The eleven jurors, including top business leaders, startup entrepreneurs who have taken their companies public recently, marqueeinvestors and other founders, displayed a razor-sharp focus on business models built for the long term to zero in on the winners.
The high-powered jury initially shortlisted biotech startup String Bio along with Info Edge Ventures-backed Brainsight AI, which is building an advanced software system that can create a map of the human brain, tracking signals exchanged between different parts of the brain.
Five-year-old ZopSmart is a bootstrapped venture that provides tools to build e-commerce businesses, omnichannel businesses and digital commerce for conventional retailers. It provides services across geographies from Singapore to Japan, Europe, and the US in addition to India.
Three Bengaluru-based firms — Boldfit, a manufacturer of health and fitness equipment; Fyers, an online trading platform; and Gameberry Labs, an online game publisher — came through as the top contenders for the spot.