India’s Bold AI Future Unfolds: Kotak BizLabs Luminaries – FITT x Oxford AI Startup Summit 2025 Sets a New Benchmark for Innovation & Inclusion
The Kotak BizLabs Luminaries: FITT – Oxford AI Startup Summit 2025 concluded at the R&I Park Auditorium, FITT, IIT Delhi, energizing India’s rapidly growing AI and startup ecosystem. An official Pre-Summit for the upcoming AI Impact Summit 2026 brought together distinguished leaders, policymakers, investors, innovators, and young founders for an afternoon of insight, inspiration, and thought leadership.
Hosted jointly by FITT, IIT Delhi and Saïd Business School, Oxford University, in association with Kotak BizLabs and UnnatiAI, the summit spotlighted the theme: AI for ALL | AI by HER | YUVAi, reflecting India’s vision of inclusive, equitable, and future-driven technological progress.
The summit commenced with a vibrant networking session welcoming delegates, innovators, investors, and industry experts.
This was followed by an inspiring Welcome Address by Dr. Nikhil Agarwal, Managing Director, FITT, IIT Delhi, who highlighted India’s accelerating AI-driven transformation and the critical role of academia–industry collaboration.
Dr. Nikhil Agarwal, Managing Director, FITT, IIT Delhi, set the tone in his welcome address: “Startups thrive when they tackle two fronts, everyday lifestyle challenges and long-term aspirational ones. While solving daily problems often creates sustainable businesses, investing in futuristic challenges ensures humanity is prepared for what lies ahead.”
The keynote by Chief Guest Mr. Abhishek Singh, CEO, IndiaAI Mission & Additional Secretary, MeitY, struck a powerful chord: “It’s not that AI will take away jobs. People with AI skills will take the jobs of people without AI skills. My ask to all entrepreneurs is to build voice-enabled solutions that can empower citizens in their native languages.”
A candid fireside chat between Ms. Anna Roy, Mission Director, Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP), NITI Aayog, and Ms. Aditi Balbir, Founder, EcoRatings, put the spotlight on inclusive leadership. Ms. Roy urged women founders: “Women always undersell themselves while men always oversell. Do not undersell yourself and understand your potential. If we overcome the gaps and solve for India, we can use these solutions for the rest of the world.”
The panel discussion, moderated by Sseema Gill, Media Adviser & Head, Media Centre – FITT, brought together Himanshu Nivsarkar, Head CSR – Kotak Mahindra Bank and Mudit Kumar, Co-founder & COO, Ideabaaz to explore how India can build a more inclusive and resilient startup ecosystem, especially beyond metro cities. The conversation underscored the need to democratise opportunities for founders in Tier 2 and Tier 3 regions, strengthen local incubator networks, and provide patient, collaborative capital rather than transactional funding. Both speakers highlighted how CSR-driven initiatives can expand access and awareness in underserved geographies, helping the ecosystem grow more equitably. They also discussed how CSR outreach at the grassroots, can transform entrepreneurship from a movement into a national revolution. The panel stressed supporting women founders through equal opportunity rather than “empowerment” narratives and emphasised that emotional support, mentorship, and community-building are as essential as capital in a founder’s often lonely journey. The session concluded with a shared belief that India must focus less on creating unicorns and more on solving problems faced by a billion people, ensuring sustainable, purpose-driven innovation.
As the summit closed, the resounding sentiment was clear: India is not just participating in the AI revolution, it is leading it with purpose, inclusivity, and unstoppable young energy.
For more information check: https://fitt-iitd.com/Kotak-Bizlab/
