TiE The Knot returned for its 14th season as an investment arena where founders pitched live to active investors with real-time investment intent.
Published: May 18, 2026 1:19 PM IST
New Delhi: The 15th edition of India Innovation Day (iDay) 2026 concluded at The Leela Ambience, Gurugram. The event brought together over 1200 founders, investors, corporate leaders, policymakers, technologists, and ecosystem enablers for the summit highlighting on India’s evolving innovation economy. The summit featured keynotes and sessions from leading voices across India’s innovation landscape, including Pragya Misra (Head of Strategy & Global Affairs, India, OpenAI); Ankur Warikoo (Founder, WebVeda); Sunil Kant Munjal (Chairman, Hero Enterprise); Dr Vivek Raghavan (Co-Founder, Sarvam AI); Dr Aseem Chauhan (Chancellor, Amity Education Group); Sudhir Sethi (Founder & Chairman, Chiratae Ventures); Deep Kalra (Founder & Chairman, MakeMyTrip); Vinay Singhal (Co-Founder, Stage); Vipul Singh (Co-Founder & CEO, Aereo); Mohit Malik (CTO, Chaayos); Dr Rahul Purwar (Founder, ImmunoACT); Arjun Vaidya (Co-Founder, V3 Ventures), among others.
The event was themed “Audacity of Now”, the platform, formerly known as India Internet Day, underscored India’s growing ambition across AI, DeepTech, D2C, biotech, space, quantum computing, and Bharat-led innovation, sectors central to its USD 10 trillion economic vision.
Talking about on India’s evolving AI landscape, Pragya Misra, Head of Strategy & Global Affairs, India, OpenAI said, “India cannot be viewed as a single homogeneous market, particularly in the AI era, where consumer behaviour, digital maturity, trust, and accessibility vary significantly across regions and user groups. Building for scale in India requires founders to move beyond simply lowering costs and focus instead on reducing friction, simplifying onboarding, and creating intuitive, guidance-led product experiences that resonate with local users. Companies that invest in understanding India’s diverse micro-markets and evolving consumer expectations will be far better positioned to drive meaningful adoption and build scalable, AI-first businesses for the next phase of growth.”
All About The Event:
- TiE The Knot returned for its 14th season as an investment arena where founders pitched live to active investors with real-time investment intent.
- Over 13 previous seasons, the format has seen 69 startups pitch, 31 funded, and over ₹110 crores committed.
- Season 14 focused on startups raising between ₹3–8 crore.
- The event hosted curated closed-door networking formats, including an invite-only investor breakfast and a growth-stage networking lunch, enabling focused engagement between founders and leading venture capital firms for capital and scaling discussions.
- iDay 2026 also introduced Future Frames, an AI film festival showcasing emerging storytelling formats powered by AI tools.
- The initiative invited filmmakers, students, and technologists to explore the intersection of creativity and AI-driven innovation.
- iDay 2026 discussions highlighted India’s accelerating leadership in artificial intelligence, including the development of indigenous AI infrastructure, foundation and language models, and globally competitive AI-native companies.
- DeepTech stood out as a major focus area, with discussions centered on strategic technology missions, sovereign capabilities, and stronger public-private partnerships to accelerate frontier innovation.
- The agenda also highlighted AI-driven decision-making, the growth of resilient consumer and D2C businesses, and major advancements in biotechnology and healthcare.
Speaking on the occasion, Geetika Dayal, Director General, TiE Delhi-NCR, said, “Over the last 25 years, TiE Delhi-NCR has worked closely with founders at every stage of India’s startup journey, and iDay 2026 reflected how far the ecosystem has evolved in both ambition and execution. iDay 2026, themed ‘The Audacity of Now,’ reflected this by bringing together founders, investors, policymakers, scientists, and industry leaders to shape conversations around AI, DeepTech, Bharat-led innovation, and breakthrough technologies defining India’s next growth chapter. The platform was not just about discussing ideas, but about accelerating scalable, globally relevant innovation and empowering bold builders creating the future in real time. The depth of participation and quality of dialogue at this year’s edition reinforced iDay’s position as a meaningful platform driving India’s innovation momentum and strengthening the country’s role in the global technology and startup landscape.. ”
