Q: There&rsquo;s growing chatter around the Indian Startup Premier League. What exactly is it, and why is it resonating within the ecosystem right now?
At its core, I see the Indian Startup Premier League as an attempt to rethink how startup engagement happens. Instead of a traditional demo day where founders pitch and move on, we&rsquo;ve built a league-style, team-based format where startups are grouped with mentors and owners.
What this does is shift the dynamic-from transactional pitching to more sustained, organic interactions between founders and investors. Alongside this, we&rsquo;re also building a strong content layer-one focused on driving startup outcomes, and the other on creating sharp, high-quality storytelling around the league.
Q: Season 3 seems to have drawn particular attention. What, in your view, made it stand out?
For me, two things stood out-scale and outcomes. We had over 150 founders and investors participating, which is a strong signal of ecosystem interest.
More importantly, the season delivered measurable outcomes. A lot of startup events lean heavily on networking but struggle to translate that into tangible results. Season 3 showed that with the right structure, you can drive both engagement and outcomes.
We also had strong ecosystem backing this season-with partners like Cashfree Payments coming on board as our official payment partner and Wow!Momo which added both credibility and operational strength to the league.
Q: How meaningful was investor participation this season? Was it largely exploratory, or did it translate into real commitments?
From what I&rsquo;ve seen, it went beyond just exploratory conversations. Around 30&#37 of the startups that pitched received funding commitments, including several hard commitments.
Now, these are organiser-reported numbers, so they should be viewed in that context-but they do indicate a genuine level of investor engagement. To me, that signals that the platform is enabling real deal flow, not just visibility.
Q: The team-based structure is quite unconventional for startup platforms. How does it change the founder experience?
It fundamentally changes the journey. Because startups are part of teams backed by owners and guided by mentors, there&rsquo;s continuity built into the process.
Instead of a one-off pitch, founders get the opportunity to refine their narrative over time. Mentors actively shape both strategy and storytelling, which leads to sharper, more investor-ready outcomes. There&rsquo;s also a layer of accountability that you don&rsquo;t typically see in single-day events.
Q: Beyond participation, how much visibility did the league generate this season?
Visibility was a big milestone for us this season. We crossed 10 million views across social media, and outdoor campaigns added another 10 million-plus in reach.
What&rsquo;s equally important is how that visibility was built. The league sits at the intersection of startups, sport, and culture-with cricket as a central hook-making it inherently more engaging and shareable. Partnerships with brands like Cricket or Nothing helped amplify that cultural relevance and connect with a wider audience beyond the core startup ecosystem.
Q: Who came out on top in Season 3, and what did winning translate to in practical terms?
The Pune Forged team won Season 3 and received a ₹50,000 prize.
That said, I don&rsquo;t see the monetary reward as the primary incentive. The bigger value lies in exposure, mentorship, and access to investor networks-which, for early-stage startups, tends to be far more consequential.
Q: Mentors and team owners seem central to the format. How active was their role in shaping outcomes?
They were absolutely integral. Each team operated under guided mentorship, and that had a direct impact on how startups approached both their narratives and investor conversations.
We had ecosystem leaders like Binod Homagai, Harsh, Arjun Vaidya, Chaitanya Dora, Kunal Popat, Arjun Singh actively involved, and that kind of participation adds both depth and credibility.
More importantly, it helps founders think more strategically-not just about pitching, but about building.
Q: Do you see this as part of a broader shift in how early-stage fundraising platforms are evolving?
Absolutely. I think traditional pitch events are becoming saturated, and both founders and investors are looking for formats that are more engaging and relationship-driven.
What we&rsquo;re trying to build with ISPL is part of that shift-towards platforms that prioritise continuity, community, and deeper interaction, while still delivering outcomes.
Q: At this stage, would you describe the Indian Startup Premier League as a networking platform, or something else entirely?
It would be inaccurate to position the Indian Startup Premier League as a networking or fundraising platform in the conventional sense. While those outcomes do emerge, they are incidental rather than foundational to the format.
At its core, the Indian Startup Premier League is being developed as a media IP-a structured, high-engagement startup show designed for sustained audience consumption. The emphasis is on building a format that viewers can follow over time, not just a moment of participation.
Much of the existing startup content ecosystem tends to be either transactional or derivative. The intent here is to create something that holds its own as entertainment-where storytelling, competitive structure, and the evolution of founders become central to the experience. Outcomes like networking and capital formation are consequential, but not the defining objective.
Q: Stepping back, what does Season 3 signal about where this is headed as a long-term property?
Season 3 reinforces that this is not merely an event construct, but the early expression of a scalable and evolving format. The direction is clearly towards building a long-term startup-led media property.
There is a discernible white space in India when it comes to original, high-quality startup entertainment. Existing formats often operate within familiar boundaries, whereas the Indian Startup Premier League is attempting to define a more distinctive approach-both in structure and in audience engagement.
With growing participation, strong viewership, and increasing clarity in the format itself, the property shows the potential to evolve into a sustained intersection of startups and entertainment. The larger ambition is to build something that audiences don&rsquo;t just engage with episodically, but actively follow and derive value and enjoyment from over time.

Indian Startup Premier League Season 3 blends startups, funding, mentors, and entertainment into a rising media property.

Devansh Lakhani, Founder, Indian Startup Premier League From Cricket pitch to deals: ISPL Season 3 Records 30% Funding Commitments

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Devansh Lakhani, Founder, Indian Startup Premier League From Cricket pitch to deals: ISPL Season 3 Records 30% Funding Commitments

Other Articles

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