EVOLV™ NextTech 2023: A data-driven initiative bridging the Indian and Silicon Valley ecosystems.
EVOLVTM is an initiative by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), designed to empower entrepreneurs with an action-oriented global playbook. Following the theme “Empowering a Million Entrepreneurs,” the research-based, data-driven initiative’s objective was to build a strong nexus of the world’s most innovative tech startups that will grow to become drivers for technological leadership and economic growth in the country.
Evolv Next Tech 2023 - a side event of the B20 India Summit was organised on Thursday, the 24th of August 2023, in New Delhi.
The event showcased sessions with leading innovators across the globe from different sectors. The key areas of focus during the program were AI/ML, Quantum Computing, Cyber Security, BioPharma, Blockchain, Robotics, and more. With AI being one of the key areas, the conversations revolved around cost-effective solutions, highlighting the impact of Generative AI on the future of work and insights on how technological innovations can be pivotal to advancements in different sectors.
Introducing the EVOLV™ NextTech 2023, Mr. Rajan Navani, Co-Chairman of the CII Silicon Valley Committee, Chairman of CII’s India@75 Council, Founder & CEO of JetSynthesys, highlighted the importance of creating a bridge to support ecosystems by bringing together startups, large corporates, government regulators in India to connect with companies in the Silicon Valley to drive growth. He stated that Evolv is a strong, data-driven, data-led platform that will connect multiple stakeholders around a strong fundamental basis that looks at data as its source of decision-making.
In his opening remarks, Mr. Ram K. Reddy, Co-Chairman CII Silicon Valley Committee and Chairman & and CEO StrategyR, USA, impressed upon how CII’s member base is a powerhouse contributing to the Indian economy and how this can be leveraged to strengthen the connection to the ecosystems of the world through a data-driven engagement. He further mentioned that Evolv is a platform where we can use data in a democratized model through an engagement platform without any charges but based on real value creation, genuine caliber, and willingness from startups, enterprises looking to scale, investors, and government.
Mr Rahul Garg, Co-Chairman of Unicorn Forum, Chairman of CII Delhi Startup Panel, and Founder & CEO of Moglix, started his address by congratulating the Evolv team for setting up the platform to build a stronger bridge between India and Silicon Valley. Mr. Garg addressed that India is growing at an accelerated pace and that by 2026, the startups would be contributing close to a trillion dollars to the Indian economy. Additionally, he talked about how digitisation and innovation are happening in the manufacturing sector, which continues to utilize technology, organize supply chain and finance to leapfrog in this post-COVID world where India needs to play a far bigger role in its domestic and global supply chain. He mentioned that he was excited about technology and startups playing a significant role in manufacturing and global supply chains in the coming times.
In his special address, Mr. Kris Gopalakrishnan, Chairman, CII Centre of Excellence for Innovation and Entrepreneurship & Co-founder, Infosys, highlighted the multiple initiatives of CII, working together to support startups in India and also create a bridge between India and Silicon Valley to not only support but also leverage the platform for accelerating the growth of the Indian economy to ensure young talent that is available to become job creates rather than job seekers along with creating first generation enterprises in India. He imposed that going to the world through the valley is probably the best way because of the network and ecosystem and the funding sources already there. This will be a beneficial relationship for both sides, and the bridge will continue to strengthen, he opined.
During an insightful Keynote on Digital Strategies in the era of AI, Mr. Arvind Gupta, Co-founder, of Digital India Foundation, addressed the future outlook for Digital inclusion, smart cities, internet governance, data privacy, and cyber security, along with initiatives that the Indian Government has been actively introducing for the public such as Jan Dhan Yojna, DigiLocker. He remarked that India had shown steady growth in the rule of law, regulatory quality, control of corruption, government effectiveness, and political stability, enabled by the digital public infrastructure that India championed, resulting in a vibrant startup ecosystem.
Dr Alok Sharma, PhD, CEO & President, TruU Inc., deliberated the critical issues confronting individual identity and access management. Security being a universal concern, Dr Sharma detailed how TruU is working towards securing data in different sectors involving advanced technology.
Dr Gaurav Banga, PhD, Founder & CEO of Balbix shared insights on Cybersecurity trends and the importance of adapting to correct strategies considering Generative AI taking over various sectors. These changes can be adapted to take advantage of Generative AI and be extremely careful with how the technology is being used.
Mr. Raghav Gupta, Managing Director, India & APAC Coursera, highlighted the impact of Generative AI on the future of work, skills, and jobs and how emerging technologies are getting high-skilled jobs into the risk of automation. He stated that Coursera is working on helping educators leverage the power of ChatGPT and Generative AI to help teach what they are teaching online or in the classroom.
Dr. Jagath Junutula, Ph.D, CEO, of Aarvik Therapeutics, presented the emerging trends for Cancer Treatment. He mentioned that Aarvik Therapeutics has created a platform that can create a number of different molecules suitable for every cancer treatment. Mr. Junutula stated that the next generation of impactful and cost-effective therapies are being delivered to tackle a wide variety of cancers.
Mr. GP Singh, CEO, of Ambiet Scientific Inc., addressed the trends in Generative AI and semiconductor industries, delivering a perspective on the challenges and opportunities that evolving technologies present for the near future. He further commented on the requirement of disruptive innovations to keep up with changes in trends.
Ms. Jyothi Kukreja, VP of Business Development and Chief of Staff, Aisera, said that Generative AI is here to stay, and it is important for us as countries and economies to make the best use of it and create something incredible for both nations. She further advocated that if we look at the sentiment of AI, India is in the top 3 because India realizes there is a lot of potential, and it is vital for us to be at the cutting edge of it.
Dr. Sarvojna Dwivedi, Ph.D., CEO and Founder of Angio Safe Inc., presented the timeline of medical technological innovations in the cardio and Angio vascular departments. Dr. Dwivedi detailed the invasive procedures and how technology has changed the face of healthcare and ensured access to timely treatments.
Expanding on using AI and design to maximize customer impact, Mr. Ahmed Bashir, Head of Engineering, at DevRev Inc, discussed creating behavior within companies to lower customer effort and meet expectations. Additionally, he highlighted the key areas in a company that can be mapped with Generative AI, which can foster customer-centricity across teams.
6 Deep-tech innovators - Aarvik Therapeutic Inc., Aisera Inc. Ambient Scientific Inc. Balbix Inc. DevRev Inc. AngioSafe , selected out of a group of 50, were felicitated for their excellence and contributions in next gen cancer therapeutics, Generative AI & ChatGPT, Semiconductors and AI Future trends, Cybersecurity, AI, Interventional Cardiology.
Mr. Janmejaya Sinha, Chairman of CII Task Force on Data Security, Mission on Inclusive Growth and Co-Chairman of CII Economic Affairs Council and Chairman – of India BCG, said that in seven years, India will double its GDP to $7.6 trillion. He further mentioned that this massive opportunity is the basis of a real partnership and India & Silicon Valley should leverage the opportunity.
Mr Vir S Advani, Managing Director, BlueStar, stated that the air conditioning industry in India, which is 8Mn units today, will be about 30Mn units, and that’s the kind of opportunity that is available. Silicon Valley is working on hybrid technology, and Indian Industry could connect with startups working in the sustainable energy sector to build on this.
Mr. Dhruv Sehra, Founder & CEO, 256. Network 265 network detailed the emerging technologies in India and focused on how the bridge program can be great for knowledge sharing and best practices among countries.
24 August 2023
New Delhi