India’s First Draper Founders Program Concludes With High-Energy Demo Day In Hyderabad
Hyderabad, August 2, 2025 (Maxim News): India’s first-ever Draper Founders Program concluded with an electrifying Demo Day in Hyderabad, celebrating 14 promising startups and declaring two standout entrepreneurs—Rushikesh Chavan of Finstone AI (IIT-Hyderabad) and Shubham Sharma of Xaults (Bengaluru)—as Draper Heroes. Each was awarded a $15,000 scholarship to attend the globally renowned Draper University Hero Training Program in San Francisco.
Demo Day Highlights: Founders, Pitches & Global Recognition
Hosted at the Draper Startup House India hub in Gachibowli, Hyderabad, the 12-day residential accelerator ended on a high note Friday night, with 16 visionary founders pitching their innovations to an elite panel of investors, mentors, and ecosystem leaders.
The winning ventures stood out for their disruptive potential:
- Finstone AI – an AI-driven autonomous trading platform designed to outperform the markets.
- Xaults – a blockchain-powered fintech building next-generation financial solutions for institutions and governments.
The Draper Hero awards were presented by leading figures including Murali Bukkapatnam (Chair, TiE Global Board of Trustees), Rathnakar, Vikranth Varshney, and Anish Anthony
“Draper Startup House has uncovered diamonds in the rough. Each founder here is on the cusp of greatness,” said Murali Bukkapatnam.
He also commended Salaah Shots, a unique platform offering career guidance for medical professionals.
Startups That Pitched at Demo Day
Some of the promising startups that took the stage included:
- Medscore – Vamshi Krishna
- Reoxide – Basil Paulose
- Salaah Shots – Astha Darshika
- Cumma – Gautham Palaniswamy
- FinStackk – Nithin Reddy
- Macrocosmos Creation – Dr. Abhishek Mani Tripathi
- Neuralcraft – Niyas
- Brick Pay – Shubham Shah
- ALGOXIA – Sandeep Yama
- Weez.AI – Sayyad Nisa & Team
- Lohas Stays – Harsha
- Spaecs – Karthik Nagapuri
Panel of Esteemed Investors and Mentors
Founders pitched to a powerful lineup of venture capitalists, angel investors, and industry leaders, including:
- Pras Hanuma (Next Unicorn Fund)
- Sanjay Nekkanti (Dhruva Space)
- Vikranth Varshney (SucSEED Indovation)
- Ratnakar Samavedham (Hyderabad Angels)
- MSR (Ex-CEO, T-Hub)
- Vishnu Chundi (AasaanWill)
- Anish Anthony (Factoryal)
- Naveena Reddy (Lead Invest)
- Renuka Bodla (Ex-SilverNeedle Ventures)
Empowering India’s Startup Ecosystem
The Draper Founders Program introduced a co-living and co-working accelerator experience, integrating:
- Global mentorship
- Pitch coaching
- Fundraising readiness
- Peer collaboration and community-driven learning
It aligns with the vision of Tim Draper, legendary Silicon Valley investor behind global giants like Tesla, SpaceX, Skype, Coinbase, Robinhood, and Hotmail.
A New Chapter for Indian Startups
With the success of this inaugural edition, Draper Startup House India has firmly positioned itself as a launchpad for high-impact Indian startups, offering a world-class ecosystem for innovation, collaboration, and venture-building.
“This is just the beginning. We are building an India that dares to lead globally in innovation,” said a spokesperson from Draper Startup House.
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