40 International Investors, Entrepreneurs, and Innovators participated in India’s First-Ever Global Conference on Startups – ‘India Global Innovation Connect’ at Bengaluru

Bengaluru, June 03, 2022: India’s first ever global conference on Startups – India Global Innovation Connect (IGIC) 2022 organized by Smadja & Smadja, a Switzerland-based strategic advisory firm, in strategic partnership with Karnataka Digital Economy Mission (KDEM), wrapped up on a high note with a strong commitment to bolster the start-up ecosystem in Karnataka through seamless support on policy, infrastructure and other required considerations.

The event was inaugurated by the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Karnataka Shri. Basavaraj Bommai on 2nd June 2022 along with Shri B V Naidu, Chairman, Karnataka Digital Economy Mission, Claude Smadja, President, Smadja & Smadja, and more such industry stalwarts. The event also witnessed investors, private equity firms, and entrepreneurs from Singapore, Israel, Switzerland, the US, Japan, Korea, and Germany.

Hon’ble Chief Minister of Karnataka Shri. Basavaraj Bommai highlighted that Karnataka is the State as the leader in action for startups, and Bengaluru is home to 400 of the Fortune-500 companies. He also outlined that the state was the first to introduce a startup policy and the only competition for Karnataka is Silicon Valley in the US.

Karnataka Digital Economy Mission (KDEM), involved as the strategic partner organization for IGIC, has played an integral role in the program by contributing to heightening the profile of Karnataka as a thriving, dynamic centre for technology innovation and entrepreneurship, both in India and at a global level.

With over 80 speakers from India and other countries the India Global Innovation Connect received more than 350+ participations. Apart from sessions on technological partnerships and ideas on E-mobility, Greentech, discussions on fintech, deep tech, Edtech, and Web 3.0 also drove a great engagement. The event further identified and assessed medium and long-term technology and business trends along with new opportunities for start-ups and corporates while acting as a platform for dialogue between technology innovators and business end-users.

Speaking on the association, Shri B V Naidu, Chairman, Karnataka Digital Economy Mission, said, “Since its inception, KDEM has worked relentlessly to establish Karnataka as a global hub for innovation and technology. We focus to build a bridge between policymakers and the industry to create a robust platform for start-ups that can contribute to the nation’s development and digital economy. The India Global Innovation Connect (IGIC) is the next step in our vision to expand our horizons for a resilient entrepreneurship and innovation movement in Karnataka”.

Some of the key notable attendees and speakers included Dr. E V Ramana Reddy, Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Electronics, IT & BT, Science & Technology, Government of Karnataka, N.R. Narayana Murthy, Founder Infosys Limited, Founder & Chairman, Catamaran Venture, India; Mr. Ranganath M D, President, Catamaran Ventures, Prashanth Prakash, Accel Partners, India, and Hari Menon, Co-founder & Chief Executive Officer, Big Basket, India, and Mr. Harshil Mathur, CEO & Co-founder, Razorpay.

During one of the sessions, N.R. Narayana Murthy, Founder Infosys Limited, Founder & Chairman, Catamaran Venture, India appreciated the efforts by Indians from the Silicon Valley in the global scenario for easing the friction to access Indian Ideas. He said – “this is the best time to be an entrepreneur in India”.

The panelists in 22 sessions focused on technological partnerships, ideas on Greentech, Fintech, Deeptech, Edtech, Web 3.0, Super Apps, and Unicorn Growth stories and partnerships. The India Global Innovation Connect has etched its mark on the global map as a successful platform to build a network between the government and industry, thereby strengthening the position of Karnataka in the nation’s welfare and global start-up and innovation ecosystem.