AI, entrepreneurship, and scalability take centre stage at ET Business Growth Summit in Bengaluru

The ET Business Growth Summit in Bengaluru, also known as the Silicon Valley of India, on August 20 brought together industry leaders, entrepreneurs, and other stakeholders to discuss topics ranging from artificial intelligence (AI) and exports to strategies for scaling up businesses. With the industry’s who’s who in attendance, the event explored the opportunities and challenges shaping businesses in a rapidly changing world.

The event started with a keynote address by BV Naidu, Chairman, Karnataka Digital Economy Mission (KDEM), who spoke about how Karnataka’s next phase of growth would extend beyond Bengaluru. “Mysuru, Hubballi-Dharwad, and Mangaluru are emerging as new business clusters, attracting MNCs and creating jobs. The aim is to spread economic growth more evenly,” he said.

Naidu also discussed the impact of AI, noting that while it may lead to job disruption in the short term, Karnataka sees it as a long-term opportunity for business growth. “The rise of GCCs already reflects this shift,” he added.


K Ravi, President, Bangalore Chamber of Industry and Commerce (BCIC), then delivered a special address discussing free trade agreements (FTAs) that have been signed recently and their benefit for India. “India’s FTAs are opening a bigger runway for Bengaluru. The India-UK FTA gives access to 137 services sub-sectors, while the India-EU pact covers 99.5% of India’s exports. The opportunity now is to convert market access into actual trade,” he said.

He said that Bengaluru’s next phase of globalisation will increasingly be built on partnerships. “BCIC is strengthening India-Japan business ties through its Osaka partnership and several other avenues to develop global win-wins,” he said.

This was followed by a fireside chat with Kumar Neel Lohit, Executive Director, IDBI Bank, who spoke about the various initiatives taken by the bank to bolster the MSME (micro, small, and medium enterprise) ecosystem. Lohit also mentioned that keeping a long-term vision in mind is important for such enterprises to sustain momentum in the years ahead. As part of his discussion, he also explained how banking collaborations enable businesses to expand and prepare for exports.

Sreeraman Thiagarajan, Co-Founder, Agrahyah Technologies, conducted a workshop in the next session on ‘AI as Your Strategy Partner. Focus on using AI for business growth and market expansion.’ Thiagarajan spoke about the ways AI can be used for business growth and market expansion.

The workshop was followed by a panel discussion on the journey of building and scaling a business. Arun K. Chittilappilly, Executive Chairman & Managing Director, Wonderla Holidays, said business expansion in Bengaluru was a high-capex, long-gestation bet that was difficult to fund. “We believed the city’s fast-growing IT economy could support a large-scale amusement park,” he said, highlighting Bengaluru’s significance to Wonderla’s business strategy.

Echoing similar sentiments, Kulin Shah, Co-Founder and COO of Onsurity, said Bengaluru’s start-up ecosystem helped Onsurity think beyond offering insurance to large organisations and build a scalable model for India’s 63 million SMEs.

Talking about Make in India, C S Krishnadas, Chief Executive Officer, Umiya Buildcon Limited, said that as a tech company, they see scope to survive and continue investing in R&D as well as aspire for bigger growth.

Speaking on the significance of skills in building a business, Kashyap Dalal, Co-founder & COO, Simplilearn, said that skills can quickly become obsolete as tech cycles accelerate. “A demand for reskilling and upskilling is, hence, created. Our aim is to track job-market skill gaps and build programmes to help people fast-track careers.”

Post the panel discussion, Prasun Roy, Head of Fairs and Exhibitions, India Subcontinent, DB Schenker, conducted a workshop detailing how Indian exporters can leverage global trade exhibitions for international market access.

The final segment of the event featured a grand felicitation ceremony honouring entrepreneurs Kashyap Dalal, Co-Founder and COO, Simplilearn; Arun K. Chittilappilly, Executive Chairman & Managing Director, Wonderla Holidays Ltd; Aniruddha Mehta, Chairman & Managing Director, Umiya Buildcon Limited; K Ravi, Managing Partner, K. Ravi & Associates; and Kulin Shah, Co-Founder and COO, Onsurity, who were felicitated as ET Business Icons.

This marked the conclusion of the event, enabling many enterprises to grasp the essentials of entrepreneurship in an era increasingly shaped by AI and technological advancements. The event was sponsored by IDBI Bank as the Banking Partner.