Win a $250K Investment via ASU’s new Kalaari Disruptors Funding Track
The Kalaari Disruptors funding track is a joint effort led by Arizona State University’s Innovation 2 Market team at the J. Orin Edson Entrepreneurship & Innovation Institute, in partnership with Kalaari Capital, Skysong Innovations, and the Fulton Schools of Engineering for ASU Students, Researchers, Faculty, and Alumni via the university’s bi-annual Lab 2 Launch program.
Overview:
Ready to take your tech startup to the next level by rapidly expanding in India with $250K in validation capital? If so, we invite you to apply to the Kalaari Disruptors program funding track within ASU’s bi-annual Lab 2 Launch program competition. Kalaari Disruptors is a program for innovators, researchers, and alumni at leading universities, to build early-stage DeepTech and frontier-technology companies domiciled in India.
We are delighted to launch the first cohort of Kalaari Disruptors in partnership with Arizona State University, our first university partner for the program.
As part of the selection process, applications will be evaluated by ASU faculty and Kalaari, drawing on ASU faculty’s expertise in IP and technology validation and Kalaari’s expertise in assessing market potential and commercial feasibility. A joint Investment Committee will make the final recommendations.
Selected start-ups will receive $250K USD in validation capital, invested through a convertible instrument in a company registered by the founders in India.
Alongside capital, the start-ups will receive personalized, structured support across product-market fit, go-to-market, ecosystem partnerships and core-team building. Kalaari will assess the needs of and create specific programmatic solutions to accelerate its success. Selected founders will be required to establish the appropriate legal entity for the startup, in India to meet program and investment requirements.
The application process and ASU faculty technical validation will take place in September and October 2026, including finalist candidate pitches during our Lab 2 Launch event at ASU Skysong on October 30, 2026. The final cohort of 4-6 startups are expected to be selected by December 2026. Launch of the first cohort of Disruptors would be in the early part of 2027.
Who can apply?
Undergraduate, MS, and PhD students, researchers, faculty, innovators, and alumni from ASU who want to build DeepTech or AI startups domiciled in India.
We are looking for applicants with:
- A DeepTech, AI or frontier-technology idea across DeepTech, Enterprise and Consumer AI- SpaceTech, Aeronautics, Cyber-physical. MedTech, Semiconductor, Energy transition and climate, Quantum.
- A prototype, proof of concept or credible technical milestone.
- A project at the pre-venture or early-build stage
- A commitment to building the company in India.
Ready to turn your ideas and research into a breakthrough DeepTech company? Apply to the Kalaari Disruptors program funding track within ASU’s bi-annual Lab 2 Launch program competition TODAY!
Apply: https://airtable.com/appOLNrNrHwBml6Gs/pagK0cAkN9C2jhGv6/form
Application deadline: October 8, 2026.
To learn more, write to [email protected] and/ or [email protected].
About Kalaari
Kalaari is an early-stage, technology-focused venture capital firm based in Bengaluru, India. Founded by Vani Kola, we have backed pioneering founders and category-defining companies like Myntra, Dream11, Cult.fit, Bluestone, Simplilearn, Snapdeal and ElasticRun, Digantara and EloElo. We invest in ideas rooted in foundational technologies, with the potential to create outcomes across large consumer and enterprise markets. We partner early with audacious founders on the journey to building iconic companies that will drive alpha in the coming decades. Vani Kola is an alumnus of ASU.