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The city of Bengaluru will host a two-day annual summit of India Global Forum with the theme “The New India Inc”, which will bring together policymakers, union cabinet ministers, founders of unicorns and startups to discuss the goals to be set, as well as the road ahead for the ecosystem.

The summit will be held on March 7 and 8, during which key leaders will engage and deliberate upon the global narrative for India Inc where startups have emerged as the key constituency. YourStory, India’s leading digital media platform, is the ecosystem partner for this event.

Among the dignitaries who will be part of the summit include Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Rajeev Chandrashekhar (Minister of State for Electronics & IT and Skill Development), and Meenakshi Lekhi (Minister of State for External Affairs & Culture).

The summit is also expected to see the participation of unicorn founders such as Varun Dua of Acko, Umang Bedi of VerSe Innovation, Nitin Agarwal of GlobalBees, Harsh Jain of Dream11, Yashish Dahiya of Policybazaar, Nikhil Kamath of Zerodha, Smita Deorah of LEAD, among others.

India Global Forum Founder and Chairman Manoj Ladwa said, “Startups and unicorns have been the cornerstone of India’s economic growth story, particularly in the past two years. With the world eyeing ‘New India’ for investments in startups from a range of sectors — fintech, edtech, and healthcare, we are at the cusp of a transformation led by digital economy and tech-driven solutions.”

He further noted, “With IGF, we aim to collectively commit to the growth of the sector through outcome-driven conversations. The participation of senior policymakers and cabinet ministers in these conversations in the technology hub of Bengaluru will act as a catalyst of the process.”

The Forum will host a variety of events and gatherings, including unicorns roundtable, global disruptor series, women in leadership boardroom, diplomacy and business roundtable, founders and leaders dinner, and networking receptions.

Meenakshi Lekhi, Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture, said, “Showcasing India’s soft power by intertwining diplomacy, business and the cultural Economy has become crucial like never before. As we embrace the idea of ‘New India’ while commemorating 75 years of the country’s independence, India Global Forum’s Summit in Bengaluru comes at an hour of reckoning for us, the policymakers, to work closely with the shapers and makers of the businessworld — entrepreneurs, unicorn founders and innovators to forge a global narrative for India.”

According to the Economic Survey 2021-22, India has 83 unicorns with a total worth of $277.77 billion, as of January 14, 2022. The country added a record 44 unicorns in 2021, surpassing the United Kingdom to become the third-highest country in terms of unicorns after the United States and China. Today, India is home to about 60,000 startups and the numbers are growing every single day.

Umang Bedi, Co-founder, VerSe Innovation (DailyHunt and Josh) said, “The India Global Forum presents an important opportunity for India to meet the world where it is today and actively collaborate as we leverage technology to accelerate growth, because when we solve for India, we solve for the world.”