National Finals · 22–24 January 2027
The National Finals take place in Bengaluru from 22 to 24 January 2027.
30 college delegations will compete at Mesa School of Business across 3 days of live challenges, jury presentations, founder sessions and the Grand Finale. Results will be added to the college leaderboard throughout the event.
Friday, 22 January
Opening and Challenge launches
Delegation registration, competition briefing and the opening rounds of the founder challenges.
Saturday, 23 January
Competition and Founder Engagement
Challenge work, live judging, mentoring and sessions with founders and operators from Bengaluru's startup ecosystem.
Sunday, 24 January
Grand Finale and Awards
Final demonstrations, the live Shark pitch, announcement of challenge results and the presentation of the MVL Championship.
Indicative programme. The final schedule will be published after approval.
Shark-style student pitch at Mesa
Live brand challenge at Mesa
Hands-on sales activity
Mentor and peer network
Eligibility Criteria
One recognised E-Cell applies on behalf of each undergraduate college.
Colleges participate in MVL through their E-Cells, individual students cannot register independently. Students who want to participate should apply through their college’s E-Cell or equivalent entrepreneurship body.
01
Each college may submit only 1 MVL registration through its E-Cell or equivalent entrepreneurship body.
02
Competing students must be enrolled in an undergraduate programme at the college they represent.
03
The E-Cell must be able to assemble 5 teams, 1 for each founder challenge, and attend the full National Finals across 3 days from 22 to 24 January 2027.
04
Participant overlap rules will be set out in the official rulebook.
Register Your E-Cell
FAQ’s

The E-Cell or equivalent entrepreneurship society applies on behalf of the college. Individual students cannot submit independent entries.

No. A recognised entrepreneurship society or equivalent student body may apply even if it uses a different name.

Yes. Students from different years and academic disciplines may form teams together. A team does not have to be drawn from one year group or one department, so a first-year engineering student and a final-year design student can compete side by side.

No. An E-Cell does not need an established student startup to register.

Selection takes place in 2 stages. The first assesses the E-Cell’s recent work, venture outcomes, campus reach and readiness to field a complete delegation. Shortlisted E-Cells then submit a 2-minute Venture Pitch-Off qualifier video from the team that would represent them at the National Finals. 30 colleges are selected based on both submissions.

Yes. Each selected college must field a team for all 5 challenges. Performance across every challenge contributes to the college’s overall score.

The current structure uses 12 students across 5 teams: 3 for Venture Pitch-Off, 3 for AI Hackathon and 2 for each of the 3 league challenges.

Participants must be undergraduate students enrolled at the college they represent. Students from different years and academic disciplines may compete together.

No. Each student may participate in only 1 challenge, as multiple challenges may run simultaneously.

The delegation does not need to be finalized at registration. Selected colleges will be asked to submit participant details separately. Changes may be made until the delegation confirmation deadline; after that, replacements will be permitted only in exceptional circumstances and with prior approval from the MVL team.

The top 5 Venture Pitch-Off teams and the top 5 AI Hackathon teams qualify for the Grand Finale. All 10 present live, and the points they earn count towards their college’s cumulative score.

The champion is the college with the highest cumulative score across all 5 founder challenges after the Grand Finale. The Shark presentation is a flagship stage of the competition, but it does not replace the college leaderboard.

The National Finals take place at Mesa School of Business in Bengaluru from 22 to 24 January 2027.

Mesa Venture League has a total cash prize pool of ₹15 lakh. The official rulebook will set out the allocation across the championship and challenge awards.

No. There is no fee to register for or participate in Mesa Venture League 2027.

Participants are responsible for arranging and paying for their own travel and accommodation. Mesa may share discounted accommodation options closer to the event, but participants will need to book and pay for these directly.

Yes. Selected colleges must be available in Bengaluru for the full MVL Championship from 22 to 24 January 2027.

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Bengaluru Urban,
Karnataka, 560076.
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© 2026 Mesa School of Business
22nd – 24th January 2027
Mesa School of Business, Bengaluru
5 Founder Challenges
Register by 2nd Oct, 2026
India’s top E-Cells compete for the opportunity to pitch live to a Shark.30 shortlisted E-Cells are invited to Bengaluru for finale week, for a 3-day startup immersion and competition across 5 founder challenges, closing with a Shark naming the MVL Champion 2027.
Register Your E-Cell
Explore the Competition
India's National E-Cell Championship
Mesa Venture League
About Mesa Venture League
The battle to become
India’s top E-Cell
Mesa Venture League is a national-level, inter-collegiate entrepreneurship championship where the top E-Cells across the country represent their college and assemble 5 teams, 1 for each founder challenge.

Across 3 days at the Mesa campus in Bengaluru, the teams go through founder challenges spanning venture building, AI hackathons, startup problem-solving, brand building and sales. Every win contributes to the college leaderboard, and the E-Cell with the highest cumulative score across the rounds is crowned Mesa Venture League Champion ’27
Students collaborating during a Mesa Venture League challenge
Founder presenting a venture pitch Founder presenting a business plan
Why Participate
Give your college's strongest student builders a national platform
The strongest teams will present live to a Shark.
The top 5 Venture Pitch-Off teams and the top 5 AI
Hackathon teams will advance to the Grand Finale. They will
present their venture or product live, respond to questions
and earn final points for their college.
10 Grand Finale team
Five from each flagship challenge
The Shark for MVL '27 will be announced closer to the finals.
Previously at Mesa
Compete for the MVL Championship and a prize pool of ₹15 lakh.
Win the national title for your college.
The E-Cell with the highest cumulative score across all 5 challenges will be crowned MVL Champion 2027.
Compete for ₹15 lakh in cash prizes
The prize pool will recognise the MVL Champion and the highest-performing challenge teams.
Present to active investors
Selected teams will receive direct feedback and guidance from VCs and angel investors.
Experience Bengaluru’s startup ecosystem
Spend 3 days at Mesa meeting founders, operators and investors in India’s startup capital.
Work with experienced startup operators
MVL brings student teams face to face with people who have built and backed successful startups.
Fast-track your route to PGP Forge
Top performers can earn a fast-track admissions to PGP Forge, Mesa’s 1-year venture-building programme.
Founder Challenges
5 founder challenges will put each college’s entrepreneurial ability to the test.
Each of the 30 selected colleges will field a dedicated team in every challenge. Together, the challenges reflect the work of building a company: pitching a venture, building with AI, solving a live business problem, creating a brand and closing a sale. Every result adds points to the college leaderboard.
Flagship Challenge
Team of 3
Venture Pitch-Off
Pitch an original student venture to a jury and make the case that it deserves to be built. Teams will need to show that they understand the problem, have evidence that customers care and can turn the idea into a viable business.
The 5 highest-scoring teams advance to the Grand Finale.
Flagship Challenge
Team of 3
AI Hackathon
Build a working AI product in response to a challenge revealed at the competition, then demonstrate what it does, who it is for and why it matters.
The 5 highest-scoring teams advance to the Grand Finale.
League Challenge
Team of 2
Founder for a DaySolve for a Startup
Take on a live business problem from an operating startup. Teams must get to the root of the problem, make the necessary trade-offs and present a solution the company could put into action.
League Challenge
Team of 2
BrandverseBuild the Brand
Turn a new product or venture into a brand people understand and remember. Teams will define its positioning, create its identity and build the campaign that takes it to market.
League Challenge
Team of 2
Sell or SinkSell Under Pressure
Take a real product to market and prove that people will pay for it. Teams will find prospective customers, make the pitch and return with verifiable sales results.
Selection and competition format
How Mesa Venture League works
Selection combines the strength of the E-Cell with the quality of the venture team that will represent it. At the National Finals, every challenge contributes to one cumulative college score.30 college delegations will compete at Mesa School of Business across 3 days of live challenges, jury presentations, founder sessions and the Grand Finale. Results will be added to the college leaderboard throughout the event.
Stage 1
E-Cell application
E-Cells register for MVL by 2 October 2026. Registrations are reviewed to identify the E-Cells that progress to the qualifier.E-Cells register for MVL by 2 October 2026. Registrations are reviewed to identify the E-Cells that progress to the qualifier.
Deadline2nd October 2026
Results announced16th October 2026
Stage 2
Venture Pitch-Off qualifierPitch-Off qualifier
Shortlisted E-Cells submit a 2-minute video pitch from the Venture Pitch-Off team. 30 colleges are selected to compete at the National Finals.
Deadline30th October 2026
Results announced20th November 2026
30
Qualifiers
Stage 3
National Finals
Each of the 30 selected colleges fields a dedicated team in all 5 founder challenges. Points from every challenge contribute to the college leaderboard.
22–23rd January 2027
10
Qualifiers
Stage 4
Grand Finale
The top 5 Venture Pitch-Off teams and the top 5 AI Hackathon teams pitch live to a Shark. Their points are added to the leaderboard, and the highest-scoring college is crowned MVL Champion 2027.
24th January 2027
MVL Champion 2027
Applications close on 2nd October, 2026
National Finals: 22–24 January 2027 Applications close on 2nd October, 2026
National Finals: 22–24 January 2027
Register Your E-Cell
Put your E-Cell in contention for the National title.
Submit 1 application on behalf of your college by 2 October 2026. Shortlisted E-Cells will be invited to the Venture Pitch-Off qualifier, after which 30 colleges will earn a place at the National Finals in Bengaluru.Submit 1 application on behalf of your college by 2 October 2026. Shortlisted E-Cells will be invited to the Venture Pitch-Off qualifier, after which 30 colleges will earn a place at the National Finals in Bengaluru.
Register Your E-Cell
Applications close 2 October 2026 · National Finals 22–24 January 2027Applications close 2 October 2026 · National Finals 22–24 January 2027