ACIC SGTU at IIT Bombay E-Summit 2025

Atal Community Innovation Centre (ACIC), SGT University, Gurugram, participated in E-Summit 2025, organized by the Entrepreneurship Cell IIT Bombay at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay. IIT Bombay E-Summit is widely regarded as one of Asia’s largest and most impactful entrepreneurship conclaves, drawing participation from premier academic institutions, high-growth startups, venture capital firms, policymakers, corporates, and ecosystem enablers. The summit functions as a national convergence platform where ideas move beyond theory into real-world validation through dialogue, critique, and exposure.

This seamless logistical planning enabled participants to immediately immerse themselves in the summit experience. Being hosted within IIT Bombay’s academic and residential ecosystem itself became a valuable learning opportunity, exposing students to:

• Campus-driven innovation culture
• Peer-to-peer intellectual exchange
• The intensity and discipline of premier technical institutions

The inaugural evening focused on community building and informal interaction, featuring:

• Live music and cultural performances
• Gaming and open-interaction zones
• Unstructured networking spaces

From an incubation perspective, these sessions were significant because:

• They reduced hierarchical barriers between students, founders, and speakers
• Encouraged organic conversations without formal pitching pressure
• Enabled early rapport building across institutions

Day 1 – 9 December 2025

Registration, Orientation and Inaugural Sessions

The first day of E-Summit 2025 commenced with registration and onboarding of participants at the IIT Bombay campus. The SGT University delegation completed registration formalities, received official welcome kits, and was allotted accommodation within the campus.

An orientation session was conducted by the organizing committee to brief participants on the summit structure, schedule, exhibition guidelines, and participation protocols.

The inaugural sessions introduced participants to the theme and objectives of E-Summit 2025. The opening day featured addresses and interactions that set the broader context of entrepreneurship, innovation, and startup ecosystems in India.

The evening concluded with informal networking sessions, enabling participants to engage with students and founders from various institutions across the country.

Day 2 – 10 December 2025

Sessions & Speakers

• Smriti Irani — Former Union Minister
  • Focused on the role of leadership in nation-building through innovation.
  • Addressed the importance of policy support for startups and how public initiatives can empower young entrepreneurs.
  • Encouraged aspirants to understand the intersection of governance, economics, and enterprise creation.
• Nandan Nilekani — Co-Founder, Infosys & Architect of Aadhaar
  • Shared insights from scaling Infosys from an Indian startup to a global IT enterprise.
  • Highlighted how large-scale technology platforms like Aadhaar can enable inclusive development.
  • Discussed the importance of data-driven decision-making and public-private collaboration in innovation.
• Sonam Wangchuk — Innovator & Education Reformer
  • Spoke about solving real-world problems through grounded innovation.
  • Emphasised sustainability, community-centric design thinking, and lean experimentation.
  • Explained the importance of learning from local contexts rather than adopting imported solutions.

Day 3 – 11 December 2025

Sessions & Speakers

• Ankur Warikoo — Entrepreneur & Author
  • Shared practical lessons on decision-making, prioritisation, and building resilience.
  • Focused on personal growth as a core driver of entrepreneurial success.
  • Highlighted the importance of learning from repeated iterations and failures, not just success stories.
• Aman Gupta — Co-Founder, boAt
  • Explained how boAt achieved rapid growth in a competitive market.
  • Discussed brand positioning, customer experience, and scaling hardware startups.
  • Stressed the need for agility in product launches and pricing strategies.
• Kunal Bahl & Rohit Bansal — Founders, Titan Capital
  • Discussed investor expectations and how founders should prepare for funding conversations.
  • Shared insights on traction metrics, financial storytelling, and founder-investor alignment.
  • Provided practical tips on due diligence, pitch refinement, and term sheet clarity.
• Vamsi Krishna — Co-Founder, Vedantu
  • Focused on the pre-startup mindset, outlining critical steps before registering a company.
  • Emphasised problem validation, customer discovery, and market research before product design.
  • Stressed grounding long-term strategy in early clarity and structured preparation.

Startup Expo

• Student startups from SGT University — Smash and Clash, Pocket Guard, Green Warrior, First Step — set up exhibition stalls.
• Teams engaged with investors, mentors, and attendees, gathering feedback on product design, messaging, customer interest, and scalability.
• Students were exposed to real marketplace feedback loops and practical pitch sessions.

Day 4 – 12 December 2025

Sessions & Speakers

• Benedetto Vigna — CEO, Ferrari
  • Highlighted global innovation culture and engineering excellence.
  • Spoke about blending precision, performance, and brand legacy in long-term entrepreneurship.
  • Discussed how legacy brands sustain innovation over time through disciplined research and development.
• Anil Singhvi — Market Analyst
  • Shared insights on market cycles, investor behaviour, and risk management.
  • Explained how psychology often drives financial movements, encouraging disciplined, data-based decisions.
  • Advised entrepreneurs on interpreting market trends before raising funds or scaling operations.
• Pranjal Kamra — Founder, Finology
  • Shared perspectives on financial literacy for founders.
  • Discussed building robust financial strategies, long-term capital planning, and avoiding short-term speculative decisions.
  • Stressed disciplined investing and maintaining a clear financial narrative for startup sustainability.

Academic Relevance and Institutional Impact

The participation of ACIC–SGT University in IIT Bombay E-Summit 2025, organised by the Entrepreneurship Cell IIT Bombay at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, was academically relevant and aligned with the University’s objectives of promoting entrepreneurship, innovation, and experiential learning.

The four-day engagement provided structured exposure to national-level entrepreneurship discourse, startup ecosystems, policy perspectives, and market-oriented thinking. Students benefited from direct interaction with experienced entrepreneurs, industry leaders, and ecosystem stakeholders, along with practical learning through the startup exhibition.

The knowledge and exposure gained during the summit will positively contribute to the ongoing incubation and entrepreneurship initiatives at ACIC–SGT University. Such participation strengthens the University’s commitment to integrating classroom learning with real-world entrepreneurial practices and supports the development of industry-ready, innovation-driven students.