CHENNAI: Ten early-stage startups pitched AI-led solutions at ‘Gladiator: The Startup Pitch Arena’, (AI Edition 2026) organised by YNOS, bringing together founders, investors and incubation heads for early-stage funding discussions.
Atlas, Chillbot, Prediscan, Sky1, Embryo, Farm Vaidya, Sudama Health, Sustainabyte, Gogo cabs and Wacto presented healthtech, agri-tech, mobility, energy and enterprise solutions.
Prediscan, led by Dr Karthik, showcased an AI-based retinal scan that detects cardiovascular risk within 60 seconds using existing hospital infrastructure, and is currently under clinical trials.
Sudama Health presented a nurse-led telemedicine model for rural areas, integrating diagnostics and AI-backed systems, Sustainabyte pitched an AI platform to optimise energy consumption in chiller systems, while Farm Vaidya, led by Ramaru Pravin, demonstrated a voice-based advisory platform delivering multilingual farm guidance through phone calls.
Chillbot presented a robotic beverage dispensing system for hospitality applications, while Gogo cabs was among the mobility-focused pitches.
Investors including Kaushik Srikanth (The Chennai Angels), Mitali Agarwal (IN44 Capital), Chandran Krishnan (The Campus Angels), Joseph Basker (FinCetus Solutions), Yurek Raaj (Greater Pacific Capital) and others from angel networks and venture funds attended the event.
Representatives from incubation centres including Deepthi Shanmugam (Loyola Incubation Centre) and Boniface (SSN Incubation Foundation) were also present.
Speaking at the event, Prof Thillai Rajan of IIT-Madras and HoD-Centre for Research on Start-ups and Risk Financing (CREST), said, “The initiative aims at strengthening linkages between startups and investors, as AI has brought knowledge and capital together, which is to translating ideas into outcomes.”
At the event, Farm Vaidya won the social impact award, Chillbot was named best presenter, and Prediscan received a special mention for its AI-driven preventive healthcare solution.