12, 13 & 14 March 2026

15 th Empresario Startup Summit
The Nextgen Youth Innovators

Experience the buzz at Empresario - the dynamic startup summit where visionaries, investors, and trailblazers converge to spark India's next big innovations.

Countdown
About Us

What is Empresario?

About Us

Empresario Startup Summit, launched in 2012, is the flagship annual event of the Institute, dedicated to fostering entrepreneurship and innovation. It serves as a dynamic platform where startups, entrepreneurs, investors, mentors, and students converge to exchange ideas, collaborate, and drive growth. The summit nurtures emerging businesses by offering networking opportunities, expert guidance, and investment prospects. Through insightful panel discussions, workshops, and startup showcases, it cultivates a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem. By bridging the gap between aspiring innovators and industry leaders, Empresario Startup Summit plays a vital role in strengthening India's startup landscape, fostering creativity, and accelerating business success.


Discover More


Empresario'26

Theme: The Nextgen Youth Innovators

Empresario '26 is about celebrating the new generation of entrepreneurs who are reshaping the world of business, tech, and leadership. Where the theme of Empresario '26 is 'NextGen Youth Innovators,' the spotlight is squarely placed on the youth in the journey of innovation. As the challenges become more complex, the future is for young people who will harness the powers of technology, creativity, and passion to build up scalable and sustainable solutions to these issues. Empresario'26 will be a national event where students, young entrepreneurs, successors to family businesses, innovators, and individuals in industry will converge and share their ideas, experiences, and possibilities to design and build up the future together. The summit will also highlight innovation in practice or in action and entrepreneurial leadership to enable participants to move from ideas to impact

Youth-Led Innovation

Empresario 2026 celebrates young entrepreneurs as the vanguard of industry transformation. By blending bold experimentation with fresh perspectives, these visionaries are redefining traditional business models through agile, digital-first, and purpose-driven innovation. From first-generation founders to legacy modernizers, this edition spotlights the youth-led creativity building a scalable and future-ready global economy.

Human-Centric Innovation

Empresario 2026 anchors innovation in a human-centric approach, prioritizing empathy and ethics over mere efficiency. Rather than replacing people, technology is positioned as an enabler to enhance human creativity, decision-making, and well-being. By balancing advanced tools like AI with human intelligence, the initiative empowers the next generation to lead responsible, purpose-driven ventures. Ultimately, it aims to cultivate the leadership and skills necessary to shape a sustainable future for India's entrepreneurial ecosystem.



EVENT HIGHLIGHTS

Empresario'25 Shines in the Spotlight

01

Panel Discussions

Expert talks, debates, insights, industry trends, thought leadership.

02

Masterclass & Workshops

Training, learning, hands-on, skills, mentorship, interactive, practical.

03

The Big Pitch & Networking Opportunities

Startup funding, investors,Connections & collaborations, presentation, business ideas.

04

Student Activities

Engagement, creativity, competitions, learning, teamwork, exploration, growth.

Event Speakers

Our Speakers

Speakers
Shri Vaibhav Kadnar

Shri Vaibhav Kadnar

Founder, NexGen Media
Building Digital Asset and Scaling Attention YouTube 6M+ Community

Shri Parth Shah

Content Creator - parthnoww (450k+ community)
Ex Zomato

Shri Vikas Mundhra

Founder
MagentaBI

Shri Ankit Khichadia

CLO & Director
Rangoli Ice cream Group

Shri Aniruddh Thakor

Founder
Aapni Dharohar

Shri Vishal Shah

Founder
Indie Productions & Prayogshala

Shri Abhinav Gupta

CEO, Budha College
Ex founding member 100xengineers, formerly led design avalon scenes (acq. by unacademy)

Shri Mitesh Shethwala

Founder & CEO
Currently

Shri Jayesh Nai

Co-Founder
Prahantam Pvt. Ltd.

Shri Anantraj Tomar

Founder & CEO
Motion Automotive

Shri Dhyey Shah

Strategist - Brand, PR & Marketing, Shivalik Group

Shri Dr Dipan Sahu

Asst. Innovation Director, Innovation Cell, AICTE, Ministry of Education, Government of India
REGIONAL
REGIONAL EVENTS

Regional Events

Nehru Group of Institutions, Coimbatore

06 Feb 2026
Tamil Nadu

K.S.R. College of Engineering, Tiruchengode

5 to 6 Feb 2026
Tamil Nadu

Cauvery College for Women, Tiruchirapalli

02 Feb 2026
Tamil Nadu

Manav Rachna University

18th February 2026
Delhi NCR

Aljamea-tus-Saifiyah Business School

9th and 10th February 2026
Mumbai

SGRR University

29th January 2026
Dehradun

GGNIMT, Ludhiana

10th Feb 2026
Punjab

LNCT

10th February
Bhopal

Sir Padampat Singhania University

26th February 2026
Udaipur

Innovation Hub UP Foundation

16th February
Lucknow

Institute of Engineering & Technology, Lucknow

9th February
Lucknow
Event Schedule

Our Events Schedule Plan

Schedule
01
Prekshagruh, EDII

Inauguration of Empresario Startup Summit

Lamp Lighting & Saraswati Vandana followed by welcome addresses from Dr. Sunil Shukla, Dr. Dipan Sahu, and industry dignitaries.

02
Plaza-I

Inauguration of Startup Exhibition

Official visit and tour of the startup stalls showcasing next-gen innovations.

03
Prekshagruh

Career Master Class with Odoo

Master Class on Innovation and Entrepreneurship careers with Dr. Dipan Sahu and Mr. Malhar Pandya (Odoo).

04
Manthan Hall

RAMP Project Track

Framework introduction and implementation of the RAMP project with Deloitte and Government of Gujarat officials.

05
Prekshagruh

Talent Fest & Standup Comedy

Youth Talent Fest Competition followed by a comedy evening with Shubham Upadhyay and Ruchi Jha.

01
Prekshagruh

IP YATRA Inauguration

Launch of "Navachar Se Adhikar" empowering innovators through IPR with Smt. G. Latha and Shri Jatin Trivedi.

02
Prekshagruh

Special Talk: Interaction with Aman Gupta

A deep-dive conversation with boAt founder Shri Aman Gupta.

03
Prekshagruh

Workshop: Content Creation for Business

Workshop on digital marketing and attention scaling with Vaibhav Kadnar (NexGen Media).

04
Manthan Hall

GI Stakeholder Meet & Felicitation

Geographical Indication meeting and certificate distribution by the Controller General of Patents.

05
Plaza II

Musical Evening: Stone Keys Band

Networking hi-tea followed by a high-energy live performance.

01
Adhyayan/Chintan

The Big Pitch: Finale

Student and Startup pitching sessions with a panel of top-tier investors and venture studios.

02
Manthan

IP Strategies for MSMEs

Expert sessions on Patent, Design, and Trademark strategies with IPR leads from TCS and Puniska.

03
Sido Hall

Brainstorming & Tech BIP competition

Creative brainstorming activity followed by the Grand Finale of the Tech BIP competition.

04
Plaza I

E Auction

Final day E-Auction for student startups and innovations.

05
Cricket Ground

Main Event: Madhur Sharma & DJ Paranox

Grand closing ceremony featuring Madhur Sharma live and a post-event set by DJ Paranox.

Event Highlights

What to Expect at Event?

Connect with like-minded individuals, explore innovative ideas, and be part of something extraordinary. Don't miss out on this amazing experience!

150 +
Unique Workshops
260 +
Event Participants
120 +
Skilled Speakers
50 +
Sponsors
Event Speakers

Our Past Speakers

Speakers

Shri Nikhil Kamath

Founder
Zerodha

Shri Savji Dholakia

CEO I Harikrishna Exports

Shri Harsh Sanghavi

Deputy Chief Minister, Gujarat

Shri Anil Chhikara

Chairman StartUp India Foundation

Shri Ashneer Grover

Founder BharatPe

Shri Varun Deshpande

Founder Nuo

Dr. Anil K Gupta

Founder I HoneyBee Network

Shri Mansukh Prajapati

Founder I MittiCool

Shri Saurabh Jain

Ex-VP Paytm

Shri Kris Gopalakrishnan

Founder I Infosys

Shri Snehal
Desai

Adani Group

Kuldip Singh Kaler

Positive Paaji
Committee Members
TEAM

Dhruval Dave

+91 8488099533

Dhananjay Dangariya

+91 9426473563

Hardik Desai

+91 9422190322
Our Partners
PARTNERS


Our Ecosystem Partners
PARTNERS


Our Sponsors
SPONSORS