Two-day Coastal Startup Festival in Mangaluru from March 28

A two-day Coastal Startup Fest – 2026 will be held in Mangaluru from March 28.

A joint initiative of Atal Incubation Centre, Nitte, K-Tech Innovation Hub, and the NITTE–Government of Karnataka Centre of Excellence in Aquamarine Innovation, the festival will be held at Fiza by Nexus Mall in the city. Karnataka Digital Economy Mission (KDEM) is the strategic partner of the festival.

The initiative is aimed at positioning Mangaluru–Udupi corridor as a leading Tier-2 innovation hub in India. The two-day festival will bring together curated startups, angel investors, industry leaders, academia, and ecosystem partners to foster collaboration, investment, and sustainable growth.

The festival will feature SPARK-2026 which is a student business idea challenge, offering cash prizes and six months of mentorship; coastal startup expo and investor summit, with interactive booths, startup pitches, and visibility to over 60,000 visitors; presenting coastal startup excellence awards; industry–academia roundtable; and structured investor networking, targeting over 50 curated interactions, a release from the organisers said.

Posters and programme brochure of the festival were released at a function in Mangaluru on Saturday.

Speaking on the occasion, Ameet Ganu S., General Manager (Corporate Strategy), MRPL, highlighted the immense potential of startups in transforming the economy and contributing to societal development.

Poornachandra, AGM, Canara Bank, Udupi Circle, spoke about the significant impact of coastal startups in driving the Indian economy and highlighted various government initiatives such as ‘Make in India’ and ‘Startup India’ that support the startup ecosystem.