Vinod Bhat
New Delhi: Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) is a premier S&T organization under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) today organised STPI Tech Summit 2026: India’s Next Leap at New Delhi, coinciding with its 35th Foundation Day. The summit brought together Senior government officials, venture capitalists, ecosystem enablers.
The event was graced by Shri Jitin Prasada, Hon’ble Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology, as the Chief Guest.
Addressing the gathering, Shri Jitin Prasada said, “STPI’s 35-year journey reflects the remarkable transformation of India’s technology ecosystem and its emergence as a global digital powerhouse. Guided by the vision of Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Ji for Viksit Bharat@2047, India is creating a future-ready digital economy driven by innovation, entrepreneurship and technological self-reliance. Flagship initiatives such as the India Semiconductor Mission and the IndiaAI Mission are opening new avenues for research, manufacturing and innovation-led growth. The Government remains committed to fostering an enabling ecosystem through progressive policies, ease of doing business and enhanced access to technology. As India continues its journey towards becoming a global technology and innovation leader, institutions such as STPI will play a critical role in fostering entrepreneurship, nurturing innovation, strengthening emerging technology ecosystems and enabling the development of world-class solutions for global markets.”
Shri S. Krishnan, Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), said, ” As we celebrate 35 years of STPI, we must identify the opportunities that lie ahead and leverage its strong legacy to drive growth in emerging regions. One of STPI’s greatest strengths has always been its convening power its ability to bring together entrepreneurs, mentors, venture capitalists and industry stakeholders to create a critical mass for innovation. STPI has successfully built linkages across the country, from the North-East to established technology hubs such as Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Chennai, enabling the flow of mentorship, expertise and capital to emerging centres. By supporting startups, enabling innovation and attracting technology investments to these locations, STPI can make a meaningful difference in the aspirations of India’s youth, encourage entrepreneurship and create high-quality employment opportunities, particularly in the field of AI.”
Welcoming the dignitaries, Shri Arvind Kumar, Director General, STPI, highlighted STPI’s contribution to India’s digital and innovation ecosystem.
“Over the last 35 years, STPI has emerged as a key pillar of India’s digital economy. With 73 centres across the country, support extended to more than 1,700 startups and a significant contribution towards India’s IT exports, STPI has enabled technology-led growth beyond metropolitan cities and created opportunities across Tier-II and Tier-III regions. Through initiatives such as Centres of Entrepreneurship, Next Generation Incubation Scheme and Leap Ahead programme, STPI remains committed to empowering innovators, strengthening the startup ecosystem and advancing India’s vision of becoming a global technology powerhouse” he said
The inaugural session also featured addresses by Ms. Debjani Ghosh, Distinguished Fellow, NITI Aayog and Chief Architect, NITI Frontier Tech Hub, and Shri Deepak Bagla, Mission Director, Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog.
On the occasion, STPI released a commemorative compendium documenting its 35-year journey, felicitated leading IT/ITeS exporters for their contribution to India’s technology exports, and exchanged a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Wadhwani Foundation to strengthen innovation, entrepreneurship and skill development initiatives.
A key highlight of the event was the launch of Sayuj, an AI-enabled mobile application designed as a unified digital platform for startups, innovators, incubators, mentors and ecosystem stakeholders. The platform aims to facilitate startup discovery, ecosystem networking, collaboration opportunities, incubation support and seamless engagement across India’s innovation landscape.
Further strengthening regional innovation ecosystems, STPI launched the Open Challenge Program (OCP) 1.0 by the upcoming STPI NERVE CoE, Nagpur, and the Open Challenge Program (OCP) 1.0 by STPI SmartAgri CoE, Chhattisgarh. The initiatives aim to identify and support innovative technology solutions, provide startups with mentorship and market access opportunities, and foster entrepreneurship in emerging sectors.
The summit featured keynote addresses and panel discussions on India’s transition from being a global executor of technology to a global originator of technology, governance for innovation-led growth, state-led technology ecosystems, access to capital for deep-tech startups, and opportunities emerging across frontier technologies. Deliberations were led by eminent leaders from government, industry, venture capital firms and startup ecosystems, including Dr. Arvind Gupta, Head, Digital India Foundation; Rajan Anandan, Managing Director, Peak XV; Atul Dhawan, President, TiE Delhi NCR; Rajiv Gupta, President, PB Fintech; Nitin Jain, Partner, Tiger Analytics; Amit Kumar Gupta, Region Head, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS); Dr. Vishal Gandhi, Founder & CEO, BIORx Ventures; Vincent Liew, Chief Centre Officer, Global Finance & Technology Network (GFTN); and Amish Dedhia, Principal, Chiratae Ventures. Discussions also featured startup leaders including Ankit Mehta of ideaForge, Dr. Srishti Batra of Qzense Labs, Sumeet Mahapatra of Stackfusion and Amey Desai of Lifespark Technologies, who shared insights on building globally competitive deep-tech products from India. The deliberations underscored the importance of collaboration among government, industry, academia and investors in nurturing the next generation of innovators and reaffirmed India’s growing position as a global hub for technology, innovation and entrepreneurship.
About STPI:
Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) is a premier S&T organization under Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) engaged in promoting IT/ITES Industry, innovation, R&D, start-ups, product/IP creation in the field of emerging technologies like IoT, Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), Computer Vision, Robotics, Robotics Process Automation (RPA), Augmented & Virtual Reality, Animation & Visual effect, Data Science & Analytics for various domains like Gaming, FinTech, Agritech, MedTech, Autonomous Connected Electric & Shared(ACES) Mobility, ESDM, Cyber Security, Industry 4.0, Drone, Efficiency Augmentation, etc.
