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Dr. Ekroop Caur, IAS Secretary to Govt., Dept. of Electronics, IT, Biotechnology and Science &Technology, Govt. of Karnataka, Amitabh Kant, G20 Sherpa, India, Claude Smadja, Chairman of Smadja & Smadja Strategic Advisory, Sanjeev Kumar Gupta, Karnataka Digital Economy Mission (KDEM)
The 3rd Edition of the India Global Innovation Connect (IGIC) 2024 concluded in Bengaluru. Global and domestic industry personalities outlined technology, skilling, and innovation as focus areas for government, industry, and startups to drive transformative changes in the coming years. The invite-only event had over 400 attendees and featured personnel discussing various industry topics.
On the second day of IGIC 2024, key industry names, including Indian and global startup founders, venture capitalists, investors, corporate and government leaders, and technology and public policy experts, gathered on a common platform. They engaged with attendees through keynotes and panel discussions covering new technology trends, biotech and genomics, managing the deep tech ecosystem, intelligent technologies, scaling up startups, trends shaping the VC/startup ecosystems, and building AI leaders.
Insights from key industry names on Day 2 of India Global Innovation Connect (IGIC) 2024:
Amitabh Kant, G20 Sherpa, India, said, “There is an urgent need to bridge the gap between industry demands and the available talent pool and ramp up the skilled engineers pool in India, particularly in areas where there is a high demand, such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, data science, and cybersecurity. The curriculum of many of these engineering colleges and our IITs needs to be reoriented and restructured to align with the demands of today, to address the supply chain issue. The next 5 years of the Government will focus on skilling and apprenticeship to create many new jobs.”
Claude Smadja, Chairman, of Smadja & Smadja Strategic Advisory, said, “The successful conclusion of the 3rd Edition of the India Global Innovation Connect (IGIC) 2024 signifies a major milestone in promoting global collaboration among emerging nations within the digital and startup ecosystems. Over the past two days, we have seen experts from across several countries deliberate in an exchange of ideas and insights on technology trends, biotech, deep tech, innovation, the startup ecosystem, and AI, among other topics. Given the enthusiastic response, we are confident that we will continue to build on this momentum for IGIC 2025."
Soumitra Dutta, Dean, and Professor of Management, Saïd Business School, Oxford University, Chair, OECD Taskforce of Experts on AI, UK, said, “In India, we are currently at a fortunate moment where the country is benefiting from several years of favourable economic policies. Among students and youth, we are seeing a renewed enthusiasm for technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship and there is energy and hunger around entrepreneurship. The brand of India has changed today and there is a significant transformation in India's image and is now being recognized for its software programmers and genius talent pool.”
Shubhankar Bhattacharya, General Partner, Foundamental, Germany, said, “When it comes to picking a space or a business idea, it's important to consider a business which has the potential to scale up, while the idea must be a non-obvious one. A particularly good predictor for the likelihood of a business becoming a good public company is the willingness of the founder to be very detailed with bookkeeping. In our experience, having an uncomfortable conversation with potential founders even before they invest in the business is a predictor of success and business health. It's a sign that the founders are also prepared for the worst.”
David Passig, Futurist, Professor at Bar-Ilan University (BIU), and Member of Israel National Council for Research & Development, Israel, said “We are at a point where we are generating an immense amount of data every second, and we are attempting to use this data to understand and mimic how our minds work. We are stepping into a century of mind technologies and a deeper understanding of the mind. By understanding our past, and projecting into the future, we can bring this awareness into the present to alter our behavior and pave the way for a better future.”
Darshan H.V., IAS Managing Director, Department of Electronics, Information Technology Biotechnology and Science & Technology, Government of Karnataka, said “Technology is the future, and supporting entrepreneurs and startups, to use technology as a tool for innovation and development is crucial for growth. Karnataka has always been a pioneer in R&D, fostering close coordination between industry and academia. With partners such as KDEM and other industry associations, the Government of Karnataka has facilitated significant strides in technological innovation especially in the fields of biotechnology and genomics. The state government promotes Research and Developmental activities, especially in niche areas of Biotechnology, through IBAB (Institute of Bioinformatics and Applied Biotechnology), CHG (Centre for Human Genetics), and BBC (Bangalore Bio-Innovation Centre). The Karnataka govt has also come up with a dedicated space for Biotechnology startups and companies in Southern Bengaluru. Moreover, continuous discussions and consultations with industry and academia ensure that the government's actions are aligned with the sector's needs.”
The IGIC's mission is to enhance technology and business interactions between India’s ecosystems and various foreign ecosystems. It aims to identify new opportunities from the rapid evolution of disruptive technologies and explore business partnerships.
Building on its previous editions in 2022 and 2023, IGIC 2024 is convened by the global strategic advisory firm Smadja & Smadja, with the Karnataka Digital Economy Mission as a strategic partner. It also receives support from government and business organizations such as Swissnex, the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), German Entrepreneurship, French Tech India and Business France, and Enterprise Singapore.
Key partners for India Global Innovation Connect 2024 include:
- Founding Sponsor: Tata Digital Private Limited