The Center for Emerging Markets (CEM) at Northeastern University held the second annual India summit: India – The Next Startup Nation?, on October 28, 2023, to explore India's vibrant startup ecosystem, part of the Vivek and Vandana Sharma India Initiative.
The summit featured successful CEOs and founders of Indian startups, investors, policymakers, and academic experts who shared insights into India's current startup landscape and discussed how they forged their own paths to success. It built on CEM's inaugural India summit on ‘India-U.S. Partnership for Innovation,' organized in collaboration with the Consulate General of India, New York, to mark the 75th anniversary of India's independence.
Attendees joined us in person for this year's summit at the East Village 17th Floor Conference Facility at Northeastern University, Boston, and virtually through a private live stream.
Video Recordings
Summit Inauguration
Hon. Randhir Jaiswal, Consul General of India, New York, gives the inauguration at CEM's second annual India Summit: India – The Next Startup Nation?
Policy: Startup India
Dr. Surabhi Gupta, Senior Manager at Invest India, provides an overview of the startup ecosystem in India prior to a full day of insights from successful startup founders and investors.
Policy: Financial Inclusion
Dr. Pawan Bakhshi, India Country Lead at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's Financial Services for the Poor Program, shares his experiences in expanding access to low-cost digital financial services in India.
E-commerce: Snapdeal
Kunal Bahl, Co-founder of Snapdeal and Titan Capital, discusses his contributions to India's growing e-commerce and venture capital landscape.
Financial Technology: Paytm
Vijay Shekar Sharma, Founder and CEO of Paytm, shares his experiences founding and leading Paytm, one of India's largest financial technology companies.
Healthcare: Krsnaa Diagnostics Ltd.
Pallavi Jain, Co-founder and Managing Director of Krsnaa Diagnostics Ltd., explains how she created one of India's leading diagnostic services providers.
Space Exploration: Skyroot Aerospace
Pawan Kumar Chandana, Co-founder and CEO of Skyroot Aerospace, discusses his path to creating India's pioneering private aerospace company.
Impact Investing: Omidyar Network India
Sarvesh Kanodia, Director of Investments at Omidyar Network India, shares how his impact investing has enabled entrepreneurs to enhance the lives of millions in India.
Venture Capital Firms: Blume Ventures
Karthik Reddy, Co-founder and Managing Partner of Blume Ventures, discusses how his venture capital firm is nurturing the next generation of groundbreaking founders from India.
Crowdfunding: 1Crowd
Anup Kuruvilla, Co-founder and CEO of 1Crowd, explains how his crowdfunding works alongside Indian entrepreneurs, equipping them with the resources needed to achieve remarkable scale.
Summit Closing Remarks
Krish Nangegadda, Chief Innovation Officer at GITAM University, provides closing remarks at India – The Next Startup Nation? and shares some of the other initiatives CEM is supporting in India.
Photo Highlights
About the Vivek and Vandana Sharma India Initiative
India – The Next Startup Nation? is part of the Vivek and Vandana Sharma India Initiative, an endowed initiative at the Center for Emerging Markets with an aim to expand and deepen engagement with economic and business issues in India.