Bengaluru: After a staggering success last year, Conquest – BITS Pilani’s International Startup Conclave – is now flagged-open for registrations for its thirteenth edition - ‘Conquest – 2017’. Being India’s largest and pioneer student-run startup conclave, over the years, Conquest has completely metamorphosed into one of the most sought-after launch pads for emerging startups by ranting access to one-on-one mentoring sessions with industry leaders, funding opportunities with VCs, networking sessions, and most importantly, equity-less funding and resources worth $1 million; no wonder last year’s event attracted over 1,200 applicants from across Asia.

Sharing his experience of being a judge at Conquest last year, Nilesh Kothari, Co-Founder of Trifecta Capital, says, “This is my second year at Conquest. Every year, I’m quite impressed by the quality of the teams and startups present here. It gives youngsters an opportunity to engage and learn new things. I think it’s really great”.

Through its efficient mentoring and widespread outreach, Conquest has produced some of India’s best & fast growing startups such as Gamezop (Conquest 2015 Runner-Up, raised $350,000 funding), iTraveller, PosterGully, GharPay (acquired by Delhivery), Social Cops (shortlisted for India-U.S. Startup Konnect at Silicon Valley), and Voonik, to name a few.

This year, Conquest will target the startups from Tier-I and Tier-II cities, and seeks to provide them a chance to stand at par with other startups from across the world. Additional, startups from abroad will be offered a vast inventory or resources, mentoring and opportunities.

Just like year, startups who aspire to participate in Conquest 2017 will have to visit the official Conquest website and fill-up a form on or before April 20th, 2017. Post receiving the applications, the Conquest Jury comprising of VCs, entrepreneurs and industry stalwarts will screen the received applications based on a wide array of parameters. The semi-finalists thus selected here will gain access to personal mentoring sessions across five major Indian cities, wherein they can select mentors of their choice. The finalists will then avail a chance to network with well-known industrialists and even get an opportunity to pitch for funding before many Indian VC firms at the grand finale.

From funding and networking to potential teammates and users; countless opportunities await those at Conquest 2017.