BusinessWire India
New Delhi [India], March 19: Startup Mahakumbh, nation's biggest celebration of the startup ecosystem, commenced today, at Bharat Mandapam, setting the stage for three days of collaboration, inspiration, and transformative discussions. The event saw an inaugural address from Rajesh Kumar Singh, Secretary, DPIIT, Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MOC&I), Government of India (GoI), in the presence of key government and private officials including Amitabh Kant, G20 Sherpa & Former CEO, NITI Aayog, GoI, members of organizing committee including Prashanth Prakash, Founder, Accel; Sanjay Nayar, Sr Vice President, ASSOCHAM & Founder and Chairman, Sorin Investments; Archana Jahagirdar, Founding and Managing Partner, Rukam Capital; and Sanjeev Bikhchandani, Co-founder and Executive Vice Chairman, Info Edge.
Post-inauguration, day one witnessed a diverse range of activities and sessions across 10 pavilions including AI + SaaS, D2C/Consumer brands, Agritech, Fintech, Deep Tech, Biotech & Pharma, Incubators, Climate Tech, E-sports, and B2B Manufacturing.
The Biotech pavilion on day - 1 commenced with a keynote address focusing on the importance of moving from innovation to the creation of intellectual property for a Viksit Nation. Prof. Vijay Chandru, Hon. Visiting Professor NCBS, Co-founder Strand Lifesciences highlighted that "the pandemic has caused a paradigm shift, emphasizing the need for a blend of knowledge and utility to navigate the way forward. Key technologies such as synthetic biology was identified as drivers of the ongoing revolution, pointing towards a future dominated by 'Techbio.'"
A panel discussion on "Startups Go Global: Conquering New Markets as a Startup" applauded the government for providing a fantastic stepping stone for startups looking to expand globally. The panel emphasized the direct application of engineering to biology (Techbio) as a transformative approach. It was noted that startups are not only entering global markets but also making a significant impact on them, positioning themselves as drivers of innovation. The importance of unlocking the right global collaborations was also underscored as a key strategy for success in the global marketplace.
Speaking on this, Dr. Taslimarif Saiyed, Director and CEO, C-CAMP said, "The day - 1 of the Startup Mahakumbh 2024 highlighted the pivotal role startups play in driving innovation and making a global impact. We applaud the government for creating a conducive environment for startups to thrive internationally Additionally, the concept of Techbio, bridging engineering and biology, is revolutionizing the biotechnology industry. Biotechnology startups are not just entering global markets; they're shaping them and it's crucial to unlock the right global collaborations to propel our startups towards greater success."
The event also featured a talk on "Taking Products to National/Global Markets," further emphasizing the need for startups to innovate and collaborate to achieve success on a global scale.
Startup Mahakumbh onboards top unicorns in the sponsors list, with Games 24X7, Oyo and Info Edge as Unicorn Gold sponsors, Dream11, Flipkart, Infra Market, Moglix, Nykaa as Unicorn Silver sponsors, BharatPe and Razorpay as Unicorn Bronze sponsors. The list of AIF sponsors includes Accel, Rukam Capital and Peak XV in the gold category, Aavishkar Group, Elevation Capital, Iron Pillar in the silver sponsorship category and Avendus Capital, Chiratae Ventures, Fireside Ventures, IvyCap Ventures and Sorin Investments in the bronze category of AIF sponsors.
The event will also connect Indian startups with event partners including Dalmia Bharat & Google (silver partners), Acko, Captain Fresh, Mobile Premier League (MPL), Jetsynthesis, Tally (bronze partners), IAN & Blume Ventures (session partners), IDFC First Bank (Bank partner), MM Active & India Mobile Congress (IMC) (Event partners) and Indian School of Business (ISB) (Academic partner).
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