History | Empresario

2012

Empresario Startup Summit 2012

The first edition of Empresario was conducted on 23rd March 2012 as a small "Start-up Fair" for participants to have a healthy interaction with different start-up firms. The Fair and the corresponding interactions helped participants to explore opportunities of getting associated with leading institutions of Ahmedabad, bankers, venture-capitalists, and other mentor experts.

2013

Empresario Startup Summit 2013

The baby step of Empresario started growing and the second edition was graced by Shri Pratul Shroff, CEO eInfochips and Anand Lunia, India Quotient. The event witnessed 40 startups from Pan-India, and it was a great enlightening event for all budding entrepreneurs who tried to trough light on emerging innovations in the startup ecosystem.

2014

Empresario Startup Summit 2014

Empresario Startup Summit 2014 was inaugurated by Shri D. J. Pandean, IAS, Additional Chief Secretary, Govt. Of Gujarat, Energy and Petrochemicals and Dr. Dinesh Awasthi, Director EDI in support by the Innovation Promotion Scheme (IPS) introduced by AICTE on 7th & 8th of March 2014. The theme for the 3rd summit was "bridging the gap between investors & entrepreneurs".

2015

Empresario Startup Summit 2015

The 4th Summit was inaugurated by Mr. Anurag Batra, Chairperson, Business World Magazine. The event took place on 20th and 21st March with the theme of "Value Centered Enterprises". The event entailed a bunch of experts speaking largely on socio-economic aesthetics of enterprises.

2016

Empresario Startup Summit 2016

Empresario Startup Summit 2016 was inaugurated by the Chief Guest Shri Sanjay Prasad, IAS, Principal Secretary of Labour and Employment Department, Govt. of Gujarat; different from all such events that have ever happened to promote entrepreneurship in India. The concept of Empresario '16 was to 'Construct, Collaborate, Change' in order to encourage students to transform their ideas into real-time working and running companies. A total of 50 start-ups took part in the start-up exhibition. The networking experience helped them establish new connections and build channels to advance forward in the entrepreneurial journey.

2017

Empresario Startup Summit 2017

Empresario Startup Summit 2017 was inaugurated amid fervor and enthusiasm by Mr Dinesh Yadav, CEO, Arvind Accel Limited. This theme of this edition was to 'Devise, Develop, Disrupt', which took place on 9th and 10th of March and was a start-up event of a different league. For the first time, we had introduced the Big Pitch- an exclusive platform for start-ups of all stages to pitch their businesses in front of potential investors. Empresario '17 saw more than 1,000 attendees spread across start-ups of multiple sectors and students from different cities. Around 100 startups pitched at the Empresario Startup Summit. Three were incubated at EDII alongwith bagging a funding of Rs 1.16 crore from YES bank.

2018

Empresario Startup Summit 2018

Empresario Startup Summit 2018 saw huge participation from the start-up community including start-ups, investors, students, industry experts and entrepreneurs. Shri Suresh Prabhu, Hon'ble Minister of Commerce & Industry, was the Chief Guest at the event. Also present on the occasion were Shri Kris Gopalakrishnan (Padma Bhushan), Co-founder, Infosys and Chairman, Axilor Ventures and Shri Milind Kamble, Founder Chairman, Dalit Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DICCI). The 7th edition was enlightened on 10th and 12th of March 2018. This event was focused to encourage the budding entrepreneurs, in support of SSIP, the Government of Gujarat. Startups which participated were provided with the prototype funding of Rs. 40,000 per startup.

2019

Empresario Startup Summit 2019

Empresario Startup Summit 2019 was inaugurated by Mr Savji Dholakia, CEO Harikrishna Exports Pvt. Ltd. along with other dignitaries such as Mr Rahul Dev, Honorary Advisor, Speakers Research Initiative Lok Sabha; Mr Balaji Viswanathan, CEO Invento Robotics; Dr. Ronald Mainardus, Head of Regional office South Asia (FNST) and Mr. Jaimin Vasa, President, Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The event was held on 28th and 29th March with the theme "Manufacturing New India". The event had various events such as investor pitching, exhibition, panel discussion and had a footfall of over 2,000 attendees.

2020

Empresario Startup Summit 2020

Empresario Startup Summit 2020 was the 9th Annual Flagship Event held on 1st to 3rd May 2020. It was a virtual startup summit. The focus was to encourage startups during the then on-going pandemic.

2021

Empresario Startup Summit 2021

Empresario Startup Summit 2021 was the 10th Annual Flagship Event held on 3rd & 4th December, 2021. The theme was 'Elevate, Empower, Emerge'. Focus being on fostering the startup ecosystem of Gujarat as well as India. This was brought into action by supporting and collaborating with promising ideas and high-performing startups, investors and individuals who are delivering solutions with market-oriented approaches for global development. The summit included a big pitch round aimed at garnering investments for viable ideas. This year, Empresario received rave responses from Mr. Sparsh Kumar of Investment Associate at Unicorn India Ventures, Mr. Devesh Chawla, Founder & CEO, Chatur Ideas, Ms. Krishna Handa, Founder of Claris Capital Ltd, Mr. Vikrant Potnis, Director, Fortemagna Advisors, Mr. Vivek Gupta-Director & Co-Founder, Digital Futurists Angel Pvt Ltd, YES Bank and IDBI Bank. The two-day event was inaugurated by Shri Narayan Tatu Rane, The Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises of India and was marked by participation of more than 200 participants across the country. 60 startups were allocated exhibition stalls to reach out to the audience and display their products and services.

2023

Empresario 2023

The Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII) celebrated National Start-up Day (January 16th and 17th, 2023) with its annual Empresario festival. This action-packed event focused on entrepreneurship and sustainability, bringing together industry veterans, aspiring entrepreneurs, and investors. Attendees were treated to masterclasses led by seasoned experts, inspiring talks from successful founders, and engaging workshops and discussions. The Big Pitch Event connected over 30 Stage 1 start-ups with a panel of 15 investors, offering promising ventures a chance to secure funding. Notably, start-ups featured on Shark Tank India also participated, adding further recognition to the event's growing influence. Emphasizing the theme of sustainability, the festival highlighted the importance of eco-friendly solutions in building thriving start-ups. By fostering connections, providing valuable insight, and promoting sustainable practices, Empresario 2023 solidified its position as a crucial platform for supporting and propelling the future of entrepreneurship in India.