New Delhi, April 7 -- India's biggest startup showcase just got bigger. But behind the buzz, founders are chasing attention, not just capital-and discovering that even ambition has limits.

At this year's Startup Mahakumbh, more than 3,000 startups officially registered to pitch their ideas across 11 sectors. But the real number may be higher. Many aspiring founders opted not to sign up under the startup category, instead entering as general visitors-circulating through the halls in the hope of an impromptu pitch or a casual conversation with an investor.

Read this | Data dive: Have startups really missed the innovation bus?

While the sectors on display ranged from AgriTech to D2C, it was clear that tech-led innovation dominated the nar...