India Awards Rs 6.85 Crore to Cyber Security Startups in Grand Challenge 2.0

The flagship initiative of MeitY was implemented in association with the Data Security Council of India (DSCI) with the winner receiving Rs 1 crore and the first and second runners‑up awarded Rs 50 lakh and Rs 25 lakh respectively.

The initiative aims to strengthen the nation's cyber security capabilities and build expertise in critical technology domains to support a secure and resilient digital ecosystem, the ministry said in a statement.

A unique feature of the initiative remains that the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) of the developed solutions are owned by the respective start-ups, the ministry said.

S. Krishnan, Secretary, Ministry of Electronics & IT felicitated the winners of the challenge, launched in January 2025 on the MyGov Platform, which targeted six critical domains including API Security, Data Security, Wearable Device Security and Privacy, Clone and Fake App Mitigation, AI for Threat Detection and Incident Response, and Securing Next‑Generation Biometric Systems.

The Challenge was conducted in four structured stages with progressive evaluation and financial support at each level. At the Idea Stage, a total of 36 start-ups each was awarded Rs 5 lakh to develop and refine their solutions. During the Minimum Viable Product stage, these start-ups received structured technical and business mentorship to build functional prototypes, following which 18 start-ups, three under each problem statement, advanced to the Final Product Stage and were awarded Rs 10 lakh each, the ministry said.

In subsequent stages, selected startups were awarded Rs 25 lakh each and evaluated on commercial readiness, scalability and market potential, and three start-ups were declared Grand Winners.

Throughout the Challenge, participating start-ups received continuous technical and business mentorship to strengthen product maturity, deployability and market readiness, it said.

"Cyber security is one area where domestic capability is of utmost importance. Indigenisation in cyber security is critical, as the security challenges we face are real and evolving," Krishnan said.

The challenge saw a rigorous evaluation process, with extensive participation, including student-led teams, start-ups, and women-led enterprises, he said, adding the ministry remains committed to advancing indigenisation in cyber security and strengthening institutional and ecosystem capacity through sustained collaboration.

- IANS