G20 DIA Roadshow: StartupKumbh - Strengthening The Entrepreneurship Ecosystem to Drive Economic Growth
The G20 Digital Innovation Alliance (DIA) Roadshow: StartupKumbh was successfully held on 28th March 2023 at the India Expo Mart, Greater Noida, with several dynamic discussions and insightful presentations. The roadshow, which brought together leading experts and policymakers from across the innovation ecosystem of India, explored how entrepreneurship can be fostered across the varied geographies and demographic of the Indian landscape.
Atal Incubation Centre- BIMTECH( AIC-BIMTECH) & Birla Institute of Management Technology (BIMTECH), in collaboration with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) & Meity Startup Hub (MSH), organized ‘Startup Kumbh: G20-DIA National Roadshow’, which was one of the most significant events for startups and investors in India and featured prominent figures from central & state ministries, the startup founders, mentors, investors, and many more ecosystem enablers.
The event included various different programs relating to the start-up ecosystem and saw a registration of over 1000 individuals for the event, including nearly 400 start-ups, about 100 investors, and over 30 eminent speakers. The event was graced by the presence of Shri Yogendra Upadhyay, Minister of Electronics & Information Technology, Government of Uttar Pradesh as the Chief Guest and several eminent speakers like Dr. Chintan Vaishnav, Mission Director, Atal Innovation Mission, Shri Akash Tripathi, IAS, Joint Secretary, MeitY, Mr. Jeet Vijay, CEO, MeitY Startup Hub, Dr. Harivansh Chaturvedi, Director, BIMTECH and Dr. Abha Rishi, CEO, AIC-BIMTECH. The roadshow featured a series of panel discussions, speeches, and keynote addresses from prominent leaders in the field of entrepreneurship and innovation. Along with these eminent speakers, representatives of three unicorns were there, Rajiv Kumar Gupta, President-PolicyBazaar, Nitin Jain, Co- Founder (OfBusiness), Ankur Dhawan, President – Abroad, Upgrad.
Speakers from the embassies, Dr. Hilda Farkas, Counsellor, Embassy of Hungary in New Delhi and Mr. Soumen Mondal, Trade Commissioner, Investments, High Commission of Canada in India, explored topics such as the possibilities and potential of cross country trade and investments. Dr. Yogmaya Verma, COO, Indigram Labs Foundation, Mr. Ronald Fernandez, CEO, AIC-RNTU, Mr. Mahip Singh, Head, Innovation Hub, AKTU, Dr. Puran Singh, Faculty Incharge, IIT Mandi Catalyst and Ms. Sheeba Khan, CEO, AIC-SNU discussed the potential of incubators to strengthen the entrepreneurship ecosystem and to promote sustainability and inclusivity, and the role of public-private partnerships in driving innovation.
“The significant strides India has made in technology and innovation under PM Modi’s leadership, is contributing to the nation’s growth and development” said Mr. Jeet Vijay, CEO , MeiTY StartUp Hub. He also highlighted the impact of the Digital India mission and its accomplishments thus far, including the creation of a single identity card and high-speed financial transactions through UPI,
The roadshow featured a range of speakers, including leading policymakers, entrepreneurs, and investors, who shared their insights and experiences in the various facets of the business industry, be it representatives from leading banks talking about financial inclusivity to grow small businesses or the unicorn start-up founders such as Policy Bazaar, UpGrad, and OfBusiness, who discussed the various challenges faced and the path towards establishing high performing businesses in a short span of time.
“Government’s focus on startups incubators, accelerators, and investors is a positive step towards creating a thriving startup ecosystem in the state. With the potential to generate employment and drive economic growth, startups are an important area of focus for the government, and we can expect to see more initiatives and schemes aimed at promoting their growth in the future,” said Shri Yogendra Upadhyayji, Minister of Electronics & Information Technology, Government of Uttar Pradesh and the Chief Guest of the event.
Our exclusive banking partner IDFC First bank, startup head Mr. Bhavesh K Jatania, shared his views on the support a bank can give to startups while speaking at the event, he also congratulated startups who were selected for the pitching showcase. Eight carefully curated start-ups from a pool of over 300 start-ups. The Atal Incubation Centre- BIMTECH team ensured selecting quality over quantity when it came to pitching in front of investors in the Startup Kumbh. The event also gave the unique opportunity to 14 start-ups to showcase their products and services to the attendees through stalls installed at the venue.
The event also saw prominent leaders like Mr. Ayush Gupta – Director (HR) GAIL and Mr. Girdhari Lal – Director ( Public Policy)- E&Y discuss the role of corporates and the Indian startup ecosystem in transforming human values across G20 nations with Dr. Pankaj Priya, Professor, BIMTECH . A discussion on Catalyzing Digital Transformation in Tier 2 & 3 Cities was also done by leaders in the industry such as Mr. Abhishek Tiwari, Associate Director, Advisory – KPMG India, Mr. Amit Singal, Founding Partner, FluidVentures, Ms. Anupma Singh, CEO, Interviewcracker, Mr. Amit Kapoor, CEO, Onestack and Mr. Ravi Ranjan, Entrepreneurship Evangelist & Startup Expert, Venture Catalysts.
The event also included start-up pitching sessions of 8 carefully curated start-ups from a pool of over 300 start-ups. The Atal Incubation Centre- BIMTECH team ensured selecting quality over quantity when it came to pitching in front of investors in the Startup Kumbh. The event also gave the unique opportunity to 14 start-ups to showcase their products and services to the attendees through stalls installed at the venue.
STARTUPS AT STARTUPKUMBH
The G20 DIA Roadshow is part of a broader initiative by the G20 to promote digital innovation and build a more inclusive and resilient global economy. By working together, the G20 DIA is committed to driving the adoption of new technologies, promoting regulatory frameworks that support innovation, and fostering an ecosystem that encourages investment and collaboration.