What you can expect on Day 1 of TechSparks 2021, India’s largest startup-tech conference

It would not be an exaggeration by any stretch of imagination to say that Diwali arrived early for India’s burgeoning startup ecosystem this year.

Over the last 10 months, investors pumped in more than $23 billion into the Indian startup ecosystem, leading to the birth of 33 new unicorns during the period. But that’s not all, there are more fireworks, with 70+ soonicorns, 10+ impending IPOs, and 10+ soon-to-be decacorns.

As an organisation at the forefront of the Indian startup revolution, YourStory is proud to present TechSparks 2021 with the theme -- “What’s next: Rethinking the future”. We are bringing to you an all-new avatar of TechSparks 2021, which is by far, India's most influential startup-tech event.

The Day 1 line-up at TechSparks 2021

We kickstart Day 1 of TechSparks 2021 with a stellar lineup of speakers delivering exhilarating and inspiring sessions. The opening day kicks off with a keynote from YourStory Founder and CEO Shradha Sharma, where she describes the idea, the aim and the passion behind the “What’s Next” theme.

It will be followed by an inaugural keynote address by Piyush Goyal, Honorable Minister of Commerce & Industry, Consumer Affairs & Food & Public Distribution and Textiles, Govt. of India, and the Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha on what it will take to make India future-ready.

Here's a look at some of the sessions we have lined up with prominent entrepreneurs, business leaders, icons and changemakers from India and beyond:

• Girish Mathrubootham, Founder & CEO, Freshworks, on “One small step for Freshworks, one giant leap for Indian entrepreneurs”. Freshworks recently became the first Indian B2B SaaS unicorn to list on the NASDAQ with its $10 billion IPO, in not just a milestone for the company but a historic moment for the entire Indian startup ecosystem. 

• Sanjeev Bikhchandani, Co-founder, Info Edge on “Decoding Info Edge's internet business gambit & role as enabler”. InfoEdge, is of course, one of the pioneers of the internet business in India. It is the parent company of Naukri.com, Jeevansathi.com, 99acres.com and Shiksha.com. Sanjeev and Info Edge have also been active backers of the Indians startup ecosystem. His investment in Zomato, which went public recently, yielded over 1,000x return on his 11-year-old investment.

• A Talk Series on India at 75 that will feature powerful, trailblazing women leaders from across different fields -- in technology, healthcare, education and business. The special talk series will conversations and talks led by Nivruti Rai, Country Head, Intel India and VP, Intel Foundry Services, Intel Corporation; Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Founder & Chairperson, Biocon, Sangita Reddy, Joint Managing Director, Apollo Hospitals Enterprises; President of Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI), and Divya Gokulnath, Co-founder, BYJU'S. 

• Steve Wozniak, Co-founder, Apple, Woz U, Efforce on “Rethinking the future of everything”.

• Puneet Chandok, President, AWS, India and South Asia (AISPL), on ‘powering the tectonic shifts in technology for a future-ready India’.

• Byju Raveendran, Founder & CEO, BYJU’S on the journey and lessons in building the world’s largest edtech company from India.

• Kulmeet Bawa, Managing Director & President, SAP Indian Subcontinent on “The Nakshatras of Indian Economy”.

• Cal Henderson, Co-founder & CTO, Slack Technologies, Inc on “Slack: The journey to a digital HQ”.

• Varsha Tagare, Managing Director, Qualcomm Ventures on “Betting on disruptive homegrown tech solutions with global implications”.

• Shailendra Katyal, Managing Director, Lenovo PCSD India on “Talk the talk: The power of an entrepreneurial mindset”.

We have also have lined up interesting panel discussions, roundtables and masterclasses with prominent leaders including Divya Venkatavaraghavan, Principal, Lightrock and Deepika Christina, Customer Experience Lead, CM.com India Hub.

So join us starting today, October 25, until October 30, 2021 at TechSparks 2021 to be a part of an immersive, inspiring and unique experience with startup awards, product launches, policy discussions, masterclasses, and more.

To log in to our virtual events platform and experience TechSparks 2021 with thousands of other startup-tech enthusiasts from around the world, join here. Don't forget to tag #TechSparks2021 when you share your experience, learnings and favourite moments from TechSparks 2021.

For a line-up of all the action-packed sessions at YourStory's flagship startup-tech conference, check out TechSparks 2021 website.