The experts, at a panel discussion in Kanpur, agreed that  the 21st century will be “the Indian century”, as the nation’s demographic dividend and increase in manufacturing and sustainability solutions will lead to the country’s exponential growth in the foreseeable future.

The panelists, who participated in the discussion, organized at the IIT, Kanpur for its 11th edition of the Annual Entrepreneurial Event – E-SUMMIT 22 recently,  brought into context the innovations of the decade and the future of the entrepreneurial world.

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The panelists talked about the value of company culture and focus on specialization in key areas.

 Rajiv Batra, Founder Palo Alto Networks, Sanjiv Rangrass, Independent Director, Zetwerk & former Group Head, ITC, Ravi Purohit, Vice President & India Head at ColorTokens joined the panel discussion on  “The Decade of Avant-Garde Innovation”.

In his opening speech, IIT, Kanpur Director, Prof. Abhay Karandikar highlighted their entrepreneurial journey and significance of organizing the event. This was followed by a keynote address by Chief Guest, BVR Mohan Reddy, who is the former NASSCOM Chairman.

Dr. Reddy drew parallel to the entrepreneurial ecosystem back in the 90s and how it has evolved in great measure to reach to today’s level.

On the second day, Shweta Bajpai, Vertical Head – Finserv, Media, Travel, Meta India, gave a keynote address on “Renaissance of Tech Rise of Metaverse”.

The talk focused on how the Metaverse is about to change day-to-day life and make many things possible from the comfort of home, like experiencing a music concert virtually by sitting at home.

A Startup Expo was organized as part of the event, where several startups from diverse areas showcased their next-gen products. The Expo was opened by Rishabh Jain, Co-Founder & Director, Kataria Ecotech Pvt Ltd.

The IIT Kanpur-incubated startup, E-Spin Nanotech showcased their nanotechnology-based innovations including a novel hand wash, while another incubated startup, Likhotronics showcased their revolutionary writing kit for children. Similarly, Boltly, another startup launched their novel e-bike on the Expo stage. Several other startups from SIIC, IIT Kanpur ecosystem as well as from outside participated in the Expo.

The grand finale of the UpStart business model competition was held on the third day, where the selected startups showcased their innovative ideas.

Former Co-founder & MD of BharatPe, Ashneer Grover, was the Chief Guest for the Closing Ceremony, where he interacted with the students.