ET AI Conclave and Awards: India’s most anticipated AI leadership night

The ET AI Conclave & Awards is not just another AI awards ceremony, it is the AI leadership event happening in India where decisions that will define the trajectory of AI adoption across enterprises, startups, and regulatory bodies will be made. Designed for CXOs, founders, policymakers, investors, and product leaders, this AI event India brings together more than 250 senior AI leaders and innovators and over 40 top speakers & visionaries in an environment built for influence, collaboration, and real outcomes.

With over 10 deep-dive sessions and 7+ hours of networking, knowledge sharing, and collaboration, delegates are gearing up for a day that offers far more than spectacle, this is where India’s AI power circle aligns, where ideas become strategies, and where tomorrow’s leaders connect with those already shaping the AI landscape. This pathbreaking event will be held in Bengaluru on 26 February 2026.

One of the biggest reasons this AI Conclave and Awards in India has created such intense anticipation is the speaker lineup. Delegates will hear from luminaries such as Dr. Panneerselvam Madanagopal, CEO of MeitY Startup Hub, who will share insights into national AI initiatives and ecosystem acceleration; Rahul Chari, Founder & CTO of PhonePe, discussing real-world AI engineering practices at one of India’s fastest-scaling digital platforms.


The list goes on with game-changing innovators such as Kirthiga Reddy, CEO & Co-founder of OptimizeGEO.ai & Verix.io; Gaurav Aggarwal, Chief AI Scientist at Reliance Jio; Dilip Jose, MD & CEO of Manipal Hospitals; Baskar Subramanian, Co-founder & CEO of Amagi; Vivek Raghavan, Co-Founder of Sarvam AI; Sandeep Alur, CTO at Microsoft Innovation Hub India; Dr. Srinivas Telukunta, Global Director of AI Solutions & Platforms; and Peeyush Ranjan, Co-founder and CEO of Fermi.ai, a diversity of voices ensuring comprehensive coverage across enterprise AI, product engineering, research-driven strategy, and real-world deployment.

But the ET AI Conclave & Awards is not just about listening, it’s about connecting. The AI networking event offers structured and informal networking moments that extend for more than seven hours throughout the day. Whether it’s over breakfast, during panel breaks, or at the gala dinner, these interactions provide space for personalised conversations with fellow attendees, collaborators, and ecosystem stakeholders. This is where strategic partnerships are forged, investment interests are explored, and industry alliances are strengthened.

The partners of this event have also played a pivotal role in amplifying its impact. With associate partners bringing curated insights, technology showcases, and innovation zones, sponsors are not just spectators, they are active co-creators of a world-class AI ecosystem experience that delegates will remember long after the awards night ends.

The NBFC Partner, L&T Finance, supports enterprise-level AI conversations and enables deeper industry engagement. The AI Data Cloud Partner, Snowflake, brings the backbone of scalable AI infrastructure, ensuring that discussions around data intelligence and cloud-native AI innovation remain grounded in real-world execution. The Evaluation Partner, Ernst & Young, upholds the integrity and credibility of the awards process through rigorous assessment frameworks and transparent judging methodologies.

Supporting broader collaboration, the Ecosystem Partner, T- Hub, connects startups, enterprises, and innovators, reinforcing cross-sector AI adoption. The event is proudly Driven by BYD, whose leadership vision accelerates the summit’s impact and outreach. Adding vibrancy to the evening, the Celebration Partner, Indri, enhances the experience, making the recognition of AI excellence truly memorable. The Technology Partner, Zoho, powers the digital and experiential infrastructure of the conclave, enabling seamless engagement across sessions and showcases.

Complementing the experience are the Gifting Partners Vahdam, Vaaree, Natch, and Andamen, whose contributions add a thoughtful and premium touch to the delegate and winner journey. Together, these partners transform the ET AI Conclave & Awards into more than an event, they co-create an ecosystem platform driving India’s AI innovation story forward.

As the clock ticks down, one thing is clear: The ET AI Conclave & Awards, is the moment where India’s AI narrative is shaped, debated, decided, and celebrated. This is more than an awards ceremony, this is where India’s AI future is written, on 26 February 2026, in Bengaluru.