Centre Kicks Off Preparation For Second Edition Of Startup Mahakumbh

Following up on the success of the first edition of Startup Mahakumbh, the Centre has officially kicked off preparation of the second iteration of the event to be held in 2025. 

According to communication released by the Embassy of India to countries like New Zealand, Argentina, Brazil, the Department for the Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) will be scheduling the event between April 4 and 6, 2025, at Bharat Mandapam. 

Further, the theme for this year’s edition is said to be Startup India @ 2047-Unfolding the Bharat Story. The Mahakumbh’s website notes that the edition will be built up on “the five pillars of the startup ecosystem”.

These pillars include: 

• Partnerships to drive global collaborations between Indian startups to capitalise on international opportunities.
• Opening new market access channels for Indian businesses and entrepreneurs.
• Cultivating talent to promote innovation in the world’s third largest startup ecosystem. 
• Advocating policies to build a robust framework to nurture the country’s startup environment.
• Enabling greater access to investments for startups looking to scale.

The event is set to be spearheaded by a consortium of organisations like FICCI, ASSOCHAM, Bootstrap Foundation, and Indian Venture and Alternate Capital Association  (IVCA). Further, National Startup Advisory Council, DPIIT and Invest India will act as mentors for the conclave. 

The event will see the likes of Google, Captain Fresh, OYO, Info Edge, Dream11, Flipkart, Nykaa and BharatPe among others, serve as partners. Meanwhile, Startup Mahakumbh’s second edition will be powered by foodtech major Zomato, Export Credit Guarantee Corporation of India (ECGC) and SIDBI. 

In a post on LinkedIn, DPIIT’s joint secretary Sanjiv Singh announced that the department held its first meeting of the organising committee with DPIIT’s secretary Amardeep Singh Bhatia. The meeting saw participation from the likes of Info Edge’s Sanjeev Bikhchandani, Rukam Capital’s Archana Jahagirdar and Accel’s Prashanth Prakash, among others. 

“Following the maxim of Citius, Altius, Fortius (Latin for “Faster, Higher, and Stronger) we will put up a much better and bigger event,” Singh’s post read. 

The inaugural Startup Mahakumbh was held from March 18-20, 2024 under the central theme ‘Bharat Innovates’. The three-day event was attended by 1.3K+ exhibitors from 26+ states, 14+ country delegations, and 48.5K+ business visitors. 

The government said that the event saw participation from over 4000 future entrepreneurs, who engaged with investors, industry experts and innovators through masterclasses, networking, and interactive sessions. It also hosted 10+ thematic pavilions, which served as a catalyst for the startup ecosystem.