🐬 Dolphin Tank IndiaQ1 · Feb – MaY 2026

DTI Ideathon

A national-level online challenge to identify India's next social enterprise founders.
No code. Just clarity of thinking, structured problem-solving, and vision.

💻100% Online
⏱️Flexi-Time
👤Individual Entry
Registration Deadline: 15th May 2026
About the Ideathon

What Is the DTI Ideathon?

The DTI Ideathon is a national-level online challenge designed to identify individuals who can create enterprises with shared value — generating sustainable economic returns while solving real societal problems.

This stage evaluates your ability to understand real-world problems, think like a founder, design scalable solutions, and create high-impact startup concepts.

No coding required. Thinkers, strategists, and problem-solvers — this is your stage.

🎯
Real Problem Statements
Work on actual challenges from the IAC ecosystem — not hypothetical cases.
🧠
Structured Thinking
8 tasks that assess problem understanding, solution design, scalability, and founder readiness.
🤝
Co-Founder Matching
Top winners are paired with Hackathon winners to form real founding teams.
📺
OTT Visibility
Selected founders get featured on national OTT — pitch to investors in front of millions.
Eligibility

Who Should Apply?

If you have a vision for a better world and want to build a business that matters — this is for you.

🎓
College Students & Freshers
💼
Working Professionals
🚀
Aspiring Entrepreneurs
🔬
Domain Experts
🌍
Social Enterprise Builders
Rewards

What Top Performers Get

Ideathon is your gateway into the full Dolphin Tank India journey.

🏫
Free Entry into ₹18L Mentorship Program
🐬
Mentorship from Unicorn Founders & Leaders
🛠️
Opportunity to Build a Real Product
🤝
Co-Founder Matched to Your Vision
📺
Featured on National OTT Platform
Process

How It Works

5 simple steps from registration to selection.

1
Register

Click Register and enroll in the Ideathon Course on the LMS platform. It's free.

Action: Enroll on IAC Platform
2
Orientation & Founder Preparation

Understand Dolphin Tank India, the Ideathon structure, social entrepreneurship, and what's expected of you as a founder.

Action: Complete Orientation Modules
3
Access Problem Statements

Unlock the real IAC problem statements after completing the required SEL tasks. Choose one or more tracks to work on.

Action: Unlock & Choose Your Track
4
Submit Your Solution

Complete all 8 tasks and submit your structured deliverables via the IAC Platform before the deadline.

Deadline: 15th May 2026
5
Selection & Progression

Top participants are evaluated by the Dolphins and move into the Mentorship Stage with their matched co-founder.

Outcome: Entry into ₹18L Mentorship
Challenge Brief

The Problem Statement

All tracks are rooted in the real-world challenge of scaling the IAC ecosystem.

Context
Industry Academia Community (IAC) — Scaling to 100MN+

IAC is a cause-driven global ecosystem connecting college students, professionals, companies, and colleges to solve unemployability and bring 85 Million global jobs to India by 2030. IAC provides free career pathways for individuals through industry exposure, training, internships, job opportunities, and entrepreneurship — while helping organisations with purpose-driven branding, interview-free hiring, and lifelong learning.

500K+Members Today
75+Countries
100MN+Target Professionals
10MN+Target Companies
Choose Your Track

Work on one or more of the 6 tracks below.

Track 1
User Acquisition & Growth

How might IAC acquire millions of high-quality users efficiently?

Track 2
Engagement & Retention

How might IAC ensure users remain engaged and active long-term?

Track 3
Employability & Career Outcomes

How might IAC reliably improve employment and career outcomes?

Track 4
Startup & Entrepreneurship

How might IAC help thousands of founders build scalable startups?

Track 5
Technology & Platform Scale

How might IAC build technology systems that scale globally?

Track 6
Trust, Verification & Credibility

How might IAC build trust among users, employers, and investors?

Your Submission

Structured Approach with Guided Task

Each task builds on the previous one — together they form your complete founder submission

T1
Understand the Problem

Select a track, clearly define a specific problem within it, and explain why it matters at scale.

T2
User Analysis

Define your target user, their pain points, and current behavioral limitations.

T3
Root Cause Analysis

Analyze why the problem exists — system failures, structural barriers, and market gaps.

T4
Solution Design

Design your scalable solution — how it works, why it scales, and why it beats alternatives.

T5
Scalability Framework

Show how your solution works at 1K, 1M, and global scale — network effects, technology leverage.

T6
Implementation Plan

Define the steps, resources, and timeline needed to execute your solution realistically.

T7
Impact Assessment

Quantify your impact on students, professionals, companies, and the broader IAC ecosystem.

T8
Founder Readiness

Explain why you want to solve this problem and why you are the right person to solve it.

Judging Criteria

How You Are Evaluated

100 points total across 9 areas. Dolphins assess both scored criteria and qualitative factors.

Problem Understanding10%
Clarity in defining the problem
Relevance to selected track
Understanding of scale challenge
User Analysis10%
Clear target user definition
Pain points articulated clearly
Realistic user assumptions
Root Cause Analysis10%
Why the problem exists
Structural and systemic barriers
Systems-level thinking
Solution Design20%
Clarity and innovation of solution
Alignment with IAC mission
Competitive advantage & shared value
Scalability Framework15%
1K → 1M → Global thinking
Technology leverage and network effects
Financial scalability
Implementation Plan10%
Step clarity and logical flow
Resource and timeline planning
Execution realism
Impact Assessment15%
Student, professional & company impact
Measurable ecosystem-level value
Shared value creation
Founder Readiness5%
Authentic motivation
Capability and alignment
Mission-driven long-term thinking
Pitch Clarity & Structure5%
Logical flow and structure
Visual coherence
Investor-grade communication
Qualification Thresholds

Where Do You Stand?

Score 60+ to qualify. The higher you score, the further you go in the DTI journey.

60+General QualificationYou pass the Ideathon stage
70+Mentorship ShortlistEligible for ₹18L mentorship program
80+Top 10% SelectionPriority matching with best co-founders
85+Dolphin Pitch ReadyFast-tracked to OTT pitch stage

Bonus: Judges may award up to +5 discretionary points for breakthrough insights, strong data-backed thinking, or exceptional storytelling.

Your Journey Continues

What Happens After Ideathon?

The Ideathon is just the beginning. Top performers enter a full year-long founder journey.

🎓
Enter ₹18L Mentorship Stage
🤝
Match with Hackathon Co-Founder
🛠️
Build Your MVP → MMP → MLP
🐬
Pitch to Dolphins on OTT
💰
Raise Funding via OTT & Crowdfunding

Ready to Think Like a Founder?

Register free. Work on a real problem. Build something that matters to India and the world.

Registration Deadline: 15th May 2026  ·  Questions: welcome@dolphintankindia.com