The second day of the 5th India Global Innovation Connect (IGIC) focused on funding and skilling gaps in India’s AI ambitions with a lens on how the startup funding landscape is shifting and what criteria is currently driving investment decisions. As India seeks to cement its position in the global technology landscape, industry leaders, investors and policymakers underscores that the country’s next phase of growth will be driven not just by capital and emerging technologies, but by the strength of its innovation ecosystem.
Discussions highlighted the need to translate India’s structural advantages into globally competitive capabilities through stronger public-private collaboration, patient capital, enabling policy frameworks and greater focus on building scalable ecosystems across AI, semiconductors and defence technologies.
The early sessions examined the shifting dynamics of startup capital and where does the money for India’s deep tech future come from. There were also sessions on the Pre-IPO to Post-IPO journey, a session on Defense and Security Innovation and discussions on what the country’s technology ambition will require in human capital terms. The sessions saw investors from Switzerland, India, Singapore and Japan speaking on why VC funds are concentrating on specific verticals.
Louisa Clark, COO, Rootbridge Capital (Switzerland), who has tracked the evolution of cross-border capital flows into emerging market technology, said, “I believe India still has immense untapped potential, with numerous businesses poised for growth as the country undergoes a significant structural transformation. We enjoy partnering with exceptional entrepreneurs and firmly believe that private equity is ultimately a people-driven business. The next great Indian company may not be an AI-first business, but it will almost certainly leverage AI as a core enabler—just as its competitors will.”
Moderating the session, Yaël Smadja, CEO of Smadja & Smadja (USA), said, “The funding landscape is clearly evolving, creating a highly favorable environment for India with significant opportunities ahead. While India continues to build its capabilities in areas such as AI and deep tech, strong policy support is helping accelerate this progress. There is also an opportunity to amplify and showcase India’s success stories more effectively, which could further strengthen collaboration and growth across the innovation ecosystem.”
A private sign-up roundtable chaired by Nivedita Mehra, Managing Director, US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF), examined the infrastructure challenge that sits beneath India’s AI ambitions. There was also attention on the geopolitical scenario that determines every technology investment decision India makes.
Speakers also addressed what the private sector needs to do, alongside government-led initiatives, to accelerate India’s position in the global semiconductor supply chain. Tushar Raj, Founder of PhotonSilica said, “Building semiconductor capability in India is not a one-company effort. It requires the entire ecosystem to come together—from design and manufacturing to packaging and deployment. The government has made significant progress in strengthening the supply side, and the next phase is about fostering greater adoption of domestically developed solutions. Encouraging stronger collaboration between buyers and local innovators can help create the scale needed for a sustainable ecosystem”.
The session on defense and security innovation addressed a significant dimension of India’s technology ambition. Siddham Gaur, COO of Arms 4 AI, said, “”The two biggest challenges are trust and transparency. Innovation slows down when partnerships become too restrictive solutions that could be delivered in six months end up taking a year. For startups, especially when working with the government, what is needed is a clear problem statement, room for validation, and the flexibility to experiment. That openness creates space for innovation and enables truly impactful products to emerge.”
Organised by Smadja & Smadja Strategic Advisory, IGIC 2026 under the theme India in the Age of AI, the two-day event is bringing together policymakers, technologists, investors and corporate leaders from across the world to examine the strategic choices that will define India’s position in a rapidly shifting global technology order.
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