Accelerating Deep-Tech Entrepreneurship: NXP India in Collaboration with Industry, Govt and Academia Kickoffs the 6th Season of NXP India Tech Startup Challenge

Business Wire India

• In partnership with Startup India Hub, Extreme Tech Challenge (XTC), Electropreneur Park, Semiconductor Fabless Acceleration Lab (SFAL), FabCi and INCeNSE, the program will provide strategic support to Indian tech startups.
• Top 3 winners will receive a total prize of INR 10 Lakhs, distributed equally, along with an exclusive mentorship program with NXP India’s technical leadership.
• Applications will be open from February 17 to March 20, 2026.

NXP India, one of the largest R&D centers for NXP Semiconductors and a leader in secure connectivity and embedded processing solutions, today announced the launch of Season 6 of the NXP India Tech Startup Challenge, continuing its mission to drive innovation and entrepreneurship.

Organized in collaboration with Startup India Hub, this initiative aligns with the Government of India’s vision to strengthen and scale the country’s startup ecosystem through the Startup India initiative, driving innovation, entrepreneurship, and global competitiveness. The program aims to enhance global visibility and network scalability for tech startups, while providing access to incubation, mentorship, and international exposure.

Electropreneur Park (ESDM Incubator), SFAL (Semiconductor Fabless Acceleration Lab), FabCi at IIT Hyderabad and INCeNSE at IISc Bengaluru will extend equity-free incubation, access to advanced labs, and expert mentorship to the Top 10 selected startups, helping them accelerate product development, refine business strategies, and scale their innovations.

Additionally, Extreme Tech Challenge (XTC), a US based non-profit organization, will give a special award for “Excellence in Applied AI” recognizing innovative use of “applied intelligence” for a better world. The winner of the “Applied AI” award will be invited to showcase their startup at XTC’s flagship annual AI conference in California, USA in November 2026.

“Since 2021, the NXP India Tech Startup Challenge has been one of our key engines for fuelling India´s fast-growing deep-tech and semiconductor ecosystem,” said Lars Reger, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at NXP Semiconductors. “As we kick-off Season 6, our mission stays the same: empower bright minds with the right mix of mentorship, industry connections, and access to global platforms-so they don´t just innovate locally, but compete and collaborate on a truly international scale."

The challenge is dedicated to supporting startups working on IP development, processors, semiconductor fabless ASIC design, and embedded product development across key domains, including Automotive, Industrial & IoT, Smart Cities, Smart Homes, Healthcare, and Energy Management.

“Our vision is to build an ecosystem where sustainable development and technology with social purpose are integral to how startups innovate and grow. Through Season 6 of the NXP India Tech Startup Challenge, we are excited to connect Indian entrepreneurs with global networks, technical expertise, and opportunities that can help transform breakthrough ideas into impactful, scalable solutions," said Hitesh Garg, Vice President and India Managing Director, NXP Semiconductors.

Key Program Benefits:

Top 3 winning startups will receive:

• INR 10 Lakhs in prize money, equally distributed among the winners (inclusive of applicable taxes).
• Exclusive mentorship – three interactive sessions per month for three months with NXP India’s technical leadership experts.

Top 10 selected startups will benefit from:

• Industry visibility and networking opportunities with NXP and ecosystem partners.
• Up to 3-month equity-free pre-incubation at Electropreneur Park (ESDM Incubator), including access to state-of-the-art ESDM lab equipment, business and technical mentorship, supplier connections, and reimbursement of prototyping expenses up to INR 50,000.
• Up to 4-month equity-free cohort program at SFAL, with access to high-value In-Kind Partner (IKP) assets, FPGA Innovation Lab@SFAL, specialized tools, business guidance, and investment mentorship.
• Up to 3-month equity-free pre-incubation at INCeNSE, IISc Bengaluru, including in-kind partner support worth INR 50,000 per startup, access to nanofabrication and characterization facilities, faculty mentorship, and participation in industry events.
• Selected Top 10 start ups will be aided to incubate at i-TIC, the deep tech incubator of IIT Hyderabad. They will be provided access to the state of the art characterization facilities for chip and system testing. Further, they will be mentored by expert faculty in semiconductor design domain for a period of six months.

Winner of the XTC Excellence in Applied AI Award will benefit from:

• Inclusion in Extreme Tech Challenge’s global ecosystem of investors and corporate innovation teams.
• Publicity through XTC’s media channels.
• Invitation to attend XTC’s flagship annual AI conference in California, USA in November, 2026.

Program Timeline:

• Application Open Date: February 17, 2026
• Application Closure Date: March 20, 2026
• Internal Evaluation Completion: April 30, 2026
• Grand Finale Event: May 28, 2026 (Virtual)

Eligible applicants must be startups incorporated in India as Private Limited Companies with at least 51% Indian ownership. The challenge seeks the most innovative technology startups working in AI, ML, IoT, 5G, Edge Computing, Functional Safety, Ultra-Wideband, Wi-Fi 6, and beyond.

Season 5 winners, including Bharat Pi, Deepfacts, Lapa Electric, and Adaslabs Technologies, along with past winners such as Muse Diagnostics, Reflex Drive (Sunmint Energy), and Glovatrix, have gained significant industry traction and global visibility. Past winners have also been featured on platforms like Shark Tank India, showcasing the impact of this initiative.