Student founders shine at Mumbai HABITia ’25 conclave

Vivekanand Education Society has staged a student entrepreneurship conclave in Mumbai through its HABIT Foundation, drawing startup teams, mentors, investors and industry executives for pitch competitions and panel sessions.

The education group said 256 participants registered for HABITia '25 at its Campus 2. The programme gathered students and early-stage founders alongside representatives from venture capital and corporate technology functions.

Event format

Vijay Talreja, Director - HABIT Foundation and Trustee at Vivekanand Education Society, opened the event and linked it to the incubator's work with student ventures. The agenda combined an inaugural session, a panel discussion and a startup challenge with multiple screening rounds and a final pitch.

The keynote address came from R. Ramanan, Chair of the National Expert Advisory Council at the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India. The organisers cited his previous roles as Mission Director of Atal Innovation Mission and Additional Secretary at NITI Aayog.

Dr Ramjee Pallela, Senior Consultant at ISBA and former Chief Operating Officer of AIC-CCMB, attended as Guest of Honour. Jyoti Chandwani, Nodal Officer at HABIT Foundation and Professor at VESIM, delivered the closing remarks for the inaugural session.

Panel session

The event's main discussion segment ran under the title "BTS - Behind the Startup". The session focused on operational pressures in young companies, founder decision-making, scaling considerations, technology choices and early-stage investment.

Shantiprakash (SP) Motwani, former Managing Director at Accenture Technology, spoke about shifts in the technology cycle and current conditions in the sector.

"Technology has seen multiple waves, the current era is unprecedented due to the convergence of transformative technologies, data, exponential computing power, and innovative systems," said Motwani.

Ranjeet Shetye, Venture Partner at YourNest Venture Capital, set out traits he associated with leadership in early-stage businesses.

"Curiosity, continuous learning, and the courage to challenge the status quo are essential leadership qualities for entrepreneurs," said Shetye.

Zubin Kika, Executive Vice President - Technology and Digital at HDFC Bank, addressed the use of generative systems in product development and engineering work.

"Generative AI and agentic AI are powerful tools for rapid prototyping and innovation, strong core concepts and engineering fundamentals remain critical for building scalable and sustainable businesses," said Kika.

Deepak Nihalani, Co-Founder at Snapwork Technologies and Epoch Technologies, spoke about execution and product focus in technology-driven ventures.

"Building technology-driven enterprises with a strong customer-first approach, emphasizing execution excellence, adaptability, and the importance of solving real business problems through scalable digital solutions," said Nihalani.

Amit Rambhia, Managing Director at Panache DigiLife, moderated the discussion.

Startup challenge

The competitive segment ran as "Innovate to Incubate - The Startup Challenge". Organisers said 156 teams applied. A screening process selected 64 teams for a second round. The programme then moved through pitch presentations delivered online and offline.

Nine teams reached the final round. Seven pitched in person and two presented online, according to the organisers.

The judging panel included Bhavesh Kothari, Chief Executive Officer at MSSU I-SPARK Foundation, and Nikhil Gupta, Investor, Startup Accelerator and AIF Manager. The panel also included Dr Vijay Bijlani, Founder Director at SAO Foods, Jaideep Pawar, Founder Director and CEO at GRAMePAY, and Alok Ranjan, CEO and Co-founder at Tauran Advisors.

Chintan Oza, Founder and Managing Partner at Anantam Ecosystems, and Abhimanyu Anil Londhe, Co-Founder at Abhi Incubation Fund, also served as judges.

The organisers said the winners received cash prizes, certificates and incubation opportunities with the HABIT Foundation.

Melacure Pvt. Ltd., described as a skincare innovation brand from Vivekanand Education Society's College of Pharmacy in Mumbai, won the challenge. Indiejeanous, described as a Mumbai-based sustainable upcycled denim brand, took first runner-up. Maceazy - E-Kaathi, described as a solution for visually impaired mobility and developed by students from Chetana Institute of Management and Research in Mumbai, placed second runner-up.

The HABIT Foundation said it will continue to offer incubation support for student-led startups linked to the programme.