Bharat Innovates 2026 Concludes in Nice, Secures USD 254.5 Million Investment Commitments
Nice (France), June 17 (TNT): Bharat Innovates 2026 concluded in Nice on Wednesday after three days of technology showcases, business meetings, investor pitches and institutional engagements involving participants from India, France and several other countries.
Addressing the valedictory session, Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal described the inaugural edition of Bharat Innovates as a significant milestone and underscored the role of India’s higher education ecosystem in fostering research-driven innovation and entrepreneurship.
Referring to the India-France Year of Innovation 2026, he said the initiative reflected the shared vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron and had the potential to emerge as a transformational platform for future cooperation.
Calling upon startups, innovators, researchers and students to explore global opportunities, Goyal said the summit marked the beginning of a new chapter in promoting innovation and reaffirmed India’s growing position as a global technology and startup hub.
Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India Ajay Kumar Sood presented the key outcomes of the summit, stating that Bharat Innovates had demonstrated the possibilities that emerge when government, academia, industry, investors and international partners work together with a common purpose.
An initiative of the Government of India implemented by the Ministry of Education, Bharat Innovates was organised to connect innovations emerging from India’s higher education, research and startup ecosystem with global investors, corporations, customers, research institutions and markets.
The summit showcased 120 curated Indian DeepTech startups and around 45 technology projects from 15 premier higher education institutions.
Nearly 60 per cent of the participating startups were incubated in or closely associated with Indian Institutes of Technology, the Indian Institute of Science and other leading institutions.
More than 2,000 delegates attended the event, including over 500 French investors, corporate leaders, researchers, innovators and institutional representatives. Participants from 29 countries took part in the summit.
According to organisers, the three-day event facilitated more than 1,350 business-to-business meetings involving startups, investors, corporates and institutional partners. Over 50 collaboration agreements were signed across industry, academia, research and incubation sectors.
More than 80 startups pitched before over 50 global investors from more than 10 countries, while over 40 startups secured investor follow-up commitments.
The summit generated approximately USD 254.5 million in funding commitments and advanced-stage investments involving participating innovators, including investments from the United States and Japan.
Several startups also received confirmed orders and expressions of interest from French and other international buyers, creating opportunities for global market access and commercial partnerships.
The final day featured discussions on technology parks, accelerators, industrial decarbonisation and global scaling opportunities. Participants also heard an address by Nothing Co-founder Akis Evangelidis on technology entrepreneurship, product development and international expansion.
Throughout the summit, discussions focused on artificial intelligence, semiconductors, biotechnology, MedTech, space, defence and dual-use technologies, advanced manufacturing, energy, climate technologies and global DeepTech investments.
Organisers said the summit strengthened institutional partnerships between India and France and created new avenues for joint research, startup acceleration, talent exchange, technology commercialisation and international market access.
The event was held as part of the India-France Year of Innovation 2026 and sought to advance collaboration in frontier technologies while deepening India’s engagement with global innovation networks.
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