NSRCEL, the centre for startups at IIM Bangalore, recently held its annual SummitUp event. The gathering celebrated NSRCEL's 25th year of helping new businesses grow. More than 400 business founders, investors, government officials, and experts attended the day-long event on the IIM Bangalore campus.
Over the past 25 years, NSRCEL has supported 3,178 new businesses across different sectors. These startups have together created 35,792 jobs. In the last year alone, NSRCEL expanded its support to businesses in 82 towns outside big cities, showing its growing reach across India.
SummitUp 2025: Key Discussions and Topics
This year's SummitUp focused on five main areas, called 'tracks', for discussion:
- DeepTech: This track covered advanced science and engineering ideas used to build new technologies. Examples include Artificial Intelligence (AI) or new ways to solve complex problems.
- FinTech: This track focused on using technology to make financial services easier and better. This includes new ways for banking, making payments, and managing money.
- Climate: This track looked at businesses creating solutions for environmental challenges. Topics included clean energy, reducing pollution, and sustainable living.
- Social Impact: This track highlighted startups that aim to solve important social problems. This could be improving education, health, or helping communities in need.
- Women’s Entrepreneurship: This track focused on supporting and encouraging women to start and grow their own businesses. It discussed challenges and ways to help women succeed as entrepreneurs.
Many discussions at the SummitUp event were about problems that new business owners face every day. These included how to deal with market changes, how early-stage teams should form partnerships with other companies, and what new trends investors are looking at. Some popular sessions, like "The VC Blind Spot: Founder Learnings and Strategies" and "AI for Bharat" (Artificial Intelligence for India), had full halls all day.
What Leaders Said
Anand Sri Ganesh , the CEO of NSRCEL, shared his thoughts on this special milestone. He said, "Reaching 25 years is meaningful for us because we’ve seen ideas turn into ventures that genuinely solve problems. SummitUp 2025 carries that spirit forward." He added that NSRCEL's job is to ensure founders get the support they need to build their businesses with big goals, while also staying focused on what the market truly requires.
Prashanth Prakash , a main partner at a company called Accel, spoke about a change he sees in new business founders. He explained, "You simply can’t build every part of a complex product on your own." He believes that when a part of the work is outside a company's main strengths, they must work with others. This mix of skills often helps a company move forward faster. He also mentioned that more founders are now learning from global business plans and forming partnerships much earlier in their journey.
NSRCEL's Impact on Indian Startups
NSRCEL's work shows how important it is to support new businesses in India. By helping startups, NSRCEL plays a big role in creating jobs and bringing new ideas to the country. Its focus on reaching smaller towns means that business opportunities and innovation are not just limited to big cities but are spreading across India.
