A student startup from Shoolini University has received a direct investment offer of Rs 1 lakh from the Government of Bihar during Protosphere — Mini Innovation Launchpad 2026, marking a major achievement for the undergraduate innovation programme.
The offer, made in exchange for five percent equity and two percent advisory shares, came during the ongoing Protosphere 2026 programme launched by the university’s Student Research Council (SRC). The initiative is aimed at helping first- and second-year undergraduate students transform academic ideas into real-world prototypes and startup ventures.
The programme has already witnessed participation from nearly 400 students competing across 70 teams. Phase 1 began on April 2 and concluded between April 28 and 30, while the final phase is currently underway.
Apart from the Bihar government investment offer, five student startups have also secured seed funding of Rs 30,000 each along with complete support from the university for registration as private limited companies.
Vice Chancellor Atul Khosla said the initiative was aimed at creating a strong culture of innovation across all streams of education so students could become job creators rather than job seekers.
Pro-Chancellor and Founder Vishal Anand said Protosphere 2026 was envisioned as the first step towards building future unicorn startups from the university. He added that students were being encouraged to innovate and contribute towards the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.
The programme is being coordinated by Assistant Professor Anitya Gupta and Dr Pankaj Vaidya. Under the programme framework, students refined their ideas, developed working prototypes and presented them for evaluation.
Top-performing teams received mentorship, incubation support and commercialisation guidance to help convert their projects into viable startups.
According to the SRC, nearly 14 startups are expected to be formally incubated and introduced to investors after the completion of the final phase of the programme.
