Curiosity 2026
A curated showcase and celebration of India’s deep science and hard tech builders — brought to you by SPC India.
About
A call to India’s most serious scientists & hard tech builders.
Curiosity 2026 is a curated celebration of the most ambitious science, research and engineering happening in India right now — brought to you by South Park Commons India and collaborators. Just builders, their work, and the people who can help them go further. If you are building what matters in the hardest domains, this is your room.
We’ll select 15–20 top teams across the tracks to demo Science Faire style in front of investors, judges, institutional leaders and fellow founders — with closed-door workshops and mentorship from industry partners before the show.
Alongside: panels with top founders, headline demos from growth and late-stage Indian startups, with grant-givers, government program reps and supply-chain vendors. Prizes and grants for winning demos; credits and resources from partner orgs for all participants.
Applications are open. Come build in hard mode.
The Event
Themes
15–20 hand-picked teams building across India’s most consequential science verticals. Guests, investors, and judges rotate through booths in science-faire style.
- Aerospace & Space
- Defense & Counter-Systems
- Robotics & Autonomous Systems
- Photonics, Optics & Semiconductors
- Climate & Energy
- Biotech & Medical Hardware
- Physical AI (software–hardware intersection)
How to apply
From application to demo.
Click the Apply button and fill in your application.
The SPC team carefully reviews each application. We’ll get back to you soon after the application window closes with a decision. Spots are limited to 15–20 teams.
If selected, you’ll receive a playbook with everything you need to know. Our team will help you prep your demo, and help with any questions/support. We’ll ensure you hit the floor ready.
Day 1 · Sat May 30 — Arrive, Prep, Workshop
Shortlisted teams arrive at the venue to set up their booths and run through their demos with the SPC team.
Spend dedicated time with SPC investors and builder community, mentors, event sponsors & partners from across the ecosystem.
Day 2 · Sun May 31 — open to public
The science fair-style showcase.
Guests, investors, and judges rotate through booths as you demo your build.
Top 3 teams from each track will be awarded prizes ranging — from grants & credits to other resources.
Applications are open now. Spots are limited.
Who it’s for
Builders turning projects into companies.
Curiosity is open to founders and would-be founders who still need ecosystem support to take the next step.
Recent graduates
Committed to building a company
Early-stage founders
Companies & research labs at the start
Tinkerers turning founders
Builders already moving from project to company
Format
2 days. 2 modes.
Day 1 · Sat May 30
Assemble
Closed to the public
Open to participants, collaborators, partners, and SPC only. Builders, SPC community, and partners come together for:
- Welcome and ice breakers
- Storytelling + presentation workshop
- Sponsors, partners and SPC team / community jam with builders
Day 2 · Sun May 31
Show the Work
Open to the public
The flagship day. Conversation-first; guests and judges rotate through builder booths.
- Showcase floor & per-booth demos
- Industry panels and headline demos
- Prize-giving and a mixer afterwards
About SPC India
Capital, community, and conviction.
Where the most exceptional builders in India discover their life’s work.
The Indian ecosystem needs a strong enabler for founders at the early stage. Risk-takers and outliers who build great companies and are tackling India’s hardest problems — deserve the right partners, environment, and funding. SPC India is a complete support system designed to enable that.
We commit with capital, community, and conviction — to engineer the inevitable, and take you from -1 to beyond.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions.
Curiosity is open to founders and would-be founders who need ecosystem support to take their next step. This includes: recent graduates committed to building a company; early-stage hard tech companies and research labs; tinkerers actively transitioning from project to company; and experienced builders or researchers asking ‘what next?’
You do not need to have a registered company to apply.
Aerospace & Space, Defense & Counter-Systems, Robotics & Autonomous Systems, Photonics, Optics & Semiconductors. Frontier & Sciences — covering Bio & Medical, Climate & Energy, and Physical AI (the software–hardware intersection).
No. Curiosity is open to any builder working in the eligible domains, regardless of SPC membership.
You can apply as an individual or a team. We’re looking for the quality and ambition of what you’re building, not the size of your group.
Our team will review all applications and get back to you with a decision after the application window closes. Selected teams will be notified directly and given next steps.
Selected teams will be notified, and receive a playbook with everything they need to know about the event. They will get on a prep call with the SPC team to work through their demo, and plan their attendance. The goal is to make sure every team hits the floor confident and ready.
Teams arrive at the venue to set up their demo booths and run through their demos with the SPC team. It also includes a storytelling and presentation workshop, welcome and ice-breakers, and dedicated one-on-one time with SPC investors, mentors, and partners from across the ecosystem and SPC community.
Day 2 is open to the public and is the main showcase day. Guests, investors, and judges rotate through builder booths in a science faire format. The day also includes industry panels, headline demos from growth and late-stage startups, with grant-givers and government representatives, and a prize-giving and mixer at the end.
The top three teams from each track will be crowned winners and awarded grants from a pool of up to ₹1.25 Cr — including ones from ARTPARK at IISC, as well as credits, and other resources.
Credits and resources from partner organisations are also made available to all participating teams, not just winners.
Rather than presenting on a stage to a passive audience, each team has its own booth on the showcase floor. Judges rotate through at their own pace and engage directly with you at your booth. It’s more like a conversation than a pitch, which means the quality of your work and your ability to explain it clearly matters more than presentation polish.
The audience includes builders and founders, investors, institutional leaders, researchers and academics, and SPC community members. The audience is curated.
Email us at: curiosity@southparkcommons.com