The Bharat Innovates Deep-Tech Pre-Summit, a national showcase of India’s emerging deep-technology startups, was held at ASPIRE – IIT Bombay Research Park Foundation on campus. Announced by the Honourable Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, as part of the India-France Year of Innovation  2026, the Pre-Summit served as a precursor to the “Bharat Innovates 2026” international showcase, to be held in France later this year. The initiative aims to present India’s most promising deep-tech ventures to global investors and partners.

The two-day summit brought together leading startups, investors, industry leaders, policymakers, and representatives from the  IIT and IISc ecosystems to celebrate and strengthen India’s deep-tech innovation landscape. It was inaugurated by Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India and Chairperson of the Prime Minister’s Science, Technology & Innovation Advisory Council (PM-STIAC), in the presence of senior delegates from the Government of India. They included

– Dr. Vineet Joshi, Secretary, Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education

– Prof. Abhay Karandikar, Secretary, Department of Science and Technology

– Dr. K. Radhakrishnan, Chairperson, Board of Governors, IIT  Bombay

– Prof. Shireesh Kedare, Director, IIT Bombay

Welcoming the dignitaries and participants to the summit, Prof. Kedare noted that more than 3,000 startup applications were received from across the country for the summit. In his address, Prof. Sood emphasised the importance of deep-tech innovation in shaping India’s technological leadership and global competitiveness, and highlighted the roles of academic institutions, research ecosystems, and startups in advancing cutting-edge technologies.

A total of 132 deep-tech startups showcased their solutions during the summit. Fifteen technology institutes (IITs and IISc Bangalore) also presented their technology innovations.

Representatives of 189 VC firms and 117 corporates joined the programme across two days to interact with the startups and discuss various collaboration and investment possibilities.

A total of ~ 3,000 one-on-one interactions between startups and other stakeholders (investors, corporates, researchers, government officials) were recorded during the event, with all startups present on both days.

The inaugural session also featured inspiring journeys in deep-tech entrepreneurship from IIT campuses, with insights from Mr. Manoj Meena (Dual Degree, Electrical, Electronic and Communications Engineering, 2011), Co-founder, Atomberg Technologies (IIT Bombay), and Prof. Rahul Purwar, Founder, ImmunoAct (IIT Bombay). Both shared their experiences in building globally recognised deep-tech ventures emerging from IIT campuses.

Day 2 of the summit welcomed the Honourable Minister of Education, Government of India, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, and featured additional startup pitching sessions across advanced materials, biotechnology, artificial intelligence, clean technologies, and next-generation manufacturing systems. The sessions were attended by investors, industry leaders, and innovation ecosystem stakeholders evaluating opportunities for collaboration and investment.

The summit concluded with a Grand Finale and Closing Ceremony, where Prof. Kedare reflected on the significance of collaborative innovation ecosystems in accelerating India’s deep-tech capabilities.

The Bharat Innovates Deep-Tech Pre-Summit at IIT Bombay marks an important milestone in India’s innovation journey by bringing together academia, startups, investors, and policymakers on a single platform. The selected startups will now move forward to represent India’s deep-tech ecosystem at the upcoming Bharat Innovates 2026 international showcase in France, further strengthening India’s position as a global hub for technology-driven innovation.

For glimpses of the two days, click here:

 

Image source and for more on the story, click here: IITB HP BI 1– IITB HP BI2

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