Ventura Symposium 2025 was a startup pitching contest organized by DY Patil College of Engineering, Pune. The competition unfolded in three rounds:
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Online screening
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Round One – Offline Pitching
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Final Round – Top 20 Startup Pitches
I had the opportunity to present my product CANSPLA, a recruitment software designed for recruiters, talent acquisition teams, and small businesses to simplify and streamline their hiring process.
The First Day of Pitching
The event began on 15th September 2025 with an inauguration ceremony, followed by closed-door pitching sessions in front of the judges. Around 70 teams participated in the first round.
During my pitch, I presented in front of two judges:
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One was the head of the E-Cell at DY Patil College of Engineering
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The other appeared to be a college student with his own startup incubated by the college
Each participant was given 10 minutes total, 5 minutes for the presentation and 5 minutes for Q&A.
My Pitch Experience
While presenting CANSPLA, I explained clearly how the product integrates with LinkedIn and complements the platform rather than competing with it. Yet, the key question I was asked was: “How is it different from LinkedIn, or what USP does it have that LinkedIn doesn’t?”
This gave me a clear sense that I wasn’t moving to the next round. The questions lacked depth and did not really explore the problem CANSPLA is solving. I had expected a more meaningful discussion around the product, its scalability, and the pain points of recruiters.
But at the same time, I understand that the E-Cell at DY Patil is still new and the judging panel is evolving. With more time and experience, their ability to analyze and evaluate startups will mature.
Organizing the Event
The event was student-driven, and the team did a commendable job overall. Of course, there were some rough edges in execution, but for a first-time effort, it was fairly well managed.
One major issue I faced was with the presentation display system. Initially, participants were told to save their pitch decks in their personal email drafts and then log in on the system before pitching (which was very inefficient way ofcourse). Later, the organizers decided to use a common email ID for all participants (which should have been planned in advance). Unfortunately, this caused delays. In my case, I wasted nearly 10 minutes standing in front of judges just trying to email my presentation before starting.
On the positive side, unlike many other competitions, the organizers informed participants about the on-site round well in advance. This helped non-Pune participants plan their travel without last-minute hassles, a thoughtful step that showed genuine concern for participants.
Key Learnings and Reflections
This experience taught me that I need to refine my pitch deck further, such that it not only explains the product but also sparks curiosity in the minds of listeners.
At the same time, I realized something important: college-level pitch contests may not be the ideal platform for CANSPLA. Most such events run after hype, buzzwords, and trending industries like AI, fintech, or sustainability. Since CANSPLA is a solution for a very niche audience - recruiters and hiring teams, there are fewer chances of meeting someone who understands the depth of the problem we are solving and gets excited about solving problems rather the trending buzzwords.
And that’s okay. Not every platform is meant for every product. What matters is continuing to build, refine, and get the right audience who actually find our product useful in solving their core issues on daily basis.
Final Thoughts
Pitching at Ventura Symposium 2025 was a valuable learning experience. While I may not have advanced to the final round, I walked away with insights about how to improve my presentation, how organizers manage such events, and most importantly, where CANSPLA fits in the larger startup ecosystem.