Events

As part of its Urban Works Innovation Challenge, Columbia Global Centers | Mumbai invites you to a panel discussion on June 25, 2019. The event will discuss the role of incubators in India's innovation ecosystem: what has worked so far, and what more needs to be done to factor in ecosystem-level changes. 
In India, there are more than 200 incubators, ranging from technology incubators started by the government, corporations, educational institutions, venture capital firms, angel investors, and first-generation entrepreneurs. Incubators perform a key role in the innovation ecosystem – they help startups achieve problem-solution fit, they help academia spin-off companies, they are a pipeline provider for early-stage investors, and they are the hub of startup promotion for governments. The incubation model is thriving and yet, as the ecosystem evolves, many challenges lie ahead. Novel solutions are required to successfully navigate changing social needs of urban India, including deep tech expertise, granular market data, and improved collaboration among various stakeholders.
Distinguished panelists including Sunita Singh and Pratap Raju will present their critical understanding and experience in the tech incubator space to address the sector's challenges, cutting-edge tools and models, and opportunities. The session will be moderated by Dr Ravina Aggarwal, Director, Columbia Global Centers | Mumbai. 

To register, please send an email to mumbairsvp.cgc@columbia.edu

About the speakers:

Sunita Singh is an entrepreneurial leader with 25+ years of exciting and challenging experiences, including in several startup situations, both for profit and not for profit. She helped setup Wadhwani Foundation's entrepreneurship training and mentoring platform called Global Training Institute (GTI) and liaised with the Government of Maharashtra to setup the Wadhwani Artificial Intelligence Institute for Social Good. In 2017, she initiated and launched the Foundation's program to enable the growth of SMEs leading to new jobs. Previously, Sunita co-founded and led efforts behind the National Entrepreneurship Network (NEN), working with over 500 academic institutions in 26 Indian cities. She has held advisory roles on the board of incubators, government departments, and global organizations nurturing innovation in India.

Pratap Raju founded PR Climate Studio to build local ecosystems in climate entrepreneurship through market-oriented platforms. One such platform is Climate Collective, a non-profit focused on setting up a partnership network throughout South Asia to build local ecosystems to support climate startups. Another is Climate Spaces, a coworking solution for the cleantech and sustainability community. He is also the National Lead for India for Climate Launchpad, the world’s largest green business idea competition started by Climate-KIC, the EU’s main climate initiative. He has previously been a renewable energy entrepreneur having commissioned 84 MW solar and wind plants, and having run a solar crowdfunding platform in India. He is an alumnus of the University of Oxford and Harvard University.