01 AAROH

Hero key art: ivory stairs climbing along a cobalt path toward a tall orange arrow on deep navy, with blue and orange ribbons sweeping in from the left

01 / 09AAROH 2026 · IIIT Delhi · 1–2 August 2026

ProjectGRID programme:

Ideas that rise.

Think. Build. Launch. Student Innovation & Entrepreneurship Challenge

← Back to ProjectGRID aarohindia.com (opens in a new tab)

  • 363young innovators from across India
  • 2 days1 and 2 August 2026, at IIIT Delhi
  • 4innovation tracks
  • 13top teams recognised

AAROH in numbers

  1. 2 days

    1 and 2 August 2026, at IIIT Delhi

  2. 4

    innovation tracks

  3. 13

    top teams recognised

  4. 15

    the age of the youngest participants

projectgrid.org/programmes/aaroh (source, opens in a new tab)

03 / 09Think → Build → Launch

Three decisive moves.

  1. 01 · Think

    Find the sharpest version of the problem.

    Observe, ask, challenge assumptions and lock one clear user need.

  2. 02 · Build

    Make the idea visible and testable.

    Prototype quickly, meet mentors and change the work when evidence demands it.

  3. 03 · Launch

    Show the path, not just the pitch.

    Demonstrate what works, what you learned and what should happen next.

Illustration: cobalt, orange and ivory ribbons twisting upward into a white diamond tip on navy

04 / 09Four tracks

Four ways to build.

Every team picked one of four tracks. The festival followed GRID's approach of Think → Build → Launch: understand a problem, build a first version, then present it.

Start with a real person, a real need and evidence you can test. Pick a track or bring a wildcard problem that matters to you.

  1. Track 1AI / MLArtificial Intelligence & Machine Learning Build minds, not just models.
  2. Track 2Game developmentGame Development Create worlds. Tell stories. Build experiences.
    Two students stand on either side of a Game Development track banner.
  3. Track 3CybersecurityCybersecurity Secure the digital world.
    A student kneels beside a security-themed track banner and points at it.
  4. Track 4HardwareHardware/Simulations Engineer the future. Build beyond software.
    A roll-up banner for the Hardware and Simulations challenge track.

Three of the track banners, photographed in the building.

How the two days went.

An empty tiered auditorium with blue seats and a wooden stage floor.
Tiered auditorium filled with students working on laptops, some standing and talking between the rows.
A speaker with a microphone stands on stage under a screen reading AAROH, Ideas that rise, with students seated in front.
Three students crowd around one laptop, one scrolling while the others watch the screen.
Three students lean over a laptop while one writes notes in a spiral notebook.
A student at the lectern speaks into the microphone, looking out over a large auditorium of students at laptops.
A student in the audience holds a handheld microphone up to ask a question.
A team holds a trophy with guests on stage in front of a screen showing partner logos.
Four students sit on a desk in an auditorium, laughing while one points at a friend.

The roomBefore the doors opened.IIIT Delhi's main auditorium, set up for two days of building.

The roomThen it filled up.363 young innovators from across India, working in teams.

The openingThink. Build. Launch.The opening talk, under the festival's line on the main screen: ideas that rise.

The buildIdeas argued out at the laptop.Teams worked through their ideas with peers and mentors, across four tracks.

The buildPaper first, then the screen.Planning in a notebook before building on screen.

The micThe view from the lectern.Each team could explain a problem, present a solution and be heard by the whole hall.

The micQuestions came from the floor.Young innovators met academic leaders, industry partners, mentors and one another.

Recognition13 teams were recognised.Top teams were recognised on stage for their solutions and performance.

The peopleThe people who made it.School students led most of AAROH's organising and delivery.

05 / 09How the two days went.01 / 09

06 / 09How it was judged

Evidence over theatre.

Judges reward clear thinking, genuine learning and a prototype that makes the idea understandable.

  1. 25%Problem ClarityIs the need specific, important and grounded in a real user?
  2. 20%Evidence & InsightDid the team observe, ask, test and learn rather than assume?
  3. 25%Prototype & IterationDoes the prototype make the idea testable, and did feedback change it?
  4. 15%Feasibility & PathCan the team explain resources, risks and a realistic next step?
  5. 15%CommunicationIs the idea understandable, honest and supported by a clear demonstration?

aarohindia.com (opens in a new tab)

07 / 09People who backed young ideas

People who backed young ideas.

  • Recognition

    Maj Gen (Retd.) P. K. Sehgal

    Felicitated the top teams and spoke with the young innovators at the festival.

  • Academic support

    Prof. Anuj Grover, IIIT Delhi

    Supported and encouraged participants, and connected the festival with the institute's academic and innovation community.

Built together.

Project GRID organised AAROH with Tachyon India and the Centre for Intelligent Product Development (CiPD) at IIIT Delhi.

  • AAROH event teamProject GRID
  • AAROH collaboratorTachyon India
  • AAROH institutional collaboratorCiPD at IIIT Delhi

Supporters · Stacks KB · Fotocart · .xyz · GitHub · GradCircle · Skills4U

08 / 09Photos

Two days in photos.

  • Rows of students with laptops in a tiered auditorium, one leaning over a desk to help a group.
  • View from the back of an auditorium: a speaker on stage in front of a screen reading Ideas that rise, students seated with laptops.
  • A student at a lectern speaks into a gooseneck microphone beside an open laptop.
  • Two students stand on either side of a Game Development track banner.
  • A team of students stands with guests on stage, all holding one trophy.
  • A group of students and two women stand in front of a screen reading AAROH, Ideas that rise.
  • A student kneels beside a security-themed track banner and points at it.
  • Four students sit on a desk in an auditorium, laughing while one points at a friend.
  • A roll-up banner for the Hardware and Simulations challenge track.
  • Three students crowd around one laptop, one scrolling while the others watch the screen.

01 / 10 Rows of students with laptops in a tiered auditorium, one leaning over a desk to help a group.

projectgrid.org/programmes/aaroh (source, opens in a new tab)

09 / 09AAROH · GRID organised

More from ProjectGRID

Your idea needs a place to rise.

aarohindia.com (opens in a new tab) The full album on Google Photos (opens in a new tab) projectgrid.org/programmes/aaroh (opens in a new tab)