Ropar (Punjab) [India], September 12 (ANI): A new chapter in India's startup journey was marked on Friday with the inauguration of the SPRINT North Edition under the '100 Startups 100 Days' initiative of IIT Ropar, powered by IIT Ropar TIF (iHub - AWaDH, a DST Technology Innovation Hub under NM-ICPS), ANNAM.AI (CoE For AI in Agriculture by Ministry of Education) and TBIF.

The event was hosted at IILM University, Gurugram, bringing together industry leaders, government officials, investors, entrepreneurs, and academia to strengthen the deeptech startup ecosystem.

The program began with Dr Radhika Trikha, CEO of IIT Ropar TIF, highlighting AWaDH's mission of building a deep tech ecosystem. Dr Ravi Kumar Jain, Director, School of Management, IILM University, delivered the welcome address, followed by Dr Mukesh Kestwal, CIO of IIT Ropar TIF, who shared insights on AWaDH's flagship programs SPRINT and 100 Startups 100 Days, noting the portfolio's growth to 160+ startups with Rs 17 crore invested and over Rs 110 crore raised from external investors.

Kishan Goenka, Chairperson, Water Council, Wheels Global Foundation and Tanushri Sharma, Senior Scientist-C, DST NM-ICPS, addressed the gathering. Pilot Neeraj Shekhawat, National Incharge - Research and Policy, BJP Kisan Morcha, also joined the program. The Inaugural Panel and Keynote Session was then opened with remarks by Prof (Dr) Padmakali Banerjee, Vice Chancellor, IILM University.

The Chief Guest, Rekha Sharma, Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha and Former Chairperson of the National Commission for Women, applauded IIT Ropar's rapid progress in nurturing startups. She highlighted how, within just three months of launching SPRINT Haryana in May, the initiative has already expanded to Hyderabad and Gurugram, selecting 13 promising startups from the northern region.

She emphasised that such large-scale, fast-paced efforts are vital for making India a global hub of innovation and entrepreneurship.

On this occasion, Prof Rajeev Ahuja, Director of IIT Ropar, in his virtual address, called '100 Startups 100 Days' a movement to empower entrepreneurs with speed, scale, and sustainability. Dr. Pushpendra Singh, Project Director of iHub - AWaDH and Annam.ai, emphasised the need for seed capital and a dedicated fund of funds to drive deep-tech startups and position India as a global R&D hub.

A highlight of the event was the cheques and certification ceremony, where 13 selected startups and three innovators from the GENESIS EIR program were recognised for their groundbreaking ideas and entrepreneurial spirit.

A high-powered panel discussion, 'Beyond Borders: Unlocking the Future of DeepTech Investment,' with leaders Maya Sherman (Embassy of Israel in India), Nemesisa Ujjain (The Circle FC), Neha Malhotra (MeritX Ventures), Mayank Kumar (NASSCOM), and Himanshu Joshi (AIM NITI Aayog), moderated by Santosh Sharma (BookMyJet).

The session explored opportunities for deeptech startups to scale globally. A Founder Talk followed, where Dr Preet Sandhu (AVPL International) and Khalid Wani (One Capital Ltd & KWCG) shared their entrepreneurial journeys.

The event also featured live startup pitches and the unveiling of key initiatives, including the AWaDH Progress Report, the launch of DTC Accelerate - ClimateTech in collaboration with NASSCOM, and an update on Bharat Innovate 2026, a Ministry of Education initiative with 13 IITs to scale and globally showcase India's top 100 innovations in France in June 2026.

The day concluded with the results announcement and a Vote of Thanks by Prof (Dr) Saurabh Trivedi, CEO, Incubation Centre, IILM University. He acknowledged the support of 50+ VC partners, 40+ incubators, key government anchors including MeitY Startup Hub, Bhashini, Startup India, IndiaAI, and Seafund, with 130+ stakeholders from industry, startups, and government participating. (ANI)