Lucknow : India’s next generation of entrepreneurs is emerging from its smaller cities, towns and villages, building businesses that solve local problems and serve national markets. Bringing this ecosystem together, Aavishkaar Foundation and Intellecap will host the third edition of Sankalp Bharat on October 28 at Clarks Avadh, Lucknow.
Themed “The Bharat Story: Climate, Culture & Compute”, the summit will convene over 600 founders, investors, institutions and policymakers to explore the opportunities shaping India’s next growth story.
Entrepreneurs building Bharat
The summit opens with Manu Nair, founder of reusable-rocket company EtherealX. Bharat Bol, the founder series, will feature Surya Prakash Yadav (UnORG, Lucknow), Tanutejas Saraswat (ShopKirana, Indore, acquired by Udaan), Divya Hegde (Baeru, Udupi), Prof. Nagaraja Prakasam (Nativelead, Madurai), Mausmi Ambastha (Shifu Foundation, Patna) and Tushar Suhalka (Regrip, Jaipur/Gurugram).
Vineet Rai, Founder and Vice Chairman, Aavishkaar Group, said, “The people closest to a problem are building India’s best solutions, in climate, space tech, AI and livelihoods alike. Our job is to bring them the capital, markets and institutions to turn a good idea from a small town into a national company.”
Rooted in Uttar Pradesh’s entrepreneurial ecosystem
Aavishkaar Foundation’s programmes across 25 districts of Eastern Uttar Pradesh have reached 30,000+ students in 500+ government schools and colleges. Its Entrepreneur Investment Programme has backed 40 first-generation entrepreneurs, 80% women, including Pravidhaan Farmer Producer Company in Gorakhpur, supporting 2,000 farmers, and Shiksha Saathi in Varanasi, connecting 237+ schools and 6,700+ learners.
At Sankalp Bharat, the EIP’s young entrepreneurs will also present their ideas before a jury of investors, policymakers and established founders.
Lisa Rodricks, CEO, Aavishkaar Foundation, said, “What is exciting is the problems these entrepreneurs are choosing to solve. They are building businesses around real needs in manufacturing, agriculture, skilling and livelihoods. Sankalp Bharat gives us a chance to put these stories and their potential on a larger stage as we create the next phase of India’s entrepreneurial growth.”
Making capital flow
Sessions spanning impact investing, venture capital, capital markets and CSR will examine how appropriate financing can reach underserved enterprises, particularly women-led businesses.
The programme includes an angel investing primer for Uttar Pradesh, an NSE-led Social Stock Exchange masterclass, Ajay Sharma of Edelweiss Public Alternatives speaking on “The Two Indias: Which One Are You Building?”, and a UN Women ARISE workshop helping women SME owners access finance.
Climate, Culture & Compute
Climate: GIZ and Intellecap will convene government and financial institutions for a closed-door roundtable on Financing Climate Adaptation, identifying opportunities for GIZ’s i-Adapt: The Climate Adaptation & Innovation Hub, which connects adaptation innovation, financing and implementation.
Culture: A mainstage discussion, Climate-Informed, Culturally Relevant: Building Liveable Cities for All India, will examine climate-responsive, culturally rooted urban planning, particularly as Uttar Pradesh plans 100 new townships over five years.
Compute: EkStep Foundation, Caret Capital and JanAI will explore how open digital infrastructure, job-matching platforms and local-language voice AI can expand access to identity, employment and services beyond metropolitan India.
Syna Dehnugara, Director, Sankalp, said, “Climate, culture and compute may seem like three different conversations, but they are deeply connected in Bharat. How we build our cities, preserve livelihoods and deploy technology will determine whether India’s next phase of growth is truly inclusive and sustainable. These are the questions we want Sankalp Bharat to confront.”
Together, these conversations will examine how innovation, capital and opportunity can reach entrepreneurs building solutions for Bharat and taking them to the world.
****