Invention Engine

What Invention Engine does

Invention Engine (legally Big Bets Pvt. Ltd.) is a founder-led accelerator based in India that targets early-stage AI and deeptech startups through its flagship ACE $100k program. The 6-month, high-intensity program is delivered from Delhi NCR and is positioned as an operational co-founding partner — embedding with founders on product, GTM, fundraising, recruiting, finance, and legal functions rather than operating as a scouting or pitch-deck feedback platform. The company is led by Varun Aggarwal (founder of Aspiring Minds, $100M exit, MIT alum), Shailendra Nath Jha (ex-MMT, Spinny, ISB alum), and Shubham Bansal (founder of YC-backed Leapclub.in, EPFL and IIT Delhi alum), and draws on a Global Customer Advisory Board with senior leaders from Meta, Amazon, Apple, McKinsey, and Google.

The core product is the ACE $100k program, which provides up to $100,000 in unrestricted, founder-first seed funding per startup in exchange for equity, supplemented by more than 120 hours of dedicated 1:1 mentorship with actual founders. A secondary 'Knowledge Infrastructure' layer — including the 'Unboxing Intelligence' podcast, blog content, the ACE Startup Bootcamp, and the India State of AI Research report — functions as a public funnel to attract applicants and build thought-leadership brand. The company monetizes through equity stakes taken at cohort entry, with optionality on follow-on participation in subsequent portfolio rounds (e.g., co-investing alongside Artha Venture Fund II in Cheerio AI's Rs 8 crore seed round). To date, Invention Engine has committed $25 million to four portfolio startups (Sonic Lamb, Magicroll, Cheerio AI, Desible.ai), with portfolio companies collectively raising approximately $2.5 million in new funding as of March 2026.

The go-to-market is sales-led and cohort-driven: founders apply online or through in-person roadshows in select Indian cities, with closed-door 1:1 nurturing sessions, a one-week in-house evaluation, and final cohort selection. The fourth ACE cohort opened in 2026 with a $100K per-startup ticket. Marketing channels are top-of-funnel content (blog, podcast, LinkedIn, YouTube, newsletter, roadshow events). The company operates from Gurugram (21-B, 91 Springboard Sec 18 Udhyog Vihar) as its headquarters and from Karol Bagh, New Delhi as its registered office, with no disclosed institutional investors, parent company, or subsidiaries.

Name

Invention Engine

Legal name

Big Bets Pvt. Ltd.

Website

https://inventionengine.in

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Invention Engine is a founder-led Indian AI and deeptech startup accelerator that runs the 6-month ACE $100k program in Delhi NCR, investing up to $100K per startup and providing mentorship and global advisory access. It serves early-stage AI and deeptech founders, with portfolio companies spanning audio hardware, voice AI, enterprise automation, and video editing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Virar

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Accelerator Program: Invention Engine operates as an accelerator that provides funding, mentorship, and support to early-stage AI and deeptech startups. The program invests up to $100K per startup in exchange for equity.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Invention Engine runs the ACE $100k accelerator — a 6-month, in-person, high-intensity program based in Delhi NCR that selects early-stage AI and deeptech startups via online applications or in-person roadshows. Selected founders relocate to Delhi NCR for the program and receive up to $100K in unrestricted founder-first seed funding (taken in equity), more than 120 hours of dedicated 1:1 mentorship with actual founders, plus access to a Global Customer Advisory Board for international market validation and operational support across recruiting, finance, and legal.

Product overview

Invention Engine is a founder-first accelerator for AI and deeptech startups, offering a unified platform built around its core ACE $100k accelerator program. The accelerator provides up to $100K in seed funding combined with over 120 hours of mentorship, supported by Knowledge Infrastructure resources (podcasts and blogs), an AI Research Report, and access to a Global Customer Advisory Board for international market validation. The company operates primarily as a web-based platform with no public API.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ACE $100k: The flagship accelerator program offering up to $100K in founder-first seed funding for early-stage AI and deeptech startups. A 6-month high-intensity program based in Delhi NCR.
• ACE AI
• ACE Startup Bootcamp

Products and services

• ACE $100k Accelerator Program A 6-month, high-intensity, in-person AI and deeptech startup accelerator based in Delhi NCR. Selected founders receive up to $100K in unrestricted founder-first seed funding (in exchange for equity), more than 120 hours of dedicated 1:1 mentorship with operators/founders, hands-on product sprints, user feedback loops, investor-ready fundraising narratives and models, and operational support across recruiting, finance, and legal. The program covers ICP identification, product refinement, GTM launch, and PMF iteration, and grants access to a Global Customer Advisory Board (Meta, Amazon, Apple, McKinsey, Google leaders). Intended for high-agency, technically strong early-stage AI and deeptech founders.

Named customers8 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Y Combinator: The world's most prominent startup accelerator; both YC and Invention Engine run cohort-based programs offering seed funding, mentorship, and demo-day investor access for early-stage founders. Comparable in structure (intensive cohort, founder mentorship, demo-day model) though YC operates at vastly greater scale and global reach.
• GSF Accelerator (Global Superangels Forum): India-focused early-stage accelerator and seed fund for technology startups with mentor-driven cohort programs. Comparable as a domestic Indian accelerator competing for the same founder talent, though with a broader tech rather than AI/deeptech-only focus.
• Antler: Global early-stage accelerator and venture fund backing founders from day zero with capital, mentorship, and global cohort infrastructure. Comparable as a founder-first accelerator with structured cohort programs targeting AI and deeptech, and a globally distributed model.
• Axilor Ventures: Indian early-stage venture fund and accelerator supporting technology startups with seed capital and a cohort-based program. Comparable as a domestic Indian accelerator targeting tech founders, though Axilor is broader than AI/deeptech-specific.
• Techstars: Global accelerator network running 3-month intensive programs with seed investment and mentorship for early-stage startups. Comparable cohort-based accelerator model, though Techstars operates sector-agnostic programs across many geographies.
• Surge by Peak XV (Sequoia India): India-focused seed-stage accelerator program run by Peak XV (formerly Sequoia Capital India), combining capital with mentorship and a global investor network. Directly comparable as the dominant India AI/tech seed accelerator competing for the same founder pool as Invention Engine's ACE program.
• 500 Global (500 Startups): Global venture firm and accelerator running seed-stage cohort programs with a strong presence in emerging markets including Southeast Asia and India. Comparable as a cohort-based global accelerator with operations in India competing for similar AI/deeptech founders.

Regional players

• T-Hub: India's largest startup incubator based in Hyderabad, offering cohort programs, mentorship, and corporate connections for early-stage technology startups. Comparable as an India-based startup ecosystem builder with cohort programming, though T-Hub is a larger state-backed incubator rather than a venture-deploying accelerator.
• Speciale Invest: India-based early-stage venture fund focused on deeptech, AI/ML, and enterprise tech startups. Comparable as a deeptech-focused capital provider in the same Indian ecosystem, though operates as a traditional fund rather than cohort-based accelerator.

Broad incumbents

• Kalaari Capital: Established Indian early-stage venture capital firm with portfolio spanning consumer, enterprise, and emerging tech including AI. Comparable as an India-focused early-stage investor operating in the same founder ecosystem, but as a broader VC rather than accelerator.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/inventionengine
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@Change_Engine/featured
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ie-ace/?viewAsMember=true
• Instagraminstagram.com/invention_engine?igsh=MXBiOGZvemQ1Ym1iMQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments2 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Invention Engine