Cars24 is putting up Rs 1 crore to find India’s next set of founders. The Gurugram company has announced its inaugural Grand Startup Challenge. It is aimed at early-stage teams that have ideas but not the means to test them at scale.
The challenge runs with the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, the Startup Policy Forum and MeitY Startup Hub. It sits under the MoU Cars24 signed with DPIIT, and the national finale is planned around National Startup Day on 16 January 2027.
What founders get
The prize pool is Rs 1 crore, split across the Grand Champion, runners-up, finalists and Track Excellence Awards. The detailed structure will be finalised with DPIIT.
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Money is only part of it. Top teams will run live pilots inside Cars24’s operations, and the Grand Champion gets production deployment within 90 days. Shortlisted teams get API credentials, compute credits and datasets to build and test with.
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The Grand Champion also gets direct entry into Cars24 AI Labs. Cars24’s founders and leadership will mentor participants, and the company will make introductions to venture investors.
Four tracks
Problem statements are being developed with DPIIT across four areas. Fintech for the Unbanked looks at financial infrastructure for people with limited access to formal finance or little credit history.
Mobility and Logistics Optimisation targets the cost of moving goods and vehicles. Lending and Credit Infrastructure focuses on expanding credit access and making lending more efficient.
The fourth track, Road Safety and Vehicle Intelligence, asks for systems that help prevent crashes and make Indian roads safer.
Why not just cash
Cars24 frames the gaps founders face as wider than funding. Access to real data, compute, live customers and distribution is what many early teams lack.
The challenge is built to close that gap by letting founders test their work inside a live business. The aim is measurable value rather than a polished demo.
What Cars24 and the Startup Policy Forum said
“Cars24 was once a young company that just needed a real environment to prove its ideas,” said Vikram Chopra, Builder at Cars24. “Today, we can offer that environment to the next generation.”
Shweta Kohli, President of the Startup Policy Forum, said India has no shortage of ambitious founders. What changes outcomes, she said, is access to a first customer and the chance to test a solution at scale.
Applications, problem statements and the final event format will be announced in the coming months. Founders can register their interest at gsc.cars24.com.