The Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII) commenced its annual startup summit and entrepreneurship festival, Empresario 2024, on Thursday, focusing on the theme of ‘Tech Innovations.’ The event was inaugurated by Shri Banchha Niddhi Pani, IAS, Commissioner, Technical Education, Office of Commissioner of Higher Education, Government of Gujarat, along with other dignitaries including Shri Vishal Chiripal, Director, Chiripal Group, and Dr. Sunil Shukla, Director General, EDII.
The two-day festival, scheduled for March 7-8, 2024, features master classes by industry veterans, talks by successful startup founders, workshops, discussions, networking sessions, and startup awards. Additionally, panel discussions on Agritech and Healthtech are included in the summit’s agenda. A special round table featuring startups that have participated in Shark Tank, such as Bottom Line Sprays, Maisha, WeHear, Simply Salad, and Torch it, is also part of the summit. Furthermore, a Big Pitch event will see over 75 startups presenting their products and services to a panel of investors, aiming to secure funding.
During his inaugural address, Shri Banchha Niddhi Pani emphasized India’s position on the cusp of a significant tech revolution, with AI playing a crucial role. He highlighted the government’s support for entrepreneurs through initiatives like iHub, aimed at assisting them with legal advice and mentoring. The goal, he stated, is to empower youth to create jobs and contribute to India’s goal of becoming a $5 trillion economy by 2047 under the Viksit Bharat 2047 initiative.
Dr. Sunil Shukla, Director General, EDII, expressed excitement about the surge in entrepreneurship over the past decade, evident in the growth of startups from 500 to 1 lakh and incubation centers from less than 50 to about 2,000. He underscored Empresario’s role in celebrating innovation driven by the nation’s youth and the importance of technological advancements in AI and machine learning in powering startups and MSMEs.
Shri Vishal Chiripal, Director, Chiripal Group, highlighted the fearlessness and risk-taking attitude at the core of entrepreneurship. He emphasized that startups are not just businesses but the engines driving India’s economic growth. As an investor, he prioritizes passion, purpose, scalability, and market potential in startups. He also identified sectors like rescaling, robotics, EV-shared storage, and semiconductors as offering promising opportunities for young entrepreneurs.
Empresario 2024 features a lineup of notable speakers including Shri Ravi Varmora of Univia, Shri Mihir Shah of Agriown Farmtech, Shri Hit Desai of Bull Agritech, Dr. Harsh Shah of AgroCast, Dr. Abhisheka Tripathy from Axiom, Shri Dhruv Patel of D3S Healthcare, Shri Vaibhav Shitole of IOTA, Dr. Karnav Patel of Altea Enterprise, and Shri Kuldeep Sagar, Director, Sanket Foundation.
The event serves as a platform to celebrate innovation and entrepreneurship while fostering a spirit of technological advancement among India’s youth.
