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Strategic Partnership Proposal · May 2026

Blend × YourStory

The Bharat Project

Hoker Nidar Shuru-kar.

You built the platform that told India's startup stories.
This is the infrastructure that creates the next million creative stories.

STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP PROPOSAL
Blend Community · Tessarakt · May 2026
blend
02 / 15
The Moment

India built rails for startups.
The creative economy has none.

$100B
India's AVGC-creative economy target by 2030
1M+
Learners IICT aims to skill by 2035
10K+
AVGC-XR domain experts IICT is creating
0
Platforms connecting them to creative entrepreneurship

The government is investing billions. Colleges are ready. Studios are hiring. But there is no operating system connecting talent to opportunity. That's what we build together.

blend × The Moment
03 / 15
What YourStory has built

The Bharat Project has the mandate.
10 lakh entrepreneurs. DPIIT MoU. National reach.

YourStory · The Platform

  • 10M+ monthly readers · 200,000+ founder stories published in 12 languages
  • TechSparks — 16 editions, $2B+ funding raised, 500K+ jobs enabled
  • Tech30/50 alumni valuation: $7B+ (Freshworks, Chargebee, InnovAccer)
  • Launched April 2025 by Union Minister Piyush Goyal · DPIIT MoU signed June 2025

Five Pillars:

  • Shuru-kar AI — WhatsApp-based AI co-pilot; submit ideas via text/voice/video, get instant pitch docs in Hindi, English, regional languages
  • Idea Bank — startup-ready problems from govt depts, PSUs, and incubators for Tier 2/3 founders
  • IdeaSparks — national hackathon scouting top 1,000 ideas from 1,000+ districts
  • BharatSparks — regional summits: local entrepreneurs pitch to investors, access grants
  • Shuru-kar OTT — 7-part documentary series on regional startup success stories

Government & State Partners

  • Central: DPIIT, MeitY, AICTE
  • States: Bihar (10K startups across 38 districts + Startup Bus Yatra), Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Assam
  • 15+ incubators: Atal Incubation Centres, IIT Mandi, KIIT-TBI, DBATU-DFIIE

The honest gap.

Bharat Project has the mission, the government MOUs, the editorial reach, and the brand trust.

What it doesn't have yet: on-ground community infrastructure in colleges, a creator-to-founder pipeline, experiential event tech at scale, and a cultural movement that makes young India want to join.

That's what Blend + Tessarakt build.

blend × YourStory
04 / 15
What Blend brings

The infrastructure the Bharat Project is missing.

Creator Hub

Creator studio where talent works on real brand projects across film, gaming, food, fashion, media, art, music. Paid always — stipends, bonuses, clear briefs. Portfolio > clout.

Blend Crew

3-month paid creative cohorts. ₹15K/month + bonuses. Cohort 1 produced 200+ published pieces in 12 weeks. Graduates become EIRs who lead the next cohort.

BlendHack

Not another "build whatever" hackathon. Real problems from corporations, NGOs, and government. Customizable tracks, mentor access, real-time analytics, investor pipeline.

Campus Ambassadors

Student leaders in every college running meetups, BlendHacks, and talent scouting. The distribution layer Bharat Project needs on-ground.

Tessarakt Experiential

The engine under the hood. Platform engineering (BlendHack engine, Creator Hub), experiential event production, real-time analytics, and multi-city ops infrastructure. Blend is the brand. Tessarakt is the machine.

YourStory has the reach. Blend has the rails. Together = unstoppable.

Explore itsblend.studio →
blend × Infrastructure
05 / 15
Why this works

What YourStory gets. What Blend gets. Why both win.

What YourStory / Bharat Project gets

  • On-ground execution engine — campus ambassadors in 200+ colleges delivering on the 10-lakh mandate
  • A creative vertical for TechSparks — BlendHack adds the cultural layer the festival has never had
  • Content machine — every BlendHack = 300+ reels, BTS, stories for YourStory channels
  • Brand sponsors — creative cohorts and events attract new sponsor categories
  • Gen-Z engagement — college network that brings 18-24 year olds into the YourStory ecosystem

What Blend gets

  • Bharat Project brand + legitimacy — DPIIT MoU, government backing, national mandate
  • TechSparks stage — India's biggest startup festival as the BlendHack flagship venue
  • 10M+ reader distribution — YourStory editorial covers every cohort, hackathon, and success story
  • Certification power — YourStory-certified creator credentials carry weight with employers
  • State MOU access — Bharat Project's partnerships with 5+ states open doors for expansion

Neither of us can do this alone. YourStory has reach without rails. Blend has rails without reach. Together: India's creative entrepreneurship operating system.

blend × Partnership
06 / 15
The Network

IICT is skilling 1 million learners.
We turn them into founders.

The Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT) — India's AVGC-XR lighthouse under the Ministry of I&B — is building world-class labs (motion capture, DI suites, photogrammetry) and aims to create 10,000+ domain experts and skill 1M+ learners by 2035. They train the talent. We build the entrepreneurship pipeline around it.

Phase 1 · Bangalore

  • 20 colleges — Christ, PES, RV, Jain, Mount Carmel, NIFT, Srishti, NID
  • 1 Blend Campus Ambassador per college — runs monthly BlendHack
  • Monthly BlendHack + Blend Meetup on campus

Phase 2 · South India

  • 50 colleges across Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Telangana
  • IICT-trained talent feeds into Blend pipeline
  • K-Tech hubs as regional BlendHack venues

Phase 3 · National

  • 200+ colleges across 15 states via Bharat Project state MOUs
  • IICT as national AVGC-XR talent partner — graduates enter Blend pipeline
  • Each campus = permanent Blend node in the national network

Why IICT matters: IICT is backed by the Ministry of I&B, FICCI, CII, and NFDC. They're creating 10,000+ AVGC-XR experts and 500+ original Indian IPs. Blend plugs the entrepreneurship layer into IICT's talent pipeline — turning their skilled graduates into creative founders that feed the Bharat Project's 10-lakh mandate.

blend × Campus Network
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BlendHack

India's first hackathon for culture, not code.

Not another "build whatever" hackathon. Real problems from corporations, NGOs, and government organizations. Real mentors, real investor access, real outcomes.

8 Creative Tracks

  • Foods & Beverages
  • Art & Design
  • Media & Content
  • Music & Entertainment
  • Film & TV
  • Fashion & Beauty
  • Gaming & Tech
  • Slow Living & Work Culture

Why brands pay for this

  • Fashion brands discover emerging designers
  • Music labels find producers and artists
  • D2C brands get Gen-Z creative teams on tap
  • Every BlendHack = 300+ reels, BTS, stories for YourStory
  • Sponsored at ₹8–15L/event by brands
  • Winners enter the Bharat Creator Fellowship

For YourStory: Every BlendHack is a content goldmine — real stories of young creators building businesses in 48 hours. The kind of stories YourStory was built to tell.

blend × BlendHack
08 / 15
Industry + Government Firepower

ABAI, IICT, K-Tech — the ecosystem that makes this real.

ABAI

Association of Bangalore Animation Industry

  • 200+ AVGC studios — animation, VFX, gaming, XR
  • GAFX — 10,000+ attendees, 300+ B2B meetings
  • Shapes Karnataka's AVGC policy
  • Mentor pool + hiring pipeline for BlendHack winners

IICT

Indian Institute of Creative Technologies

  • 1M+ learners to be skilled by 2035
  • 10,000+ domain experts in AVGC-XR
  • 500+ original Indian IPs being created
  • Ministry of I&B, FICCI, CII, NFDC backed

K-Tech

Karnataka Technology · KDEM

  • ₹570 Cr Startup Policy 2025–30
  • ELEVATE NxT — up to ₹1 Cr grants per startup
  • Innovation Hubs in 5+ cities (venues for BlendHack)
  • 35% of India's startups are in Karnataka

The play: ABAI gives us 200+ studios for mentorship & hiring. IICT gives us the national talent pipeline. K-Tech gives us free venues, grant capital, and Tier-2 reach. Bharat Project connects them all. No one else has assembled this stack.

blend × Ecosystem
09 / 15
The Flagship Moment

BlendHack × TechSparks
The creative layer India's biggest startup festival has never had.

$2B+
Funding raised by showcased startups
$7B+
Tech30 alumni valuation
5L+
Jobs enabled
0
Creative hackathons at TechSparks. Ever.

What BlendHack × TechSparks looks like

  • 48-hour BlendHack running alongside TechSparks — powered by Tessarakt event tech
  • Live finals on the main stage — 8 creative tracks, 100+ teams
  • Winners get K-Tech ELEVATE grants + ABAI studio mentorship + Blend Crew fast-track
  • Campus Ambassadors bring Gen-Z energy the festival has never had
  • 500+ content pieces — reels, BTS, stories for YourStory channels

Why this is a no-brainer for YourStory

  • New audience — 18-24 creators who don't attend startup events today
  • New sponsors — Adobe, fashion brands, music labels, gaming companies
  • New content vertical — creative entrepreneurship = YourStory's next chapter
  • Bharat Project proof — live demo of the 10-lakh pipeline on the biggest stage
  • First mover — no festival in India has ever done this

TechSparks + BlendHack = The startup economy meets the creative economy. Tessarakt builds the stage. Blend fills it with talent. YourStory tells every story. On India's biggest startup platform.

blend × TechSparks
10 / 15
The Ecosystem

Six partners. One machine. Every gap filled.

Partner What they bring Role in the ecosystem Value to YourStory
Blend Creator Hub, Blend Crew, BlendHack, Campus Ambassadors, Blend Bazaar Community + pipeline + on-ground ops On-ground execution engine
Tessarakt Platform engineering, event tech, experiential production, analytics Technology + infrastructure layer Scalable tech that powers everything
YourStory 10M+ reach, TechSparks, editorial, DPIIT MoU, Bharat Project mandate Mission, brand, distribution, policy Core — this amplifies everything
ABAI 200+ AVGC studios, GAFX, mentor pool, hiring pipeline Industry anchor + studio sponsors New B2B sponsor pool
K-Tech ₹570 Cr startup policy, ELEVATE grants, innovation hubs Govt fuel: venues, grants, Tier-2 reach Government co-branding
IICT AVGC-XR lighthouse, 10K+ experts, 1M learners by 2035, 500+ Indian IPs, MoI&B backing Talent pipeline + IP creation + world-class labs National AVGC-XR credibility

No one else has this combination. Media companies don't have community infrastructure. EdTech doesn't have culture. Festivals don't have year-round continuity. Government doesn't have cool factor. No one has the tech platform to run 200+ hackathons across 15 cities. This partnership has all of it — YourStory's brand, Blend's community, Tessarakt's infrastructure.

blend × Ecosystem
11 / 15
The Pipeline

Five stages. Every one a YourStory story.

01

Discover

Campus Ambassador runs BlendHack. Exposure to inspiration. Talent surfaces.

02

Learn

8-track curriculum on Creator Hub. Real brand projects. YourStory-certified.

03

Create

Blend Crew — 3-month paid cohort. ₹15K/month. Real briefs from brands + ABAI studios.

04

Lead

EIR — lead micro-cohorts. Mentor the next batch. Elevate the community.

05

Launch

Own IP, own brand. Pitch at BharatSparks. Economic independence. Featured on YourStory.

Every stage feeds YourStory content. Discover = BlendHack reels. Learn = learning series. Create = brand stories. Lead = leadership profiles. Launch = YourStory feature. The pipeline IS the content engine.

blend × Pipeline
12 / 15
The Plan

12 months. Proof at every quarter.

Q1
JUN–AUG 2026

Foundation

  • 20 Campus Ambassadors live in Bangalore
  • First 50 Bharat Creator Fellows enrolled
  • Partnership announced at BharatSparks
Q2
SEP–NOV 2026

Visibility

  • BlendHack × TechSparks 2026 — live finals on stage
  • 50 Ambassadors across South India
  • 5 Bharat Crew cohorts running
Q3
DEC 2026–FEB 2027

Scale

  • BlendHack at GAFX 2027 (Jan 29–31)
  • K-Tech hubs as permanent BlendHack venues
  • Vernacular cohorts — Hindi, Tamil, Kannada
Q4
MAR–MAY 2027

Convergence

  • 200+ Ambassadors nationally
  • IICT partnership — Blend as entrepreneurship layer
  • India Creative Entrepreneurship Convention
blend × Plan
13 / 15
The Scale

Three entities scaling together. The path to 10 lakh.

Engine Metric Year 1 Year 2 Year 3
BlendCampus Ambassadors20100200+
Creators in pipeline500+5,000+25,000+
Crew cohorts graduated630100+
TessaraktBlendHacks powered2575200+
Cities with event infra1515+
Platform users2,00015,0001L+
YourStoryState MOUs activated2615+
Content pieces generated500+5,000+20,000+
Combined path to 10 lakh5,000 creators → 50,000 + national infra1 lakh+ · self-sustaining flywheel
blend × Scale
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The Flywheel

Three engines. One flywheel.
Powering the 10-lakh mandate.

📡

YourStory

Reach + Mandate

  • DPIIT MoU · 4 state MOUs
  • 10M readers · 12 languages
  • TechSparks · BharatSparks
  • Shuru-kar AI · Idea Bank
  • IdeaSparks · OTT series

Blend

Community + Pipeline

  • Campus Ambassadors in colleges
  • Creator Hub · real brand projects
  • Blend Crew · paid 3-month cohorts
  • BlendHack · 8 creative tracks
  • 5-stage journey: Discover → Launch
⚙️

Tessarakt

Tech + Production

  • BlendHack platform engine
  • Creator Hub tech stack
  • Experiential event production
  • Real-time analytics dashboard
  • Multi-event, multi-city ops at scale
YOURSTORY

Bharat Project opens state doors & district access

BLEND

Ambassadors activate campuses & run BlendHacks

TESSARAKT

Platform powers hackathons, analytics & event ops

OUTCOME

Creators become founders — grants, mentors, launch

YOURSTORY

Stories attract more states, brands & creators ↻

↻ Every loop = more creators, more states, more stories

How this powers the 10-lakh mandate:

YourStory signs state MOUs → opens 38 districts in Bihar, more in Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Assam. Bharat Project's Idea Bank feeds real problems. Shuru-kar AI helps founders in regional languages. BharatSparks creates regional launchpads.

Blend deploys Campus Ambassadors in every state. Creator Hub gives creators real brand projects. Blend Crew pays them ₹15K/month to learn. BlendHack turns ideas into fundable ventures. Winners enter IdeaSparks and pitch at BharatSparks.

Tessarakt builds the platform that runs 200+ BlendHacks/year across 15 cities. Real-time analytics show which districts produce talent. Event tech scales from 1 campus to a national movement. The infrastructure layer that makes 10 lakh possible.

blend × Flywheel
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Let's build this together.

Blend × YourStory

The Bharat Project

Hoker Nidar Shuru-kar.

The infrastructure that creates India's next million creative stories.

Campus Ambassadors across India's colleges. Cultural hackathons powered by ABAI, K-Tech, and IICT. A creator-to-founder pipeline that feeds TechSparks, BharatSparks, and the Bharat Project.

The next step: A 45-minute working session to map the Blend × Bharat Project integration, lock the TechSparks 2026 BlendHack slot, and align on Q1 launch.

blend