ISF 2024 Concludes with Inspirational Talks from Industry Leaders
- ByStartupStory | September 30, 2024
The International Startup Festival (ISF) 2024 wrapped up at the Engineering Staff College of India, Gachibowli, with enthusiastic participation from agri-tech, health, edu-tech, junicorns, and software and technology startups. The event aimed to foster a problem-solving approach across society, while promoting the right ecosystem for innovators through mentorship, funding, and market access to help startups succeed.
On the final day, industry leaders delivered impactful ISF Talks. Dr. Krishnamurthy V. Subramanian, Executive Director at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and former Chief Economic Advisor to the Government of India, emphasized that India is poised to become a $55 trillion economy by 2047. “It is doable if the economy maintains a real growth rate of 8% per annum till 2047,” Dr. Subramanian noted. He outlined three key enablers to achieve this target: increased formalization of the Indian economy, improved productivity and innovation, and robust credit creation.
In addition to the ISF Talks, three key roundtables took place on the final day, covering healthcare, skills, employment, and technology (SET), and women in business. The healthcare roundtable focused on the potential of AI as a transformative tool, with discussions centered on providing access to quality healthcare and how tech-enabled solutions can address the needs of a growing population with limited resources. Startups were encouraged to explore opportunities in the healthcare and health-tech sectors, where disruption is opening new avenues for innovation.
The SET roundtable addressed the importance of reducing unemployment by leveraging technology to train youth with industry-relevant skills. Meanwhile, the women in business roundtable encouraged women entrepreneurs to be confident in their abilities, to network actively, and to embrace failure as part of the entrepreneurial journey. Panelists highlighted the need for time optimization and the importance of conviction and persistence in achieving success.
JA Choudhary, Chairperson and Convenor of ISF, reflected on the success of the event, saying, “We had 3 insightful days of deliberations at ISF 2024. These insights will help students, early startup founders and others to overcome the challenges and foster the growth of startups successfully. We once again emphasize that startups need to focus on a problem-solving approach and continuously keep innovating. Startups should focus on value creation rather than focusing on valuation. This is the sure path to success in the rapidly growing Indian economy. Looking forward to more success stories emerging from ISF 2024. I thank all the volunteers for the tireless efforts to make ISF 2024 a grand success.”
To further support emerging startups and volunteers, companies such as HoverRobotix and Mentor X have pledged to empower young entrepreneurs by providing mentorship, resources, global networks, and funding opportunities, particularly in the areas of AI and robotics. These efforts aim to help early-stage startups grow into industry-leading powerhouses, contributing to a dynamic ecosystem of innovation.
The core team behind the International Startup Foundation (ISF) includes JA Choudhary, Chairperson and Convenor of ISF; Dr. Siva Mahesh Tangutooru, Co-Founder and Managing Trustee of ISF; Atluri Yerragangu, Co-Founder and COO of ISF; along with Co-Founders M. Satyendra Kumar, Atluri, Seshadri Vangala, Deenanath Harapanahalli, Bipin Chandra Pendyala, and Dr. Bhanu Prakash Varla. Their collective efforts continue to drive the growth and success of the startup ecosystem.
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