FITT Forward 2026: Can India Build Global Deep-Tech Companies?
India’s deep-tech ecosystem is reaching a point where having good ideas is no longer enough. The harder question is what happens after the research paper, prototype or patent—who funds it, who builds it, who buys it and whether it can eventually compete outside India. That…
India’s deep-tech ecosystem is reaching a point where having good ideas is no longer enough. The harder question is what happens after the research paper, prototype or patent—who funds it, who builds it, who buys it and whether it can eventually compete outside India.
The summit brought together founders, investors, researchers, policymakers and industry leaders working across AI, semiconductors, advanced manufacturing, agriculture, space, biotechnology and SportsTech. That shift—from invention to ownership—is becoming increasingly important as India tries to build companies around technologies that require considerably more time and.
What Happened
CyberMedia Group Chairman and Managing Director Pradeep Gupta moderated the discussion with Prof. Mausam of IIT Delhi, MeitY scientist Kavita Bhatia and Microsoft India and South Asia executive Sandeep Aurora.
That question ran through the second edition of FITT Forward 2026, the two-day deep-tech summit organised by the Foundation for Innovation and Technology Transfer (FITT) at IIT Delhi.
The summit began with one of the biggest questions facing India’s technology industry: Can India build AI for 1.4 billion people—and for the world?
India’s startup numbers are already substantial, with more than 200,000 recognised startups and over 120 unicorns, according to the summit.
Key Details
The country has a huge user base, a deep pool of engineers and researchers and a rapidly expanding startup community working with AI. But building serious AI technology brings another set of requirements—computing infrastructure, specialised talent, proprietary technology and enough capital to.
According to the organisation, it had incubated more than 280 startups, facilitated over ₹450 crore in cumulative funding and commercialised 25 global patents as of its 2025 edition.
The significance is less about sport itself and more about the widening range of industries looking for technology-led solutions.
Sports is increasingly becoming a technology market in its own right, covering areas such as athlete performance, injury prevention, training, equipment and fan engagement.
Why It Matters
That led naturally into a discussion on deep-tech funding, with S.P. Singh, nodal officer in charge of the RDI Fund, joining investors Praveen Ganapathy, Kunal Bhanot and Deepak Sharma.
Former India cricketer and investor Bhuvaneshwar Kumar spoke about his move into entrepreneurship and investing during a fireside conversation with Sachin Marya, Editorial Director at Entrepreneur India & APAC.
One of the more unexpected conversations at FITT Forward came from outside the traditional technology ecosystem.
What Reports Say
Coverage of the story so far points to:
Continued reporting by TICE News as more details emerge
