Session 1: Inaugural Session

The Hon'ble Prime Minister launched the Startup India Action Plan on 16thJanuary 2016 which has formed the basis of the growth of the Startup India movement in the country. In the Action Plan, Action Point 12 says “Organizing international events to showcase innovation and provide a collaborative platform to startups”.Additionally, in the Plenary Session of the 4th BIMSTEC Summit held in Kathmandu, Nepal on 30th-31stAugust 2018 Hon’ble Prime Minister announced to host BIMSTEC Startup Conclave to increase connectivity among our entrepreneurs in BIMSTEC countries.The summit is now being held on 15th-16thJanuary 2021. The two-day event shall be inaugurated by Hon’ble Commerce and Industry Minister. The Hon’ble CIM shall address a gathering of innovators, entrepreneurs, investors, regulators, industry, and academic luminaries from India and across the world including BIMSTEC countries and launch the Virtual Startup Showcase. Additionally, the session shall include remarks from dignitaries and representatives from BIMSTEC countries on improving international collaboration.

The inaugural session shall highlight:

• The growth of the Indian startup ecosystem
• The role of ‘Startup India Initiative’ in making India the third largest startup ecosystem of the world
• The need for a robust startup ecosystem to accomplish the USD $5 Trillion economy goal set by Hon’ble Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi
• The importance of convergence and collaboration between the BIMSTEC countries to further develop their startup ecosystems
• The importance of convergence and collaboration between various stakeholders like entrepreneurs, industry, academia, government, and investors to further improve the efficiency of the startup ecosystem in India such that it supports new entrepreneurs and innovators.

Session Panel Members

Moderator

Ms. Aastha Grover, AVP & Head, Startup India Hub, Invest India

Dignitaries

• Hon’ble Minister Shri Piyush Goyal, Minister of Railways and Commerce & Industry
• Shri Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Housing and Urban Affairs and Civil Aviation, and Minister of State for Commerce and Industry
• Shri Som Prakash, Minister of State for Commerce & Industry
• H.E. Mr. Tenzin Lekphell, Secretary General, BIMSTEC
• H.E. Mr. Zunaid Ahmed Palak, State Minister for Information and Communication Technology, Government of People’s Republic of Bangladesh
• H.E. Mr. Lyonpo Loknath Sharma, Minister of Economic Affairs, Royal Government of Bhutan
• H.E. Mr. U Thaung Tun, Minister of Investment & Foreign Economic Relations, Government of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar
• H.E. Mr. Lekhraj Bhatta, Minister of Industry, Commerce and Supplies, Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal
• H.E Mr. Namal Rajapaksa, Minister of Youth and Sports, Republic of Sri Lanka
• H.E. Dr. Pun-Arg Chairatana, Executive Director, National Innovation Agency, Government of the Kingdom of Thailand
• Dr Guruprasad Mohapatra, Secretary, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Government of India

Session 2: Virtual Startup Showcase

Virtual Startup Showcase will be an exhibition of exemplary innovative startups from the Country from across the sectors. This will be hosted for the whole duration of summit giving startups an opportunity to showcase their products and services to the world. The Showcase will provide the startups with the much-needed unified global platform for networking, exhibiting their products & services and to finding new business opportunities, markets, technology, and investments.

Session 3: Foundations of a Robust Startup Ecosystem

The session aims to discuss global best practices on nurturing strong startup ecosystems, with regard to policy interventions by governments and learning from experience in various countries. The session shall facilitate exchange of information on various initiatives being adopted in their respective counties including BIMSTEC nations.

The engaging session would highlight the role of a dedicated startup policy in nurturing local innovations and the startup ecosystem and focus on their engagements with respect to different policy and regulatory interventions, which are key to foundation of an enabling startup ecosystem.

Session Panel Members

Moderator

Mr. Kris Gopalakrishnan, Chairman and Founder, Axilor Ventures

Panelists

• Shri. K Vijay Raghavan, Principal Scientfic Adviser to the Government Of India
• Mr. Arif Khan, IDLC (Nomination from Bangladesh)
• Mr. Tandin Tshering, Director General, Department of Cottage and Small Industry, Ministry of Economic Affairs, Royal Govt. of Bhutan
• Deputy Director General, DICA, Ministry of Investment and Foreign Economic Relations, Myanmar
• Mr. Dipta Shah, Founder, 54iVentures, Nepal
• Mr. Pariwat Wongsamran, Director, Startup Thailand
• Mr. Sachindra Samararatne , Programme Head, Industry Develoment Programme, ICTA, Sri Lanka

Session 4: Promoting Women Entrepreneurship

Today, women entrepreneurs represent the fastest growing category worldwide and women are making a significant contribution to entrepreneurial activity and economic development. Women entrepreneurs have an important impact on the economy both, by the number of startups they are able to create and because a number of them are able to create successful unicorns. In 2019, more female-led startups achieved unicorn status than ever before.

In this session, women entrepreneurs, who are the change makers and leaders in their respective areas, would discuss the need for promoting women entrepreneurship through conducive policies that would mobilize the untapped aptitude and immense potential of women entrepreneurs.

Session Panel Members

Moderator

Ms. Shobana Kamineni, Executive Vice-Chairperson, Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Limited

Panelists

• Dr Renu Swarup, Secretary, Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science & Technology, GoI
• Ms. Tina Jabeen, MD & CEO, Startup Limited, Bangladesh
• Ms. Choitsho Eudel Dorji, Founder, Tse Organics, Bhutan
• Ms. Mu Mu Aye, Deputy Director, Head of SMEs Department, Yangon Region SMEs Department, Ministry of Finance, Planning and Industry, Myanmar
• Ms. Santoshi Rana, Founder, Founder, Bihani Social Venture, Nepal
• Ms. Warangkhana Phanwanich, CEO, Petaneer Co., Thailand
• Ms. Kasturi Chellaraja Wilson , Group CEO HEMAS Holdings PLC, Sri Lanka

Session 5: From Idea to Proof of Concept

In order to be able to succeed in global competition, startups need various resources in the different phases of their development. First, startups need an idea and a clear vision of its implementation. This requires building a team, defining concepts for the new products and services, as well as setting up a viable strategy and committing to its implementation. Ideating and conceptualizing new products and services require the right people and talent, and efficient collaboration between them. Development and validation of concepts requires access to seed funding and potential customers. In today’s world, young minds have various ideas to start a venture. This session will bring together experts/ startup founders from BIMSTEC Member countries to share their experience and guide the young minds on how to convert an Idea to Proof of Concept.

Session Panel Members

Panelists

Mr. Deep Kalra, Founder and Group CEO, MakeMyTrip

Dignitaries

• Prof. Ashutosh Sharma, Secretary, Department of Science and Technology, Government Of India
• Mr. Fahim Ahmed, Pathao, President and CFO, Pathao, Bangladesh
• Mr. Sonam Wangchuk, Founder, The Tiger's Nest Camp, Bhutan
• Mr. Sixit Bhatta, Co-Founder, Tootle, Nepal
• Mr. Ukrit Visitkitjakarn, CEO, Earthcare Innosys, Thailand
• Lahiru Padmala, Founder, Takas.Ik, Sri Lanka

Session 6: Go to market Strategy

Startups are born through product innovation/ founded on an idea—a new way of doing something. But as a market matures, it is harder to sustain innovation. Need for a Go-To market Strategy comes into play to ensure that the innovation finds sustainability. Targeting the right market segment and expanding the customer base are key essentials for any enterprise to continue its growth trajectory. The session will focus on the ingredients of a robust Go-to-Market strategy with an emphasis on internationalization for startups.

Session Panel Members

Moderator

Country Head – Softbank India, Softbank Group International

Panelists

• Mr. Kunal Bahl, CEO & Co-Founder, Snapdeal
• Mr. Rahat Ahmed, Founding Partner and CEO, Anchorless Bangladesh
• Mr. Sonam Chophel, Founder, Druksell, Bhutan
• Dr. Wunna Aung, Director, DICA, Myanmar
• Mr. Amun Thapa, Founder & CEO, Sasto Deal, Nepal
• Mr. Jay Parote Denskoon, CEO & Co-founder, Zipevent, Thailand
• Mr. Prajeeth Balasubramanian, General Partner/Co-Founder, BOV Capital, Sri Lanka

Session 7: Corporate and Investor Connect (Pitching Sessions)

The session with virtual startup pitching aims to create value for startups by providing access to sources of funding and an opportunity to pitch to world-class investors. This session is meant for startups to make presentations to potential investors for possible investments. The pitching format would include 3 parallel tracks, 5 mins of pitch and 8 mins of Q&A. Over 100 pitching sessions giving access to investors & initiating conversations that will help startups with feedback on their pitch as well as their venture.

Session 8: Building Successful Incubators

The session will focus on the building blocks of setting up an incubator and the different elements of an incubation centre for the relevant stakeholders. The initiatives and activities adopted by the Governments to support incubators and the essentials of building and managing successful incubation programs would be highlighted in this session.

Session Panel Members

Moderator

Dr. K Suresh Kumar​, President , Indian STEPs and Business Incubators Association (ISBA)

Panelists

• Shri R. Ramanan, Mission Director, Atal Innovation Mission and Additional Secretary, NIITI AAYOG, Government Of India Senior Vice President, Tata Consultancy Services
• Mr. Samad Miraly, Partner, IDLC Venture Fund 1, Bangladesh
• Mr. Tashi Wangdi, Founder, iHub and iTravel
• Dr. Tshering Cigay Dorji , CEO, Thimphu Tech Park Ltd., Bhutan
• Mr. Narottam Aryan, President, King's College, Kathmandu
• Mrs. Sansanee Huabsomboon, Director, Business Innovation Centre (BIC), National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), Thailand
• Mr. Mano Sekarama, Founder and CEO, 99x Technology Ltd., Founder, StartupXFoundry

Session 9: Leveraging Power of Social Innovation

Social innovation and social entrepreneurship revers to any solution that meets a social or environmental issue, thus creating social relations in the process and implying new collaboration. In fewer words it means doing good in a smart way. In today’s world the youth is trying to solve various social problems with innovative ways. This session will cover the role and impact of startups solving social problems faced by participating countries. The panellist will also share the role of social innovation in solving real-life problems and the success stories of startups that have helped the Governments address pressing problems.

Session Panel Members

Moderator

Mr. Venkatesh Shukla, General Partner, Monta Vista Capital,Past President, TiE Silicon Valley and Former Chair, TiE Globa

Panelists

• Ms. Neera Nundy, Co-Founder and Partner, Dasra
• Ms. Siffat Sarwar, Co-Founder, ShopUp, Bangladesh
• Mr. Sangay Dorji, Secretary General, Bhutan Chamber of Commerce and Industry
• Dr. Nge Lay Khin, Deputy General Manager, The Office of the Central Transformation Unit, Ministry of Planning, Finance & Industry, Myanmar
• Bibhusan Bista, Co-Founder and CEO, YoungInnovations, Nepal
• Mr. Chandula Abeywickrema Founder & Chairman, Lanka Impact Investing Network (LIIN)
• Mr. Teera Kanokkanjanarat, Founder, Arincare Co., Ltd., Thailand

Session 10: Enabling Market Access for Startups

One of the major challenges for a startup is introducing a new product or innovation in the market. Naturally, the market may be slow in embracing such an innovation.Additionally, startups may not have the requisite capacity or network to tap into new markets to bring their products out. Therefore, many enablers, such as investors, corporates, and government stakeholdersplay an important role in the startup ecosystem by providing the market access needed by startups to reach potential customers.

The discussion in the session will be focused on various platforms and avenues available for startups in terms of procurement and market access. It would also provide the insights into the various government initiatives and reforms undertaken for ease of public procurement from startups. All BIMSTEC countries have been requested to nominate one speaker.

Session Panel Members

Moderator

Ms. Sruthi Kannan​, Head, CISCO Launch Pad

Panelists

• Shri Rajeev Kandpal, Joint Secretary & CFO, GeM, Ministry of Commerce, Government of India
• Mr. Bijon Islam, CEO and Founder, LightCastle Partners, Bangladesh
• Mr. Ugyen C. Jamtsho, Founder, I Am An Entrepreneur, Bhutan
• Mr. Rungsun Promprasith, CEO, QueQ (Thailand) Co Ltd
• Mr. Sanath Panawennage, CEO, Arthur C. Clarke Institute for Modern Technologies, Sri Lanka

Session 11: Star Talks

In this session, marquee global speakers will speak about their journey as an entrepreneur.They would talk about their own challenges, and how they overcame failures to succeed in a fiercely competitive world.

The session shall celebrate the triumph of grit and determination in the face of numerous trials and tribulations, with the star speakers narrating from their real-life experiences. The session shall also highlight the importance of having a vision of scale and taking calculated risks to achieve these. With the star speakers coming from diverse backgrounds, a key-takeaway of the session shall be an understanding of varied approach towards problem-solving, personal growth, and teamwork.

Moderator

Ms. Shereen Bhan, CNBC-TV18

Proposed Star Talk Speakers

• Mr. John Chambers, Founder & CEO, JC2 Ventures and Former Chairman & CEO, Cisco
• Mr. Sunil Kant Munjal, Chairman, Hero Enterprise
• Ms. Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Bollywood Actress

Session 12: Closed Door Roundtable with Global Venture Capital Funds

The VC, PE ecosystem has been relentlessly working to boost the investment environment in India and the Government of India is playing a crucial role here. Owing to its prosperous, vibrant & booming start-up ecosystem, India has been ranked the 3rd largest tech startup hub in the world. The startup ecosystem has raised more than $63 billion in growth capital between 2016 and 2020, when they spawned 36 unicorns. Of the total inflows, nearly half came in 2019 alone -- $34 billion and $17 billion in 2020 till May.This phase of startup ecosystem growth has been fuelled by availability of a technical talent pool with positive perception around entrepreneurship, learning and adapting from global tech companies, increased government support through infrastructure investment, funding and large amounts of foreign capital flowing into the country.

The Roundtable will focus on mobilizing global capital for Indian Startups and promoting ease of doing business for global venture funds.The roundtable will be attended by all the major Indian regulators, policy makers, ministry leads and Global VC Funds from USA, Japan, Korea, Singapore as well as India Domiciled Global Fund Managers.

Session 13: Journey of Startup India

Startup India was launched on 16thof January 2016 by Shri Narendra Modi, Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, with an objective to build a strong ecosystem for nurturing innovation and Startups in the country that will drive sustainable economic growth and generate large scale employment opportunities. Vision of the Startup India Initiative is driven by a 19-point action plan spanning across three broad pillars: Simplification and Handholding, Funding support and Incentives, Industry-academia Partnership and Incubation, to meet the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s vision of at least one startup in every block of every district. Today, the Indian Startup ecosystem is the world’s third largest Startup ecosystem. Since the inception of the initiative, more than 40,752 Start-ups have been recognized as on 17th December 2020 across 586 districts from all 28 States and 8 Union Territories, of which 55% come from tier 1 cities and 45% from tier 2 & 3 cities. Working across IT, Industry 4.0, education, healthcare, agriculture, energy, finance, space, defence, and all other sectors of the economy, Indian startups have attracted substantial global investments and reported more than 4,22,986 jobs.

The session shall revolve around recalibration of the activities under the Startup India Initiative. Along with DPIIT, innovations by various state governments and central government ministries that have been imperative to drive the growth of startup ecosystem in the country will also be highlighted.

Moderator

Mr. Salil Seth, Senior Manager, Startup India Hub, Invest India

Session 14: Harnessing Innovations in States

The States and UTs play important role in developing the startup ecosystems at the ground level. Their active participation is necessary to support entrepreneurship across the length and breadth of our nation. This panel discussion aims to discuss the noteworthy and laudable efforts of states and UTs in supporting the local startups through policy interventions.

With the aim to encourage good business practices in states, the government conceived the States’ Startup Ranking Framework in 2018. The second edition, announced in September 2019, has seen active participation from 22 states and 3 union territories. 30 states and UTs now have their own startup policies and implementation mechanism in place. The panel discussion aims to highlight the pioneering work done by specific states from the key drivers of the state startup chapters, while also discussing the best practices of these states in achieving the desired results.

Session Panel Members

Moderator

Smt. Shruti Singh​, Director, Department for Promotion Of Industry and Internal Trade, Ministry Of Commerce, Government Of India

Panelists

• Dr. E.V. Ramana Reddy, Additional Chief Secretary to Hon`ble Chief Minister, Additional Chief Secretary to Department of Electronics, Information Technology (IT), Biotechnology (Bt) and Science & Technology (S&T), Government of Karnataka
• Shri. Jayesh Ranjan, IAS Principal Secretary, Industries & Commerce and Information Technology, Government of Telangana
• Shri. Manoj Kumar Das, IAS Additional Chief Secretary to Hon`ble Chief Minister and Additional Chief Secretary, Industries & Mines Department, Government of Gujarat
• Shri. Abhishek Dev, IAS Secretary, PWD, Rural Development, Urban Development, Industries and MD, ANIIDCO, Andaman & Nicobar Administration
• Shri. Sibin C Director-cum-Secretary, Industries & Commerce and State Startup Nodal Officer, Government of Punjab

Session 15: Startup India – The way ahead

Startups are the cornerstone on which Atmanirbharta will be founded. There is a need to leverage the phenomenal opportunity capable of not only making India a recognised global hub for entrepreneurship and innovation but also solving our challenges in affordable healthcare, education, agricultural productivity, clean environment, employment and propelling us to become one of the top 3 economic powerhouses in the world.

This panel discussion will engage in identifying the next set of reforms and interventions for propelling the Indian startup ecosystem towards greater heights and global recognition.

Session Panel Members

Moderator

Dr. Saurabh Srivastava, Co-Founder, NASSCOM

Panelists

• Shri Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog, Gol
• Shri Ajay Prakash Sawhney, Secretary, MeitY, GoI
• Shri R. Umamaheswaran, Scientific Secretary, ISRO
• Mr. Mohandas Pai, Chairman, 3one4 Capital
• Ms. Nupur Garg, Founder, WinPE Forum

Session 16 : Building Unicorns

India has become a center of entrepreneurship in the world. We now have 36 Unicorns (as of 22nd Dec) and we may well beat our own projections of 100 Unicorns by 2025. In the year 2020 alone, India has seen 9 Unicorns. More importantly, Indian Startups have changed the Indian landscape in many ways, by creating new ways of consumption, leveraging technology.

The panel discussion with leaders of unicorn startups will feature discussions on their journeys, learnings, sectoral insights, and their vision for the next set of Indian unicorns and the startup ecosystem at large.

Session Panel Members

Moderator

Mr. Sanjeev Bhikchandani, Founder, Info Edge India Ltd

Panelists

• Mr. Ritesh Agarwal, Founder & CEO(Group), Oyo Hotels & Homes
• Mr. Hari Menon, Co-Founder & CEO, BigBasket
• Mr. Nithin Kamath, Founder & CEO, ZERODHA/RainMatters
• Mr. Sridhar Vembu, CEO, Zoho Corporation

Session 17: Champions of Change: Success with an impact

The objective of this session is to bring together Champions who have created organisations that have had an impact on society. They have mainly focused on generating positive measurable social change through their work and investments into the social sector. Their inspiring journeys will influence startups to look at creating social sector enterprises. The startups will also get a window into the best practices employed by each other in creating such organisation, especially in putting together great teams that have driven the organisation towards focusing on the social purpose of the organisation.

The Government of India also recognizes entrepreneurs, investors and industry members who have been instrumental in bringing a change in the Indian society through their innovations and endeavours; with the “Champions of Change” award. The award is focused upon the ‘Gandhian’ values.

The fireside interactions in this session will be an engagement with leading change makers whose success stories would have been incomplete without their notable contributions in driving socio-economic growth and development of the society at large.

Session Panel Members

Moderator

​Mr. Ajai Chowdhary, Founder, HCL

Panelists

• Dr. Gururaj 'Desh' Deshpande, President and Chairman, Sparta Group LLC
• Mr. Vineet Rai, Chairman and Founder, Aavishkaar Group
• Mr. Pramod Bhasin, Chairman, ICRIER; Founder, Genpact Ltd. and Chairman, Clix Capital
• Mr. Sonam Wangchuk, Founder, HIAL and Co-Founder, Secmol

Session 18: Closed Door Roundtable on "Mobilizing Domestic Capital for Startups"

Attracting capital for the Indian startup ecosystem has been an important action agenda for the Government of India and the same is further emphasised to build a more resilient and globally competitive entrepreneurial community for realising the vision of an ‘AatmaNirbhar Bharat’. This Closed-Door Roundtable will discuss ways to mobilize domestic capital for Indian Startups and support ease of doing business. The roundtable will be attended by top domestic Industry Leaders, Family Offices, HNI, Insurance Companies and Pension Authorities are expected to attend.

Session Panel Members

Moderator

Ms. Renuka Ramnath, Founder, Managing Director and CEO, Multiples Alternate Asset Management

Session 19: Promoting Entrepreneurship in Educational Institutions

There has been a continuous discussion around the introduction of entrepreneurship in the education system. The Government of India launched the very successful ‘Atal Innovation Mission’ to foster innovation and entrepreneurship through Atal Incubation Centres and Atal Tinkering Labs. Under this initiative, about 5500 tinkering labs at schools and 59 Atal Incubation Centres have been established. India also has a vast incubation network wherein the incubation centres are housed in institutes of academic excellence providing an opportunity to students to experiment their entrepreneurial ventures as well as work with start-ups housed in the incubation centres.

The initiatives and activities adopted by Educational Institutions and Government Institutions to support student entrepreneurs shall be highlighted in the session. Further, relevant stakeholders shall be invited to highlight how both set of institutions can support budding entrepreneurs and help them thrive.

Session Panel Members

Moderator

Mr. Pramath Raj Sinha, Founder and Chairman, Harappa Education, Founder and Trustee, Ashoka University

Panelists

• Prof. Anil Dattatraya Sahasrabudhe Chairman, AICTE
• Dr. Ashok Misra, NASI Distinguished Professor, IISc Bangalore
• Prof. Sudhir K Jain Director, IIT Gandhinagar
• Mr. Kunal Upadhyay Co-Founder, Bharat Fund & CIIE.CO
• Prof. Jhunjhunwala Institute Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering, IIT Madras
• Prof. Amitabha Bandyopadhyay Professor In charge, Innovation & Incubation, IIT Kanpur

Session 20: Industry-Academia collaboration to Promote Entrepreneurship

Academic institutions have always been the harbinger of innovation and entrepreneurship. Globally, Silicon Valley is an exemplary testament of a robust industry- academia relationship in promoting an entrepreneurship-led business ecosystem. Closer home, the Indian Institute of Science and IITs are leading such symbiotic relationships. Academic & scientific research has traditionally played a catalytic role in evolution of industrial sectors. Many path breaking innovations that were/are being introduced across sectors are the result of research in such academic and scientific institutions.

The initiatives and activities adopted by Higher Education Institutions and Industry to support innovation shall be highlighted in the session. Further, relevant stakeholders shall be invited to highlight how collaborative models between industry and academia in line with Public Private Partnership (PPP) would further help solve real-world problems.

Session Panel Members

Moderator

Dr. Anand Deshpande, Founder, Chairman & Managing Director, Persistent Systems

Panelists

• Mr. Ullas Kamath, Joint MD , Jyothy Laboratories
• Prof. Ramgopal Rao, Director, IIT Delhi
• Dr. BVR Mohan Reddy, Chairman, Cyient
• Prof. Shekhar Mande, Secretary, DSIR and DG, CSIR
• Mr. William Blair, Vice President and Chief Executive, Lockheed Martin India

Session 21: Global Best Practices

Several initiatives are being undertaken around the globe in nurturing entrepreneurship. This workshop will bring-out some of such noteworthy interventions which are propelling startup ecosystems across the globe.

The Indian startups have been rising mainly due to increasing aspirations of educated youth. Government initiatives like ‘Make in India’ and ‘Startup India’ are aimed at creating a conducive ecosystem for business growth and are working towards promoting ease of doing business in the country. This session focuses on sharing global best practices to nurture innovations.

Session Panel Members

Moderator

Ms. Debjani Ghosh, President, NASSCOM

Panelists

• Mr. Edwin Chow , Assistant CEO, Enterprise Singapore 
• Mr. Kim Moonyoung President (South East Asia), KOTRA- Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency
• Mr. Joao Mendes Borga, Executive Director, Startup Portugal
• Ms. Anat Bernstein Reich, Chairperson, Israel-India Chamber of Commerce
• Mr. Kazuya Nakajo, Executive Vice President, Japan External Trade Organization
• Mr. Rutger de Graaf, Netherlands Enterprise Agency

Session 22: International Market Access to Startups

The session will showcase Government of India’s efforts to support Indian Startups explore international markets by providing structured support. It will also explore the possibilities of mobilizing international capital for investments in Indian startups.

Several factors have prompted this surge of Indian startups going global. This session will broadly focus on deliberating measures to improve international market access to startups.

Session Panel Members

Moderator

​​Shri Anil Agrawal, Joint Secretary, Department for Promotion of Industry And Internal Trade, Ministry of Commerce, Government Of India

Panelists

• Mr. Pavan Kapoor, Ambassador of India to UAE
• Mr. Sanjay Kumar Verma, Ambassador of India to Japan
• Ms. Sripriya Ranganathan, Ambassador of India to South Korea
• Ms. Mukta Dutta Tomar, Ambassador of India to Germany
• Dr. Bala Venkatesh Varma, Ambassador of India to Russian Fedration

Session 23: Women Entrepreneurship

The need to enable women entrepreneurs is critical. This has the potential to unlock the economic power of up to 400M women by 2030. Women entrepreneurship creates employment and capital formation. A nationwide drive to just double the current number of women entrepreneurs by 2030, help them start and scale, can generate 150 million to 170 million jobs.

The session would highlight the journeys of some of India’s most powerful and influential women. They will highlight the challenges, and their learnings from their respective journeys as investors and entrepreneurs.

Session Panel Members

Moderator

​Ms. ​Padmaja Ruparel, Co-Founder and President, Indian Angel Network

Panelists

• Mr. Rajan Anandan, Managing Director, Surge and Sequoia Capital India LLP
• Ms. Ritu Kumar, Head of Design, Ritu Kumar
• Ms. Anita George, Executive Vice President, Deputy Head - CDPQ Global, CDPQ India
• Ms. Nivruti Rai, Country Head, Intel India and Vice President, Data Platforms Group

Session 24: Grand Plenary

As a conclusion to the two-day Startup India International Summit, Hon’ble Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, will grace the summit with his presence and interact with some promising young entrepreneurs. The reporting of the sessions of the two-day summit will be made before the Hon’ble PM. During the session, the topics that shall be highlighted would include:

• Stronger linkages with the international venture capital and startup ecosystem
• Mobilization of domestic and international capital towards the startup ecosystem in India
• Encouragement to young innovators to establish their own ventures and startups
• Emphasis on international cooperation and coordination to improve the global and BIMSTEC startup ecosystem.
• Highlighting the evolution of Startup India Initiative over the past five years
• Establishment of the future roadmap for the Startup India Initiative
• Encouraging High Net-Worth Individuals, Family Offices, Venture Capitalists, Angel Investors, Industry Stakeholders, multinational agencies, and other stakeholders to support more entrepreneurial endeavours
• Encouraging domestic and global capital to be invested in the startup ecosystem