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Inc42 is back with the second edition of The Makers Summit, to be held on April 22-23

TMS22 will bring together India’s best product minds, makers, founders and leaders from the startup community to unbox their product strategies for driving growth

Join more than 75+ speakers across 30 live sessions, including the likes of Zoho’s Sridhar Vembu, Kabeer Biswas of Dunzo and Razorpay’s Harshil Mathur

It is that time of the year again when we bring you great product insights straight from the horse’s mouth — the product companies from India’s thriving startup ecosystem. The Makers Summit, Inc42’s flagship event, is even more relevant this year as the long shadow of the pandemic has triggered a demand for cutting-edge technology at every step of the product life cycle.

A quick review of the past year and the trends we saw may give us a better idea of the shape of things to come.

The year 2021 was a phenomenal one for the Indian startup ecosystem. To begin with, a robust recovery from the pandemic was followed by huge private and public investments. While overall funding into startups crossed the $100 Bn mark since 2014. The country further witnessed 11 IPOs, many M&A deals and the adoption of cutting-edge technologies, the mark of a thriving system across stages.

The momentum continues. Barely four months into the new calendar year, 13 startups have already joined the coveted unicorn club. Even as we speak, India’s unicorn tally is just one spot shy of hitting the century. According to a recent report by Inc42 Plus, startup funding in Q1 2022 is almost equivalent to the total funding raised in 2020. Given these numbers, the steady rise of the startup sector is undeniable, showing India’s strides in the world of tech entrepreneurship, once exclusively associated with the developed nations.

However, there is no scope for complacency here as the customer is king for any business. Keeping the adage in mind, startups today constantly evolve to redefine their products, services, process innovation and business models to ensure greater traction and retention.

Take, for instance, the rise of quick commerce and how big players have gone for it head-on. After investing in Blinkit (erstwhile Grofers) just last year, foodtech giant Zomato announced another $400 Mn funding in the quick commerce space. Even a legacy player like Reliance Retail has joined the bandwagon with its $240 Mn investment in hyperlocal delivery platform Dunzo.

Another trend shows that the buy-now-pay-later model, an innovative fintech concept often positioned as a credit card killer, has already gained huge traction across the country.

To decode this all, Inc42 is back with its second edition of The Makers Summit (TMS), in partnership with Searce and Google Cloud; co-presented by CleverTap and Deskera; and supported by Dukaan and Simpl.

TMS22, a two-day virtual event, will be held on April 22-23 to bring together over 75+ India’s best product minds, makers, founders and leaders to decode the product and business strategies of the fastest-growing startups.

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If you love building products, designing experiences or driving conversations, join the likes of Sridhar Vembu, founder and CEO of Zoho; Kabeer Biswas, cofounder and CEO of Dunzo; Harshil Mathur, cofounder and CEO of Razorpay, and many more industry stalwarts. At the TMS22, the most innovative minds will share the most relevant hacks – what works and what doesn’t in product development – and their learning with India’s budding entrepreneurs.

Sit tight as we get down to the nitty-gritty of all critical components, from product conceptualisation to product building to business expansion and everything in-between.

Fireside Chats With The Hotshots 

How can homegrown tech startups maximise their potential? Will the Indian hinterland play a crucial role in triggering change and driving the product market? These are just a few of the topics to be explored at a fireside chat with Zoho’s Sridhar Vembu as he decodes Zoho’s product building strategy for the local and global users.

These sessions have been designed to help all makers get a sneak peek at what the top founders from the Indian tech ecosystem think and delve deep into the actionable insights that can solve the next billion-dollar problems.

Or think of Groww and how the leading fintech platform is disrupting the traditional way of investments by targeting millennial investors via social media. If these questions pique your curiosity just like ours, join the chat where Lalit Keshre, cofounder and CEO of Groww as he decodes the unicorn’s growth story, vision and the modus operandi of snapping up legacy companies to bolster growth.

A fireside chat with Razorpay’s Harshil Mathur will focus on how demonetisation and the Covid-19 pandemic reshaped India’s payment landscape. He will further discuss the fintech major’s strategy and road map to build and scale new products.

We will also host Rajoshi Gosh, cofounder and COO of Hasura, to tell us how the company built India’s first open-source unicorn. While Gaurav Munjal, cofounder and CEO of Unacademy, will take centre stage to answer some pertinent questions about how prioritisation frameworks can shape the growth of a business.

There will be as many as eight fireside chats and keynote sessions with some of the most prominent names who will reveal their game plan.

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Masterclasses: Lessons from The Founders, Leaders And Makers

Nothing can be better if the startup leaders themselves reveal their success mantra to the audience without prodding or digging. To turn your entrepreneurial dream into reality, we have carefully crafted a series of 10 masterclasses, to be conducted by some of the biggest names in tech at home and abroad.

Gear up to meet Rajesh Ramdas, head of customer engineering, digital natives, at Google Cloud, to learn how startups can scale up and cater to changing consumer behaviour and demand.

In a techade where AI/ML often forms the technology backbone of startups and their products, how should one use cutting-edge tech solutions to drive product discovery and improve user experience? The masterclass by Ramdas will provide some exciting insights into Google’s operations so that you can learn the winning strategy and develop appropriate solutions.

Innovators in tech top companies such as FamPay’s Brijesh Bharadwaj will be talking about building the right growth models for growing consumer products while Haptik’s Aakrit Vaish’s session will be your guide to mastering WhatsApp for scaling your business.

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Panel Discussions: Decode The Hottest Trends And Topics

How often do you see candid discussions among most prominent startup icons? Well, it will make you bubble over with excitement and leave you wanting for more!

Let us look at the rise of fintech and how new-age products target and cater to different user sets. So, what should be the right business model for fintech companies operating in a largely fragmented sector? Catch Mukesh P. Kalra, founder and CEO of ET Money; Priya Sharma, cofounder, CFO & COO of ZestMoney, and many more discussing the tips and tricks of increasing the LTV of a low-margin business and navigating the regulatory dilemmas that plague both companies and customers.

As many as 60 speakers will discuss, agree, disagree and share their experiences across 12 panel discussions as they talk about some of the hottest trends, burning issues, crippling roadblocks and exciting opportunities for startups.

From product strategy and framework to hiring and building company culture, from optimising emerging business models to exploring the rise of Web3.0, gaming and the subscription economy, we will cover every critical component of the startup world to help you benefit the most from The Makers Summit.

If you are a maker, a creator or just a tech enthusiast with an insatiable curiosity and an appetite for knowledge, it is time to block the dates and book your seat.

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