The minister is no stranger to the event, which over the years has grown to be the country’s most coveted recognition in entrepreneurial excellence, one that’s cited in red herring prospectuses, recruitment ads and biographical profiles.
The event in Bengaluru will feature a stellar roster of founders, investors and policymakers as ETSA 2024 marks a decade of celebrating India’s best and brightest entrepreneurs and startups.
Vaishnaw has championed the government’s flagship Make in India programme for the electronics and semiconductor sectors. Over the past 10 years, India’s overall electronics production has surged to Rs 9.52 lakh crore from Rs 1.9 lakh crore in FY15, according to government data.
India has positioned itself as a key player in global policymaking on artificial intelligence (AI), steered by the ministry of electronics and information technology (MeitY) that he heads, with the country underscoring its commitment to fostering responsible AI development on a global scale.
‘Ecosystem is coming of age’
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Vaishnaw—who has also been at the helm of India’s rollout of its personal data protection law that impacts digital companies across the spectrum—is expected to detail the government’s agenda for the coming months to the who’s who of the startup world.Infosys cofounder Nandan Nilekani, who chaired the jury that picked the 10th anniversary edition’s winners, said the track record of the ET Startup Awards is proof that the entrepreneurial ecosystem of India is coming of age. Companies such as Zomato and Swiggy, enterprise software maker Freshworks, logistics provider Delhivery, fintech majors such as Zerodha and Razorpay, and business-to-business commerce firm OfBusiness have all been recognised and honoured by the ETSA jury over the past nine editions.