Held at the AIC BIMTECH campus in Greater Noida and supported by AIM NITI Aayog and Startin UP, the event followed a founder-first, high-energy format under the theme “Brunch, Boost and Build”, creating a powerful platform for meaningful founder–investor engagement.

The event featured an illustrious lineup of 10+ investors who engaged directly with founders. The panel included Rajesh Ranjan (O2 Angels Network), Amar Dixit (SwiftSeed Ventures), Ritesh Anand (Ah Ventures), Karan Saini (RTAF), Ishant Sachdeva (B and S Ventures), Piyush Garg (Angel Investor), Kshitiz Anand (Karekeba Ventures), Chandan Tiwari (EDC India) and AIC BIMTECH’s alumni-turned-investors Ishu Bansal (Truck Suvidha) and Ankit and Atul Tripathi (Uneako). They provided unfiltered insights into their investment theses and the non-financial support they bring to the table.

“This gathering tried to help the dilemma by focusing on empowering founders with the right insights from investors, helping them understand the right approach and identify the right investors who can keep up with them,” said Mr. Surya Kant, CEO of AIC BIMTECH. “After launching PRARAMBH, India’s biggest incubation cohort, we are now redefining engagement. We’re building a founder-centric ecosystem where access, choice and empowerment drive real growth, directly contributing to Viksit Bharat and Viksit UP 2047.”

Dr. Prabina Rajib, Director, BIMTECH, said, “The focus of Gen-Next Founder Connect 2025 was to develop an actual connection between investors and entrepreneurs, as opposed to just “instant funding”. Instead of announcing any immediate funding deals, it is estimated that over 20 of the participating companies will receive funding within the next 3-6 months; in addition to these, HealthTech has been identified as the most promising industry for investors. Currently, AIC BIMTECH has assisted over 500 startup businesses in reaching their full potential through their program and hopes to increase this to over 700 by 2026.”

The event highlighted AIC BIMTECH’s explosive growth. In six months, it has onboarded a record 100+ new startups, with the PRARAMBH cohort alone comprising 55 ventures beyond the ideation stage. The centre’s total portfolio now exceeds 500+ startups, collectively creating 5,000+ jobs and generating ₹125+ crore in revenue across 20+ international markets. This reach is strengthened by its pivotal role in the MeitY Startup Hub’s GENESIS program, championing grassroots innovation. The event was executed with the support of StartupNews.fyi, which is run by Madhur Mohan Mallik.

The conclave facilitated deep-dive networking, strategic Q&As and a relationship-building approach, focusing on long-term roadmaps over quick pitches. Supported by StartInUP, MeitY, DPIIT-Startup India and MSME, AIC BIMTECH is building robust bridges that convert pioneering ideas into viable, investment-ready businesses, accelerating India’s journey to a developed economy.

Gen Next Founders Connect went beyond pitch decks, making the theme “Brunch Boost and Build” accessible and impactful. Startups engaged in candid discussions, detailed Q&As and focused networking that helped them understand investor expectations and long-term growth pathways rather than relying on quick elevator pitches.

The main areas of discussion during the aforesaid meeting included Data Issues such as use of Big Data technology, phenomena by analysing large data sets, Use of Big Data Technology for SME Sector and unleashing the power of Big Data for Public Governance. Other issues which dominated the discussion included Digital Infrastructure & Role of Government, Regulation of Digital Economy especially in privacy, Financial Regulation , Ease of doing Business environment for start-ups , infrastructure gaps for digital India, Taxation issues among others.

Along with the Finance Minister, the meeting was attended by Shri Anurag Thakur, Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs, Finance Secretary, Shri Rajeev Kumar, Shri Atanu Chakraborty, Secretary, Economic Affairs , Shri Ajay Bhushan Pandey, Revenue Secretary, Shri Ajay Prakash Sawhney, Secretary, Department of Electronics & Information technology, Shri Anshu Prakash, Secretary, Department of Telecommunications, Shri Pramod Chandra Mody, Chairman, CBDT, Shri P.K Das, Chairman, CBIC, Dr K.V. Subramanian, Chief Economic Advisor and other senior officials of Ministry of Finance.

The representatives of Digital Economy, Fintech and Start-ups shared their views and suggestions regarding Big Data, incentives for encouraging setting up of data centres, fiscal incentives for data localisation, incentives for pushing digital penetration in rural areas, corporate guarantee to start-ups for competing with other nations, rationalisation of MAT tax rate, tax exemption for start-up units, creation of specific agency for looking after cross border financial crimes, increasing women employment (gender dividend in skill development), training youth in skill development along with international internships and incentivising Research & Development (R&D) within India. While the experts suggested improvements in their respective fields, they also gave a variety of solutions to the sector specific problems. Many speakers suggested giving tax sops to Start-Ups and nurture them in the country.

The participants included Shri Deepak Acharya, Global Chief Legal Officer (CLO), Wipro Ltd., Shri. Mandeep Singh Puri, Chairman, Electronic and Computer Software Export Promotion Council, Ms Vishakha Saigal Jio Mobiles, Shri Dheeraj P. Sharma. Director, IIM Rohtak, Shri George Paul CEO, MAIT, Shri Ashish Aggarwal, Head of Public Policy, Nasscom, Shri Suneel Maggo, President, Chamber of Start-ups, Industries and Entrepreneur (India) Council, Shri Raj Nehru, Vice Chancellor, Shri Vishwakarma Skill University, Shri Anand Nandkumar, Indian School of Business, Shri Amrit Manwani, President, ELCIN, Shri Peyush Bansal, Founder, Lenskart, Shri Amit Bansal, Head of Tax, Uber India and South Asia, Shri H. Nagaraj, Financial Controller, Velankani Electronics (P) Ltd., Shri Virat Bhatia, Managing Director, Strategy & Policy, Apple India, Shri N.K. Goyal, President, Telecom Equipment Manufacturers Association of India, Shri Pankaj Mohindroo, Chairman, Indian Cellular & Electronics Association. Ms. Deepa Mani, Professor, Indian School of Business, Shri Hari Om Rai, Chairman & Managing Director, Lava International Ltd and Shri Madhur Deora , Paytm.