Synopsis
The One of a Kind Startup Awards 2026, presented by The Economic Times and Cashfree Payments, is seeking India's most promising internet-first startups. A distinguished jury of investors, a unicorn founder, and a policymaker will evaluate entries, bringing a wealth of experience in building and scaling category-defining companies.The One of a Kind Startup Awards 2026, presented by The Economic Times and Cashfree Payments, was built with one mission in mind: to find India's most promising internet-first startups before the rest of the world catches on. The kind of startups rewriting the rules of their industries, quietly, boldly, and without waiting for permission.
With applications open until May 28, 2026, the platform is already drawing entries from early-stage, digital-first founders across the country. But what makes this truly special isn't just the recognition or the winner's toolkit of credits, infrastructure access, and national visibility. It's who's doing the evaluating.
The jury for the One of a Kind Startup Awards 2026 is a panel of four: two investors, a unicorn founder, and a policymaker. Together, they have collectively built category-defining companies from scratch and shaped the very infrastructure India's startup ecosystem runs on. These are people who have seen thousands of pitches, backed dozens of breakthrough ideas, and know instinctively what separates a good startup from a generational one.
Here's who they are.
Vikram Chachra, Founding Partner, 8i Ventures
Vikram Chachra has been in the game since 1999, back when ‘internet business’ wasn't even a proper phrase in India. As the Founding Partner of 8i Ventures, he has spent the last decade seeding around 30 early-stage startups that have gone on to create over $1 billion in value for their shareholders. His portfolio spans category leaders like Blue Tokai, Signzy, MoneyTap, Carwale.com, and Slice, names that today feel inevitable, but were once just a founder's conviction and a blank whiteboard.
What makes Chachra's presence on this jury so significant is his deep belief in the founder's journey, particularly the early, uncertain, uncomfortable part of it. He backs founders on the strength of their clarity, their resilience, and the authenticity of the problem they're solving. For the startups applying to the One of a Kind Startup Awards, having him in the room is an opportunity to be evaluated by someone who genuinely understands what it means to be at the start.
Saurabh Garg, Co-Founder and CBO, NoBroker.com
Saurabh Garg didn't just build a company; he built a category that didn't exist. Armed with degrees from IIT Bombay and IIM Ahmedabad, he co-founded NoBroker.in after personally experiencing the frustration of paying a full month's rent as a brokerage in Mumbai. That one insight, that there had to be a better way, became the foundation of India's first and only proptech unicorn, today valued at over $1 billion and serving more than 30 million users across six cities.
The road wasn't smooth. In the early days, NoBroker's office was vandalised by brokers who saw the platform as a direct threat to their livelihoods. Saurabh and his co-founders kept going anyway. That's the kind of conviction that builds unicorns — and that's exactly the kind of conviction he'll be looking for in the startups that come before him.
Kanika Agarrwal, Partner, India Quotient
Kanika Agarrwal occupies a rare space in India's VC landscape: she's an investor who has also been a founder. Before joining India Quotient as Partner, she co-founded Upside AI, a machine-learning-based investment platform, and knows first-hand what the journey from zero to one actually feels like. She has also worked with Mayfield Fund, investing in early-stage SaaS and consumer businesses, and brings prior experience from Credit Suisse and EY.
At India Quotient, she leads the First Cheque programme, a pre-seed platform that backs startups when they're still just an idea on paper. The fund's portfolio includes some of the most beloved internet brands in India: ShareChat, SUGAR Cosmetics, GIVA, Kuku FM, Vyapar, and many more. India Quotient recently raised a fresh $129 million fund, staying true to its seed-first, founder-first philosophy.
For early-stage founders applying to this awards platform, Kanika's presence on the jury is a reminder that the best ideas often look unconventional at the start, and that the right people will recognise them anyway.
Panneerselvam (PS) Madanagopal, CEO, MeitY Startup Hub
PS Madanagopal’s journey reflects the evolution of India’s startup ecosystem over the years, from juggling three jobs in Mumbai to becoming the CEO of MeitY Startup Hub, the Government of India's flagship initiative to power the country's tech startup ecosystem. With over two decades of experience spanning T-Hub (where he served as VP and Chief Innovation Officer), IMRB International, and leadership roles working with companies like Titan, HP, Unilever, and Tata Global Beverages, he brings a perspective that is rare: one that bridges private sector sharpness with public sector scale.
Animesh Kumar Das, MD and CEO, ACKO General Insurance
Animesh Kumar Das didn't join ACKO. He helped build it. As one of the founding team members, he rose through the ranks to become MD and CEO, having most recently served as Chief Underwriting Officer. Along the way, he's been instrumental in driving ACKO's Auto Insurance business toward profitability, and in proving that a digital-first, direct-to-consumer model can genuinely disrupt one of India's most traditional industries.
He knows what it takes to back a bold idea and see it through. That's exactly the lens he'll bring to the jury.
Under his leadership, MeitY Startup Hub oversees a network of over 200 incubators and programmes, including the GENESIS initiative, which supports startups in 65 Tier-II and Tier-III cities with mentorship, market access, and funding of up to ₹1 crore. His mandate is simple but powerful: help India build depth, not just volume. IP-driven, product-first companies solving real Indian problems, not copies of what already exists elsewhere.
Having PS Madanagopal on the jury means that startups with bold visions, regardless of where they're building from, will have a champion in the room who understands exactly what they're up against.
A panel built for this moment
This is a jury that has seen what early-stage greatness looks like, from both sides of the table. They've written the first cheques. They've built category-defining companies. They've shaped the policies. And now, they're here to find the next generation of founders doing the same.
If you're building an internet-first startup, incorporated after April 2020, generating revenue up to ₹10 crore, and genuinely believe you're creating something one of a kind, this is your moment.
(This article is generated and published by ET Spotlight team. You can get in touch with them on [email protected])
