Latest news with #ETSoonicornsSummit2025
Time of India
10 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
InMobi's Mohit Saxena on building an indigenous tech stack in the AI age at ET Soonicorns Summit 2025
Academy Empower your mind, elevate your skills As India accelerates its artificial intelligence (AI) ambitions, the question is no longer just what we build, but how we build it. At the Economic Times Soonicorns Summit 2025, Mohit Saxena, Co-founder of InMobi, will take the spotlight in a fireside chat exploring a timely provocation: Can India build its tech stack from the ground up for the AI age?His session, 'Building a New Indigenous Tech Stack in the AI Age', comes at a time when questions of code sovereignty, AI infra ownership, and local optimisation are gaining urgency. For engineers, product leaders, and deep-tech founders, this promises to be a session rooted not in theory—but in the architectural realities of building AI from first ET Soonicorns Summit 2025 in Bengaluru puts a sharper lens on scale: From Lab to Revenue—The Billion-Dollar Blueprint for Scaling Indian AI where Mohit Saxena's fireside chat could offer a timely completes 20 years since its inception, tracing its evolution from its early days as a mobile advertising network to its current phase of building a generative AI-powered commerce platform through Glance became a unicorn in 2011—well before such achievements were commonly celebrated in India's startup ecosystem. Over time, that early breakthrough gained recognition at the national InMobi has over 2,000 employees and a growing presence across AI, commerce, and advertising, and with it Mohit Saxena is primed to share his founder-builder journey. At a time when most startups were riding software-as-a-service (SaaS) and cloud APIs, Saxena went the hard way: assembling a world-class tech stack Saxena, who brings experience in scaling infrastructure-led innovation, to dive deep into what it takes to build and own your stack in a world dominated by hyperscalers and open-source dependencies, especially as AI shifts the ground beneath every tech co-founder of InMobi and a hands-on engineering leader, Mohit Saxena brings a rare blend of technical rigour and scale experience. At the ET Soonicorns Summit 2025, his Fireside chat is expected to offer sharp insights for India's next wave of startup a startup landscape increasingly shaped by pre-built APIs and plug-and-play AI models, Saxena is expected to explore why India's next generation of AI startups may need to invest in building foundational code and infrastructure. Rather than chasing marginal gains through better prompts, Saxena may argue that deeper breakthroughs will come from stronger architectural pipes—purpose-built, scalable, and generative AI models and global open-source tools at everyone's fingertips, Saxena may argue that it's no longer enough to assemble. The real value lies in solving India-first problems with original logic layers—whether in local language UX, on-device inference, or real-time analytics for low-bandwidth compute shortages to data sovereignty, India's AI startup ecosystem is hitting infrastructure chokepoints. Expect Saxena to reflect on whether Indian startups can reduce external dependencies—by building internal DevOps maturity, exploring alternative hardware architectures, or rethinking their cloud from his experience scaling InMobi's ad tech engines and data platforms, Saxena might discuss how AI should be embedded deeply into the software stack—not just used for add-on features like chatbots. This means viewing AI as an operating logic that informs business decisions, not just has the engineering talent—but do early-stage startups have the right toolchains and frameworks to harness it effectively? This session could offer grounded advice on setting up internal platforms, balancing speed with scalability, and navigating the trade-offs between open-source and custom Saxena may speak candidly about leadership in the AI age—what it takes to scale a tech-first organisation when the ground beneath is shifting. Whether it's hiring for adaptability, managing burnout, or prioritising long-term architecture over short-term wins, his experience will resonate with founders navigating similar scale be held on 22 August 2025 in Bengaluru, this year's ET Soonicorns Summit is India's largest gathering of Summit promises hard-won lessons from both labs and boardrooms fueling India's innovation will dissect how India's next-generation startups are integrating AI not as a headline gimmick, but as a serious lever for growth, valuation, and global positioning. Here's a preview of the agenda shaping the country's soonicorn-to-unicorn pipeline:Sessions will unpack India's ambitions in foundational AI—spanning GenAI (generative) startups, large language models (LLMs) built for Bharat-scale, and indigenous tech stacks. From agentic models and data infrastructure to capital flows into core science, the focus is on whether Indian startups can lead the AI era—not merely adapt to 2025 the breakout year for India's AI-native startups? Investor roundtables will analyse funding shifts, asking whether capital is backing deep tech moonshots or favouring vertical AI models with near-term return on investment (ROI). Expect sharp takes from top VCs and AI company founders on what it will take to back generational AI ventures from product and models, Indian AI startups now face the uphill task of scaling talent, building defensible IP, and navigating regulatory grey zones. These sessions will decode playbooks for building IPO-readiness, spotlighting how startups are tackling compliance, global go-to-market GTM strategies, and deep technical hiring to build AI companies with staying you're a product manager figuring out how to integrate AI, a founder planning your first LLM, or a CTO tired of third-party limitations—this could be your a world where every startup is racing to build the next ChatGPT, Mohit Saxena is pausing to ask a deeper question: Should India build its own stack before it builds its own stars?On August 22, come hear why that question matters now more than now for the ET Soonicorns Summit 2025 in Bengaluru and join a Fireside chat that might just light the way for India's next billion-dollar idea.360 One is the presenting partner of the ET Soonicorns Summit 2025.(This article is generated and published by the ET Spotlight team. You can get in touch with them at etspotlight@ .)
Time of India
5 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Soonicorns at scale: The AI-driven sprint to India's next unicorn wave at ET Soonicorns Summit 2025
Academy Empower your mind, elevate your skills AI Investments in India – Chasing Hype or Backing Real Disruption? The Billion-Dollar AI Blueprint: Scaling Indian Startups in the Next Decade From Pilot to Product-Market Fit: AI Innovation Case Studies Pre-IPO to Bell Ringing: The CFO Playbook for 2025 AI's Ethical Crossroads: Innovation vs Manipulation in a Deepfake Era India's startup ecosystem is undergoing a paradigm shift as a wave of high-potential startups, or 'soonicorns,' races towards unicorn status. These soonicorns, riding on the back of breakthroughs in artificial intelligence (AI), are redefining the scaling blueprint—from deeptech research and development (R&D) to billion-dollar revenue models. The Economic Times (ET) Soonicorns Summit 2025, India's largest congregation of soonicorns, puts the spotlight at the heart of this acceleration, where the journey from lab to market meets real-world to data intelligence platform Tracxn, India is now home to 121 unicorns as of July 2025. The latest to join the club is Jumbotail, a business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce platform in the food and grocery sector, which achieved unicorn status on June 30, 2025 . While these billion-dollar ventures continue to capture headlines, it's the soonicorns—startups that have raised over $40 million in funding or achieved a valuation of over $100 million—that are powering India's deeptech ranks third globally in the startup ecosystem, behind only the United States (1,047 unicorns) and China (248 unicorns), according to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. Domestically, Bengaluru leads the unicorn tally with 52 companies, followed by Gurugram and Mumbai with 19 unicorns each. But the real story of 2025 is how soonicorns are leveraging AI to achieve scale faster than and the scale blueprint in 2025With over 1.59 lakh startups officially recognised by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) as of January 2025, India's innovation economy is thriving. The artificial intelligence (AI) revolution has added a powerful accelerant. From predictive analytics to generative models, soonicorns across sectors are embedding AI into their core operations. The ET Soonicorns Summit 2025, scheduled for August 22 in Bengaluru, promises to unpack the billion-dollar playbooks that are enabling this ventures are finding fertile ground thanks to initiatives like the IndiaAI Mission, which offers graphics processing unit (GPU) access, cloud infrastructure, and ecosystem-wide support. These infrastructural tailwinds are translating to scale advantages across verticals including finance, healthcare, retail, manufacturing, and next-generation unicorns are being built on a foundation of sovereign tech, vernacular AI, and scalable infrastructure. Whether it's fine-tuning large language models for Indic languages, powering retail analytics, or combating financial fraud, soonicorns are innovating at every layer of the AI AI-driven leap from soonicorn to unicorn is characterised by faster product-market fit, deeper vertical integration, and global investor confidence. The result: startups born in AI labs are transforming into tomorrow's billion-dollar companies faster than ever ET Soonicorns Summit 2025 will spotlight over 50 speakers across a day-long agenda themed 'From Research Labs to Revenue Models: The Billion-Dollar Blueprint for Scaling Indian AI Startups.' Key panels include:A marquee fireside chat featuring InMobi Co-founder Mohit Saxena will explore 'The Next Frontier of Coding: Building a New Indigenous Tech Stack in the AI Age.'India's AI-first soonicorns are attracting investor interest not just because of valuations but due to their strategic positioning in emerging sectors. With projected global spending on vertical AI expected to reach $47 billion by 2030, India's deeptech soonicorns are ideally poised to capitalise. The confluence of compute, talent, and localised AI problems—from vernacular search to agri-intelligence—makes Indian soonicorns highly AI enables scale, it also raises questions around workforce impact, data sovereignty, and ethical use. Panels on the future of jobs and ethical AI development will tackle these head-on. Discussions will centre on how India's soonicorns can create inclusive, responsible, and globally competitive AI products without compromising on ethical unicorn dream is no longer a distant milestone but a tangible outcome for India's AI-first soonicorns. As technology, talent, and timing converge, the sprint to scale has begun. The ET Soonicorns Summit 2025 will not just chronicle this transformation—it will help architect it.360 One is the presenting partner of the ET Soonicorns Summit 2025.A startup with a valuation of $1 billion or above earns the unicorn title, typically due to market disruption and rapid innovation.A soonicorn is a high-potential startup that has raised over $40 million in funding or is valued at over $100 million, signalling strong growth potential toward becoming a of July 2025, India has 121 unicorns, making it the world's third-largest startup leads with 52 unicorns, while Gurugram and Mumbai are tied for second with 19 each. Bengaluru is also home to many of the leading AI serves as a core differentiator, helping soonicorns scale faster through automation, data intelligence, and product personalisation, supported by national initiatives such as the IndiaAI sessions featuring India's top AI founders, unicorn leaders, VCs, and policymakers, the Summit is where you will land strategic insights, investor access, and the AI blueprint to scale from soonicorn to unicorn.(This article is generated and published by the ET Spotlight team. You can get in touch with them at etspotlight@ .)
Time of India
15-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
From algorithms to unicorn ambitions: The AI scale blueprint for India's startups to be unveiled at ET Soonicorns Summit 2025
Synopsis India boasts 121 unicorns, ranking third globally in startup ecosystems. The ET Soonicorns Summit 2025 in Bengaluru will explore AI's role in scaling soonicorns to unicorn status. Discussions will cover AI investments, building Indian LLMs, the future of jobs, and ethical considerations, offering a roadmap for AI-driven startups.
Time of India
14-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
ET X Tracxn report on top soonicorns and minicorns across ten sectors: ET Soonicorns sundowner Hyderabad edition
Academy Empower your mind, elevate your skills The Economic Times, in collaboration with leading data intelligence platform Tracxn, announces the upcoming launch of its comprehensive 'ET Top Soonicorns and Minicorns X Top 10 Sectors Andhra Pradesh-Telangana' report for 2025–a first-of-its-kind analysis that reveals one of India's most extraordinary startup concentration report, which will be exclusively unveiled at the inaugural ET Soonicorns Sundowner on July 31, 2025, documents how a single city has systematically captured an almost unprecedented share of regional innovation capital. The findings are staggering: over 2,500 startups, $2.1 billion in funding, and 99.7% of the region's total startup capital–all concentrated within Hyderabad's metropolitan comprehensive analysis, spanning January 2020 to May 2025, adopts an ecosystem-first approach to examine startup formation, capital concentration, investor activity, and exit trends across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Unlike previous valuation-focused studies, the report analyses the complete investment landscape to understand not only where capital is going, but why it's going there, and what that reveals about the region's long-term startup part of the ET Soonicorns Summit 2025 series, now in its prestigious fourth edition, this joint initiative between the Economic Times (ET), in collaboration with research partner Tracxn—a data intelligence platform— represents a new approach to understanding regional startup dynamics– one that promises to reshape how we think about the geography of Indian data reveals a startup landscape that defies traditional expectations of geographic distribution. Between January 2020 and May 2025, Hyderabad didn't just emerge as a leading startup hub; it became the complete ecosystem, accounting for a concentration of innovation capital across Andhra Pradesh and 712 funding rounds generating $2.1 billion in capital deployment, Hyderabad has demonstrated what industry experts are calling 'deep centralisation'–a phenomenon where an entire state's startup ambitions converge on a single urban centre. The city's dominance extends beyond mere funding figures to encompass a remarkable pipeline of seven soonicorns and 42 minicorns, representing companies poised for billion-dollar valuations (soonicorns) and those already commanding $100M-$500M valuations (minicorns), concentration becomes even more striking when viewed against the backdrop of other regional centers. While cities such as Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, and Secunderabad show early-stage promise, they remain at the periphery of venture capital flows and unicorn ambition, collectively accounting for a mere 0.3% of the region's startup ET X Tracxn report identifies a fascinating dichotomy in Hyderabad's startup ecosystem: while Healthcare Booking Platforms and HRTech have emerged as the undisputed leaders with over $640 million in combined funding, it's the emerging high-growth sectors that tell the real story of future Vehicles (EVs) stand out as arguably the most dynamic frontier, leading all sectors with 50 funding rounds and boasting the highest number of minicorns (5) alongside two soonicorns. This isn't just about transportation; it's about Hyderabad's EV startups positioning themselves as a category creator of India's mobility most intriguingly, sectors such as Beauty Tech and Alternative Lending are attracting mega-rounds that rival traditional startup strongholds. Beauty Tech, with just 18 investors, secured $260.4 million–the third-highest funding amount in the entire dataset–demonstrating that investors are making concentrated, high-conviction bets on Hyderabad's NewSpace sector presents another compelling narrative, with $125.8 million in funding from only 14 investors and one soonicorn. This signals Hyderabad's ambition to carve out a significant role in India's burgeoning private space industry–a sector that could redefine the city's technological dominance represents more than just funding concentration–it demonstrates the emergence of what the ET X Tracxn report identifies as a 'complete ecosystem' model. The research reveals how this isn't simply about one city succeeding, but about the dynamics of how an entire region's innovation economy can be powered by a single urban concentration extends beyond funding to encompass talent, infrastructure, and institutional support. With 8,396 tech startups identified by Tracxn Technologies in its Telangana Tech Annual Report 2024, Hyderabad has created what experts describe as a comprehensive innovation hub–one capable of nurturing ventures from inception to industry ecosystem strength was particularly evident in 2024, when Hyderabad-based startups raised $571 million across 81 funding rounds, a 160% jump from 2023, driven in part by a major $297 million investment in Apollo 24/7. This single investment demonstrates how mega-rounds can amplify the growth trajectory of already thriving innovation report's analysis extends beyond Hyderabad to examine the broader regional dynamics across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. While Andhra Pradesh's startup ecosystem remains nascent with no consolidated funding data reported publicly, the state has focused on large-scale industry investments. According to The Times of India (May 2024) , 91 companies have committed ₹91,839 crore (approximately $11 billion) in investments across the IT and electronics sectors in Andhra Pradesh, aiming to generate over 140,000 figures, while reflecting broader industrial investment rather than pure startup capital, signal growing state-level emphasis on innovation-driven growth and suggest potential for future startup ecosystem ET X Tracxn report identifies the key players driving this concentration. Firms such as SucSEED Indovation, Brand Capital, Endiya Partners, and Anthill Ventures appear repeatedly as notable investors in the top-ranked sectors. Incubators and ecosystem enablers such as T-Hub and IKP Knowledge Park have been instrumental in nurturing early-stage startups, particularly in HRTech and Healthcare consistent presence of committed investors provides startups with crucial access to capital, mentorship, and networks, creating a self-reinforcing ecosystem that continues to attract more talent and complete findings of this groundbreaking analysis will be unveiled at the inaugural ET Soonicorns Sundowner on July 31, 2025. This marks the beginning of the ET Soonicorns Sundowner series, a product of the ET Soonicorns Summit 2025 , now in its fourth edition. A first-of-its-kind report, this will offer fresh perspectives and foster new sundowner will bring together the key players identified in the report–from unicorn, soonicorn, and minicorn founders to the investors powering their growth–for an evening of insights, networking, and strategic discussions about the future of India's startup part of the broader ET Soonicorns Summit 2025 , this joint initiative aims to decode the real dynamics of regional startup power, going beyond celebratory lists to delve into the geography of entrepreneurship, the capital architecture of future unicorns, and the thematic bets that define this moment in India's startup report aims to serve as a roadmap for understanding how concentration, competition, and capital deployment are reshaping India's innovation landscape, one city at a time.360 One Wealth is the presenting partner of the ET Soonicorns Summit 2025.
Time of India
08-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
India's billion-dollar AI blueprint: Pratilipi, Zolve, Stellaris, and Google DeepMind to unveil scaling secrets at ET Soonicorns Summit 2025
The ET Soonicorns Summit 2025 returns to Bengaluru on August 22, diving into the mission-critical AI question of scale. Here's what you need to know and why you should attend as AI leaders prepare to unveil the scale playbook. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Shally Modi, Co-founder, Pratilipi Shweta Rajpal Kohli, President & CEO, Startup Policy Forum Manish Gupta, Senior Director, Google DeepMind Raghunandan G, Founder, Zolve Ritesh Banglani, Co-founder & CEO, Stellaris Venture Partners Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Shally Modi, Co-founder, Pratilipi: At the helm of India's most successful vernacular content platform, Modi brings insights from scaling language-first AI in a market as complex as India. Her on-the-ground view of AI's application in storytelling, personalisation, and creator monetisation is deeply relevant as India eyes a bottom-up AI revolution. Shweta Rajpal Kohli, President & CEO, Startup Policy Forum: A former public policy head at global tech giants and now a policy entrepreneur, Kohli will offer a sharp, insider take on what Indian regulation gets right—and where it stifles scale. Expect her to weigh in on data localisation, AI governance, and startup compliance fatigue. Manish Gupta, Senior Director, Google DeepMind: Gupta represents the R&D depth India must build at scale. His presence adds global heft and provokes a key question: Can India build its own DeepMind—or does it need to? Raghunandan G, Founder, Zolve: Raghunandan is no stranger to scale. Having built and exited TaxiForSure, and now leading cross-border neobank Zolve, he brings a builder's clarity to a market obsessed with valuation over value. Expect grounded insight on talent models, GTM playbooks, and investor-founder alignment. Ritesh Banglani, Co-founder & CEO, Stellaris Venture Partners: One of India's most respected VCs, Banglani has backed some of the country's sharpest tech startups. His perspective on what separates an AI soonicorn from an AI statistic will likely set the tone for how capital chases capability in the years ahead. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads AI Investments in India: Chasing Hype or Backing Real Disruption? This high-stakes session features top investors such as Sanjay Swamy (Prime Venture Partners), Hemant Mohapatra (Lightspeed Ventures), and Manish Singhal (pi Ventures) debating what's real in India's AI surge—and what's just branding. This high-stakes session features top investors such as Sanjay Swamy (Prime Venture Partners), Hemant Mohapatra (Lightspeed Ventures), and Manish Singhal (pi Ventures) debating what's real in India's AI surge—and what's just branding. AI for Bharat: How Localised Data Centres Can Bridge the Digital Divide - Featuring Adarsh Natarajan (Aindra) and Ankit Bose (Nasscom), this panel focuses on India's unique advantage—solving for underserved populations using culturally and linguistically localised AI. - Featuring Adarsh Natarajan (Aindra) and Ankit Bose (Nasscom), this panel focuses on India's unique advantage—solving for underserved populations using culturally and linguistically localised AI. Can India Build Its Own ChatGPT or DeepSeek? The Agentic AI Race Is On - From to Microsoft Innovation Hub, this session convenes the core players pushing India's AGI frontier. As the world races to build agentic, self-improving AI systems, India is no longer watching from the sidelines. Artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer a buzzword in Indian startups; it's the battleground. As billions pour into AI-first ventures and government-backed infrastructure scales up, the big question isn't whether India will play the AI game; it's how Indian startups can win 2024, Indian startups raised $30.4 billion in funding—a 6.5% dip from 2023 —according to Tracxn. Despite the decline, the ecosystem showed resilience, with new unicorns such as Rapido, Ather, Perfios, Porter, and Money View reflecting continued innovation and investor this sustained resilience, a receding funding winter, and an AI-driven momentum where Indian startups are increasingly building and leveraging AI solutions, a panel at the ET Soonicorns Summit 2025 will address the question every founder, investor, and policymaker is asking: What does it take to scale Indian AI startups into billion-dollar powerhouses over the next decade?Titled 'The Billion-Dollar AI Blueprint: Scaling Indian Startups in the Next Decade,' the session brings together some of the sharpest minds from product, policy, investment, and frontier AI research:The session aims to dive deep into the central question looming large over India's AI ecosystem: Can our startups scale before the window of global opportunity closes?India's startup ecosystem is entering a make-or-break moment. While the country is teeming with AI-first ventures, global scale remains elusive for most. As the US and China sprint ahead with capital, compute, and cutting-edge IP, India must confront a hard truth: innovation without scale won't cut securing long-term capital and building AI talent at scale to owning sustainable IP, expanding into global markets, and staying ahead on ethical compliance and governance, the session's premise is clear: building foundational AI is just the starting point. To lead on the global stage, Indian startups must crack the scale $11.3 billion already flowing into Indian startups in 2025 and AI policy levers moving fast, this panel aims to define the strategy behind the the power players on stage:The AI opportunity isn't just about building tools; it's about shaping a new economy. According to Statista, India's AI market is expected to hit $244.22 billion in 2025, on its way to a projected $1.01 trillion by 2031. But here's the catch: scale is not a by-product of good tech. It needs deliberate architecture—capital, compute, policy, and India's making this infrastructure aligns with startup innovation, India could unlock both domestic dominance and export this session is expected to grab headlines, it is part of a broader AI and Deep Tech Dominance track at the Soonicorns Summit 2025, each panel addressing a critical lever in India's AI playbook:The Billion-Dollar AI Blueprint panel doesn't just ask whether India can build big in AI—it asks how it can do it differently, more inclusively, and at a velocity that rewrites the a world where 99% of AI startups won't scale, this panel is a front-row seat to what the top 1% are doing right. And more importantly, what India needs to do to lead the AI age on its ET Soonicorns Summit 2025 returns to Bengaluru on August 22, bringing together unicorn and soonicorn founders, investors, policymakers, and AI leaders for a day of sharp dialogue, bold ambition, and hard questions. With the theme 'From Research Labs to Revenue Models: The Billion-Dollar Blueprint for Scaling Indian AI Startups,' this year's edition is poised to redefine what scale means in the Indian you're building, backing, or regulating India's tech future, this is where the playbook will be written.360 One Wealth is the presenting partner of the ET Soonicorns Summit 2025
