ET Soonicorns Summit 2024: Soonicorns-only roundtables with insider information

The ET Soonicorns Summit 2024—an Economic Times initiative—is gearing up for its third edition in Bengaluru on September 20, 2024. This third edition of the summit—themed ‘From Resurgence to Resilience’ with a core messaging for startups to ‘Recalibrate. Rebound. Reinvent’—is going to be held on September 20 in Bengaluru.

A definitive platform to celebrate soonicorns—a name given to startups on the cusp of becoming unicorns—the summit has a long, illustrious list of industry leaders, policymakers, and industry inside leaders, who will let attendees have a peek into their playbooks for navigating the highs and the lows of the startup ecosystem in India.

However, what’s a soonicorn summit without sessions designed exclusively for soonicorns? Bringing together over 15+ speakers across three curated topics, these closed-door conversations promise to take you on a knowledge-sharing tour, with some of the most disruptive players of the Indian startup ecosystem set to share their playbooks.

Innovating credit, finance, and investment products for the next billion users

Not only a robust and resilient fintech, but a thriving fintech is how the country’s tech-enabled financial products and services sector could be described. Sample this: The Indian fintech ecosystem is the third-largest worldwide, according to “State of the Fintech Union 2024”, a joint report from Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and Z47. No wonder that this fastest-growing ecosystem globally continues to demonstrate growth, with revenues surging to $25 billion in 2023—up by 56% year-on-year—despite a dip in funding.

“The sector has received investments of about $6 billion in the last two years alone,” The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das said.

India, with its rich demographic dividend, especially with a significant youth population, is riding on the fintech wave. At an 87% adoption rate, India also leaves behind the world average of 64%.

Manish Kumar, CEO & Founder of KredX; Ujjwal Jain, CEO, Share.Market; Raghunandan G, Founder, Zolve; Vishal Chopra, Co-Founder & CEO- WeRize; Anuj Kacker, Co-founder, Freo; Anuj Gupta, Chief Risk Officer, Credit Saison India; and Kaushal Singh, Head Of Engineering, Jar, will dive into this rapidly evolving financial landscape.

The numbers indicate that a huge section of the Indian population has already adopted fintech, arguably overwhelmingly during the pandemic when traditional payment modes were disrupted. However, experts say the challenge and opportunity both lie in diversification, hyper-personalisation of products, and penetrating untapped pockets. This is also likely to drive financial inclusion for all.

With these undercutting themes, speakers will explore how innovation in credit, finance, and investment products can drive financial inclusion for the next billion users.

The role of technology, particularly AI is undeniable in accelerating fintech adoption and driving financial inclusion, expect insights into how fintech players are reimagining credit to create more accessible financial products. When it comes to credit, the challenges of serving individuals with little or no credit history remain paramount. Expect these experts to focus on risk management and customisation in credit products.

Expect insights into the complexities of cross-border financial services, and tools to navigate regulatory hurdles across different countries. The future of cross-border fintech and the opportunities this space holds for new entrepreneurs is something that has captured the attention of industry leaders for some time now.

The balancing act between scalability and personalisation is also critical, particularly when serving underserved households in Tier 1 and Tier 2 India. How fintech players could address the trust deficit in these regions is worth considering.

How to maintain compliance without compromising customer security is a question that speakers are likely to address.

The challenges of catering to first-time investors with little industry exposure are also significant. Expect data-led insights into personalised and seamless customer experience in India’s dynamic financial landscape.

Finally, investment is another space that is attracting steady attention. Expect the conversation to touch upon the retail investment space and strategies to attract young, first-time investors and how AI is helping democratise investments in India.

This roundtable, moderated by Miloni Bhatt, promises to offer deep insights into how fintech startups can innovate to meet the needs of the next billion users while navigating the challenges of scalability, regulatory compliance, and AI integration.

“AI for All” in India: Leveraging AI across sectors and its limitless possibilities
The second closed-door roundtable will dive into the currency of our time: Artificial Intelligence (AI), and delve into how AI is transforming industries, with its far-reaching impact on various sectors.

The discussion will cover how AI is being harnessed to drive innovation in logistics, retail, mobility, healthcare, and beyond. Expect to hear about the integration of AI into business operations, the challenges of implementing AI-driven solutions, and the opportunities for startups to leverage AI for competitive advantage. This session is highly relevant for understanding how AI can be a catalyst for growth and sustainability.

Featured speakers include Ramesh Kumar Katreddi, VP of Engineering, Jumbotail; Vaibhav Khandelwal, Co-Founder & CTO, Shadowfax; Abhimanyu Saxena, Co-Founder, Scaler & Interviewbit; Sarang Sharma, Product Head, Practo; Vinay Rai, Executive Vice President Engineering, Netradyne. This session will be moderated by Nirmal John, Senior Editor at The Economic Times.

What next after product-market fit?: The growth vs. profitability conundrum
Achieving product-market fit is a significant milestone, but the real challenge lies in managing growth while ensuring profitability. This roundtable will address the complexities of scaling startups, including balancing aggressive growth strategies with financial health.

Expect the conversation to straddle varied facets of navigating the growth versus profitability conundrum, with a focus on operational efficiencies, cost management, and sustainable growth practices. If you are a startup founder navigating the delicate balance between expanding the market presence and maintaining the profitability of your startup, this could just be the session for you.

The speakers include Maxson Lewis, Founder & CEO, Magenta Mobility; Amitabh Saran, Founder & CEO, Altigreen; Hemanth Vasudevan, VP & Head of Marketing, Ninjacart; Vanda Ferrao, Chief Marketing Officer, WOW Skin Science; Vinod Changaramkandam, Head of Finance, Medfin; Ankit Taparia, Head of Marketing, Yulu; and Abhishek Sudhakar, SVP - Business Excellence, Captain Fresh. The session will be moderated by Shabori Das, Senior Assistant Editor at ET Prime.

Join these closed-door roundtables at the ET Soonicorns Summit 2024, as they offer a unique platform for soonicorns to engage in in-depth discussions with industry leaders. Designed to provide deep insights into critical topics such as financial innovation, AI applications, and scaling strategies, this could be every startup founder or aspirational entrepreneur’s dream come true to meet those who have already crossed this threshold to reach the soonicorn milestone and learn from their candid takes on the challenges and opportunities in their sectors. And most importantly, receive first-hand insights into scaling while building a strong culture of innovation.

ET Soonicorns Summit is powered by Phoenix Kessaku. Upskilling Partner: UpGrad Enterprise; Insurance Partner: PolicyBazaar for Business; Banking Partner: Bank of India. Gifting Partners: IGP.com; The Mind and Company, Plum, Clay Capital.

To learn more about the ET Soonicorns Summit, visit the website.

To register now, click here.