Raj Shamani x Emergent ₹1 Crore Builder's Challenge
A nationwide AI contest with Raj Shamani and a ₹1 Crore prize pool. Indian business owners built real software with no coding. Browse 4,200+ submissions.
Submissions have closed. The Demo Finale was held on 31st July 2026. Winners will be announced soon. Follow Emergent News for the results.
Emergent partnered with entrepreneur and content creator Raj Shamani on a nationwide build challenge for Indian business owners, with a ₹1 Crore prize pool. Business owners, founders and operators built software for one real problem using Emergent, put it to work in their business, and gathered community upvotes. No coding needed.
Key dates
The challenge ran from 26th June to 21st July 2026. All dates below have passed.
The Demo Finale has taken place. Winner announcements are pending final verification.
Prizes
The top three business owners showing the most meaningful transformation share the ₹1 Crore prize pool.
Monetary prizes are awarded to the top three only.
Payment follows identity, eligibility, tax, banking and compliance verification. Taxes, bank charges and compliance obligations related to the prize money are the winner's responsibility unless otherwise stated. Winners are advised to seek independent tax advice.
How it worked
Who entered
The challenge was open to business owners, founders, operators, working professionals, agencies, consultants, and creators running businesses across India. No coding background needed. No technical team required. The test was whether you could describe the problem, not whether you could build the fix.
What people built
More than 4,200 apps were submitted, and the strongest were not generic tools. They were specific software built around one real workflow, and many were sharply tailored to Indian businesses and sectors. The standout builds clustered around a few kinds of problems:
- Business management platforms
All-in-one tools that unify CRM, operations, finance and content for a specific kind of business, from creative agencies to freelancers.
- Industry-specific apps
Software built for one trade, such as fuel and petrol-pump management, florist and gifting stores, farm-stay hospitality, and agriculture advisory for farmers.
- Sales, revenue and procurement
Tools to track pipelines and follow-ups, plug revenue leakage, and compare suppliers to cut sourcing costs.
- Education and tutoring
Learning platforms and AI study companions for students, plus mentorship and expert-guidance tools.
- Healthcare
Clinical co-pilots built to help Indian doctors reach decisions faster.
- Family and personal life
Assistants that help parents and families manage health, schedules and daily planning.
- Fundraising and business dashboards
Workspaces that bring investor outreach, business data and daily execution into one place.
The common thread across the leaders was not coding skill. It was the sharpness of the problem each builder chose and the software they built around it.
How winners were chosen
Selection ran in stages. All submissions were ranked by upvotes, and the 200 most upvoted advanced to judging. Those 200 were scored against the rubric below to produce the Top 100 and their ranking. The Top 25 were shortlisted, and the highest-ranked entries were invited to the Demo Finale on 31st July, where a panel identified the top three.
The final selection was led by Emergent and a pool of experts based on the judging criteria.
The rubric
Business impact was the heaviest criterion. Concrete evidence counted for more than aspiration: time saved per week, follow-ups no longer missed, cost or revenue movement, team adoption, before-and-after screenshots.
What's next
Winners will be announced soon. In the meantime, you can browse the submissions to see what Indian businesses built, or sign up for Emergent and start building software for your own business.
Stay tuned to Emergent News for the winner announcement and more on AI tools, launches, and what they mean for builders.
Frequently Asked Questions
Your Questions, Answered
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What was the Raj Shamani x Emergent challenge?
A nationwide AI contest run by Emergent with entrepreneur Raj Shamani. This AI app building contest asked Indian business owners to pick one real problem, build software for it on Emergent, use it in their business, and gather community upvotes, competing for a ₹1 Crore prize pool. Unlike most AI innovation contests chasing the most novel idea, it rewarded one real problem solved well.
Who could enter this AI competition, and from where?
Business owners, founders, operators, working professionals, agencies and consultants across India. No technical background was required. The test was whether you could describe a real problem clearly, not whether you could code, which is what set this AI challenge apart from a developer hackathon.
Did you need to know how to code?
No. Builders described what they wanted, and Emergent's AI agents handled the code, backend and deployment. This was a business transformation challenge, not a coding one.
How did upvotes affect the result?
Upvotes were the first gate and a scored criterion. The 200 most upvoted apps advanced to judging, and upvotes then counted for 20% of the rubric that ranked the Top 100 and Top 25.
How were the top three chosen?
After the upvote gate, the 200 finalists were scored on business impact, upvotes, problem solving, use of Emergent, and UI/UX. The highest-ranked entries were invited to the Demo Finale on 31st July, where a panel of Emergent leaders and outside experts identified the top three.
What did winners receive?
The top three share the ₹1 Crore pool: ₹50 lakh for first, ₹30 lakh for second, and ₹20 lakh for third.
Are the winners announced yet?
Not yet. The Demo Finale has taken place and the results are pending final verification. Follow Emergent News for the announcement.
Did the whole app have to be built on Emergent?
Yes. Every submitted product had to be built on Emergent, which handled the code, backend and deployment from a plain description of the problem.
Do builders keep ownership of what they made?
Yes. Participants retain ownership of their app and idea, subject to Emergent's platform terms and any third-party materials used. By submitting, they allowed Emergent and Raj Shamani to showcase and promote their app as part of the campaign.
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