Chandigarh University launches Campus Tank Season 2 with $15 million funding pool

Chandigarh University launched Season 2 of its Campus Tank initiative, themed ‘India’s Next Unicorn’, and the CU-IRP R&D Hub in collaboration with IIT Madras on October 10, 2026. The launch took place at the Gharuan campus in Chandigarh, India. This initiative aims to expand funding opportunities for emerging entrepreneurs, strengthen India’s startup ecosystem, and foster connections between industry, academic research, and startups.

The second season of Campus Tank features a US$15-million funding pool, a substantial increase from the US$6 million allocated in Season 1. The launch event was part of the national-level Incubator & Capital Summit 2026 and ISBACON 2026, organized by the Chandigarh University Technology Business Incubator (CU-TBI) in association with the Indian Science and Technology Entrepreneurs Parks and Business Incubators Association (ISBA).

Expanded Funding and Partnerships for Campus Tank Season 2

Campus Tank Season 2 has significantly increased its funding pool to US$15 million, building on the response to its inaugural season. Season 1 recorded 21,789 registrations from over 1,200 cities, including more than 10,800 registrations from universities and colleges. The current season brings together eight investment partners, including APNA, Venture Catalysts, Aeravti Ventures, PedalStart, Eaglewings, Faad, Be an Angel, and Cube Founders Space.

Nirmit Parikh, Group CEO of Apna, highlighted the focus areas for the new season, stating, “The first season of Campus Tank was a huge success and the second season of Campus Tank will be even better with three key themes. First, with the advent of AI, jobs in India and across the world need a lot of reskilling and upskilling. So lots of startups will come up inside that space. Secondly, AI models need pre-training and post-training, so I’ll be excited to see startups coming inside that space. And the third thing is applied AI.” Hemant Malhotra, COO of Venture Catalysts, emphasized the commitment to mentoring startups beyond funding, stating, “Our participation in Campus Tank Season 2 reflects a long-term commitment to Chandigarh University and its startups.”

CU-IRP R&D Hub in Collaboration with IIT Madras

The launch event also marked the inauguration of the CU-IRP R&D Hub, established in collaboration with IIT Madras. This partnership aims to connect academic research with industry and startups. IIT Madras Research Park has a track record of incubating 575 startups, valued at over US$8.5 billion, and generating more than 10,000 jobs over the past 15 years. Dr. Gaurav Raina, Professor at IIT Madras, stated, “Our next vision is to have a startup a day and our 2030 vision is to have an IPO a month.”

Chandigarh University has also contributed to the startup ecosystem, with its students creating over 150 startups since 2012. The university’s Technology Business Incubator (CU-TBI) secured the number one rank among all scientific research and development organizations in India by filing 1126 patent applications in 2023-24. Also, Chandigarh University ranked third among all private and government universities in India by filing 2581 patents in the last three years.

Dignitaries and Vision for Startup Growth

The launch event was attended by several dignitaries, including Rajya Sabha MP Satnam Singh Sandhu, who is also the Chancellor of Chandigarh University, and Lok Sabha MP Naveen Jindal, Chairman of Jindal Steel. Other notable attendees included Kris Gopalakrishnan, Co-founder of Infosys; Nirmit Parikh, Group CEO of Apna; Hemant Malhotra, COO of Venture Catalysts; Prof V Kamakoti, Director of IIT Madras; Dr. Gaurav Raina, Professor at IIT Madras; Dr Preet Deep Singh, Public Policy at Amazon; and Umesh V. Waghmare, Secretary, Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India.

Rajya Sabha MP Satnam Singh Sandhu stated, “Campus Tank is an initiative by Chandigarh University aimed at providing young people from small towns and villages with a platform, mentorship and investment opportunities to turn their startup ideas into reality.” Lok Sabha MP Naveen Jindal remarked, “India’s journey towards Viksit Bharat 2047 will be driven by youth of the nation pursuing their own ideas, passions and aspirations.” He added that initiatives like Campus Tank Season 2 can help bridge the gap by connecting promising founders with investors, mentors, and resources.

Context of India’s Startup Ecosystem

The launch of Campus Tank Season 2 aligns with the broader context of India’s growing startup ecosystem, which has established itself as the third-largest globally. In the last decade, India has seen an increase from 500 startups in 2016 to over 1.76 lakh startups currently, with 118 unicorns. These startups have created over 18 lakh direct jobs, with smaller cities contributing more than 51% of these opportunities. The initiative is inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of Viksit Bharat and Aatmanirbhar Bharat.

Written by Nishit Kumar

Nishit Kumar is a senior EdTech industry leader with over a decade of experience in building and scaling education platforms, shaping their product, content, and growth strategy. At FindMyCollege, Nishit oversees content and editorial strategy, guiding topic selection and content frameworks to ensure accuracy, relevance, and student-first value across the website.

View all posts →