Aspiring south asian founders pitch to Angels - Hustle Games

Are you a South Asian founder or co-founder building seriously and looking for mentorship, investor feedback, and a chance to pitch your startup in front of angels and early-stage VCs?
Hustle Games is a Shark Tank-style founder pitch evening in Berlin, bringing together selected South Asian founders, angels, investors, mentors, and the wider startup community.
On 18 June, 10 selected startups will pitch on stage at Engelnest. Each startup will get 3 minutes to pitch, followed by 3 minutes of jury Q&A.
This is not just another networking evening. It is a founder challenge, a preparation journey, and a summer pitch night built around serious builders.
Why attend?
Meet a curated community of South Asian founders, angels, VCs, and startup operators
Watch selected early-stage startups pitch live
Connect over chai, desi snacks, and Indian BBQ
Meet potential collaborators, mentors, and supporters
Get access to founder-focused masterclasses before the main event
Become part of the founders-only WhatsApp community for ongoing support
Who is this for?
This event is primarily for South Asian full-time founders and co-founders, especially those building at the early stage.
We also welcome angels, early-stage investors, startup mentors, and selected community members who want to support serious founders.
Pitch selection
To qualify for the final pitch stage, founders are expected to participate in the Hustle Games founder masterclass series before the main event.
The selection process is designed to identify committed founders and help them prepare before they get on stage.
To be considered for the final pitch lineup, founders should:
Register for the main Hustle Games event
Attend at least 4 out of 5 founder masterclasses
Submit a pitch deck after the masterclass series
Join the invited founder Q&A / pitch deck review session
Be shortlisted for one of the 10 final pitch slots
Final stage format
Each selected startup will get:
3 minutes to pitch on stage
3 minutes for jury Q&A
Founders should prepare a short, sharp, and focused pitch deck that fits clearly within the 3-minute stage slot.
Prizes and founder support
We are also working on prizes and support for the pitch winners. More details will be announced soon.
Expect a mix of visibility, introductions, feedback, and founder support that can help selected startups move forward.
Event Agenda
17:30 - Check-in, chai and welcome
18:00 - Opening remarks
18:30 - Hustle Games - Startup pitches: 10 selected founders
19:30 - Angels / VC panel and jury interaction
20:00 - Community awards, next steps and closing
20:15 - Networking with angels, mentors and founder circles over Indian BBQ
21:30 - Event close
Jury Members
The pitch session will be reviewed by investors, operators, and ecosystem builders across venture capital, accelerators, AI, Web3, climate, built world, SaaS, and immigrant-founder ecosystems.
Angie Mahtaney
Investor | Built World & Innovation
Focus areas: climate tech, energy infrastructure, robotics, workforce solutions, built environment innovation.
Diksha Dutta
Head of Growth, soonami
Focus areas: AI, Web3, impact ventures, accelerator ecosystems, founder communities.
Gaurav Jha
Founder, TAG Capital | Investor
Focus areas: pre-seed and seed B2B tech, venture infrastructure, B2B SaaS, global investor networks.
Jay Mehta
Venture Advisor, Earlybird Vision Lab
Focus areas: early-stage startups, immigrant founders in Germany, AI, finance, venture building.

Community Partners Shoutout:

• Indians in Berlin FB group by Amit Chougule
• BERLIndians WA by Abhishek (Aggy) Agarwal
• Pitch Bazaar by Shruti Kubér
• Indian Founders berlin WA by Satya Prakash Mishra
• WeDesi - Desi Indian Community for Everyone.
• Nikhilesh Dhure
• Desi Girls Berlin (IG: desigirls_berlin) by Mimansa Bhardwaj
  Community Advisors:
  Rishi Anand
  Chittranjan Dubey
  Mimansa Bhardwaj
  Note
  More details on jury members, investors, side activities, food, prizes, and final pitch format will be announced soon.