Insightful keynotes, workshops and 100 innovative startup pitches – here’s why you shouldn’t miss out on Maharashtra Startup Week 2019

We’re less than a week away from the 2nd edition of the Maharashtra Startup Week. The unique platform enables startups to showcase their products and services in exchange for Government work orders, and demonstrate proof of concept. The programme, which will run from January 28 to February 1, 2019 at Taj Vivanta, Mumbai is about to get bigger and better. With over 100 innovative startups, more than 50 partners and industry experts geared up to share insights across sectors, from healthcare to education to waste management, there’s an action-packed agenda to look forward to.

An eventful week ahead

The inaugural event last year saw a considerable amount of buzz with budding entrepreneurs, VCs, angel investors, and officials from banks, government departments and academia, in attendance. Here’s a quick look at some not-to-be-missed sessions this year:

• Roadmap to the Future - A panel discussion by startup founders and investors including Jitendra Gupta (CEO and Founder, Citrus Pay), Pooja Dhingra (Founder, Le15), Rehan Yar Khan (Managing Partner, Orios Venture Partners), Sasha Mirchandani (MD and Founder, Kae Capital), Pranay Gupta (Co-founder, 91 Springboard) and Shri Aseem Kumar Gupta (IAS, Principal Secretary, SDED). They will discuss on what the future of the startup ecosystem looks like and how the government, startups and investors can contribute to helping it thrive.
• Keynote Sessions - Shri Bharath Visweswariah (Director, Investments, Omidyar Network), Shri Ronnie Screwvala (Co-founder, UpGrad), Shri Vineet Rai (Founder and Chairmaan, Aavishkar - Intellicap Group), and Shri R. Ramanan (MD, Atal Innovation Mission) will detail Maharashtra’s startup ecosystem and the state government’s initiative to support startups in the state.
• Speaker Series - Sri Bala G (Techstars & ex-Microsoft Ventures) will be speaking on the challenges while starting up and how to leverage the ecosystem to grow. Another talk on go-to-market and scaling by Shri Jay Krishnan (SRI Capital, Ex T-Hub) is also on the agenda.
• Learning Hub - Multiple open sessions and workshops will be organised to help startups and young entrepreneurs learn from seasoned startup veterans. Google will be hosting a workshop on ‘Machine Learning’ and LexStart on ‘Fundraising for Startups’, among others.
• GIPA Programme for IAS Officers - The Global Innovation Policy Accelerator is an innovative executive development programme seeking to build a global network of innovation policy entrepreneurs. It is funded by the Newton-Bhabha partnership through innovation agency Innovate UK (part of UKRI) with Indian partners and delivered by a Nesta-led consortium of UK organisations, with local support from the Centre for Technology, Innovation and Economic Research in India.
• VC Mixer – An initiative that will help startups access investors and government officials to pitch their strategies, and get traction from venture capitalists to earn funding.

In case you're interested in any particular session, please indicate your preference by filling this form to receive a formal invite. Registrations are on a first-come first-serve basis as seats are limited, and entry is by invitation only.

100 innovative startups to showcase their work

This year, over 1500 startups applied for an opportunity to win the prestigious work contracts from the government. Of these, 100 finalists will be pitching their solutions to a jury comprising venture capitalists, angels, incubators, academics, policy think-tanks, and government officials. The finalists were shortlisted from eight domains, including Agriculture, Cleantech, Education and Skilling, Fintech, Governance, Healthcare, Smart Infra and Mobility, Water and Waste Management. The startups include SatSure, Bombay Bijlee, Thinkerbell Labs, HealthFin, Print2Block, Shapecrunch, Indent Designs Private Limited, Svatanya, Chakr Innovation and DesiHangover, among others.

Click here to view the full list of finalists.

Join the Maha Startup Week action

Excited? This is just a small glimpse of what’s in store at Maharashtra Startup Week. Don’t miss out on this amazing opportunity to meet experts, interact with industry peers, explore new startup ideas, and discover new partnership opportunities.