:
Company name: Bidaal Technology
Founded in: 2020
Founders: Rishi Kant Rajpoot, Kalash Nibjiya
Based in: Noida
Key investors: Arali Ventures, Campus Fund, TEXMiN
What it does: Bidaal Technology is a next-generation Indian company delivering advanced AIOT solutions tailored for heavy industries. Its mission is to enable digital monitoring at the workplace along with traffic monitoring through AI-enabled products.
Company name: Nawgati Tech
Founded in: 2019
Founders: Vaibhav Kaushik, Cofounder & CEO; Aryan Sisodia, Cofounder & CTO; Aalaap Nair, Cofounder
Based in: Noida
Key investors: GAIL, MeitY Startup Hub, DST, All In Capital, Ajay Upadhyaya, Deepak Bhagnani Family Office, and Polycab Family Office.
What it does: Nawgati is a fueltech startup that addresses the growing challenges of compliance management and congestion monitoring in the fuelling experience for both fuel providers and end consumers in India.
Company name: ISMO Biophotonics
Founded in: 2020
Founders: Ikram Khan, Prof. Shantanu Pradhan
Based in: IIT Madras Research Park, Chennai, India
Key investors: Raghupathi Ramakrishnan (angel investor; also backed JusPay and GUVI, now acquired by HCL) — seeking strategic investors
What it does: ISMO Biophotonics develops organ-on-chip platforms, AI-powered drug analytics, proprietary biosensors, and advanced imaging systems. It collaborates with pharma companies, IVF clinics, and research institutions to accelerate clinical trials, reduce R&D costs, and deliver personalised treatment insights for cancer, fertility, and complex diseases.
Company name: Stimuler
Founded in: 2022
Founders: Akshay Akash (IIT-Bhu), Ankit Kumar Pandey (IIT-Bhu), Anesh Srivastav (IIT- Bhu), Akshat Baranwal (IIIT Allahabad)
Based in: Bengaluru
Key investors: Lightspeed, SWC Global, M Venture Partners
What it does: Stimuler is a B2C mobile app that helps individuals improve their speaking skills using AI. The consumer subscription mobile app is now used by five million people across 200 countries.
Company name: Try My Style (Virtstyle Technologies Private Limited)
Founded in: 2022
Founders: Dhruv Gupta, Amarpal Singh, Yuvraj Singh Sekhon (all from BITS Pilani)
Based in: Noida
Key investors: PIEDS, BITS Pilani
What it does: Try My Style is a beauty-tech platform that uses Gen-AI and computer vision to deliver personal styling and visualisation solutions through its patented Smart Mirrors, transforming beauty and fashion retail into digital experiential hubs.
The Best on Campus award will showcase a startup whose impact can be judged both by the idea and the execution. The founders should have been students whose aim was to build a commercial enterprise. There must be some level of validation either through an investor or a customer.
Here are the nominees:
Company name: Bidaal Technology
Founded in: 2020
Founders: Rishi Kant Rajpoot, Kalash Nibjiya
Based in: Noida
Key investors: Arali Ventures, Campus Fund, TEXMiN
What it does: Bidaal Technology is a next-generation Indian company delivering advanced AIOT solutions tailored for heavy industries. Its mission is to enable digital monitoring at the workplace along with traffic monitoring through AI-enabled products.
Company name: Nawgati Tech
Founded in: 2019
Founders: Vaibhav Kaushik, Cofounder & CEO; Aryan Sisodia, Cofounder & CTO; Aalaap Nair, Cofounder
Based in: Noida
Key investors: GAIL, MeitY Startup Hub, DST, All In Capital, Ajay Upadhyaya, Deepak Bhagnani Family Office, and Polycab Family Office.
What it does: Nawgati is a fueltech startup that addresses the growing challenges of compliance management and congestion monitoring in the fuelling experience for both fuel providers and end consumers in India.
Company name: ISMO Biophotonics
Founded in: 2020
Founders: Ikram Khan, Prof. Shantanu Pradhan
Based in: IIT Madras Research Park, Chennai, India
Key investors: Raghupathi Ramakrishnan (angel investor; also backed JusPay and GUVI, now acquired by HCL) — seeking strategic investors
What it does: ISMO Biophotonics develops organ-on-chip platforms, AI-powered drug analytics, proprietary biosensors, and advanced imaging systems. It collaborates with pharma companies, IVF clinics, and research institutions to accelerate clinical trials, reduce R&D costs, and deliver personalised treatment insights for cancer, fertility, and complex diseases.
Company name: Stimuler
Founded in: 2022
Founders: Akshay Akash (IIT-Bhu), Ankit Kumar Pandey (IIT-Bhu), Anesh Srivastav (IIT- Bhu), Akshat Baranwal (IIIT Allahabad)
Based in: Bengaluru
Key investors: Lightspeed, SWC Global, M Venture Partners
What it does: Stimuler is a B2C mobile app that helps individuals improve their speaking skills using AI. The consumer subscription mobile app is now used by five million people across 200 countries.
Company name: Try My Style (Virtstyle Technologies Private Limited)
Founded in: 2022
Founders: Dhruv Gupta, Amarpal Singh, Yuvraj Singh Sekhon (all from BITS Pilani)
Based in: Noida
Key investors: PIEDS, BITS Pilani
What it does: Try My Style is a beauty-tech platform that uses Gen-AI and computer vision to deliver personal styling and visualisation solutions through its patented Smart Mirrors, transforming beauty and fashion retail into digital experiential hubs.
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