The third edition of Sankalp Bharat will bring together founders, investors, institutions and policymakers in Lucknow on October 28 to discuss the role of smaller cities and towns in India’s next phase of growth.
Organised by Aavishkaar Foundation and Intellecap, the summit will be held at Clarks Avadh under the theme “The Bharat Story: Climate, Culture & Compute.” The event is expected to host more than 600 participants from across India’s entrepreneurial and investment ecosystem.
The summit will focus on businesses emerging from Bharat and addressing local challenges across climate, agriculture, livelihoods, technology and culture. It will also examine how these ventures can access capital, markets and institutional support to scale nationally and globally.
Showcasing entrepreneurs from Bharat
The event will open with Manu Nair, founder of reusable-rocket company EtherealX. The Bharat Bol founder series will feature entrepreneurs including Surya Prakash Yadav of UnORG, Lucknow; Tanutejas Saraswat of ShopKirana, Indore; Divya Hegde of Baeru, Udupi; Prof. Nagaraja Prakasam of Nativelead, Madurai; Mausmi Ambastha of Shifu Foundation, Patna; and Tushar Suhalka of Regrip.
“The people closest to a problem are building India’s best solutions, in climate, space tech, AI and livelihoods alike,” said Vineet Rai, Founder and Vice Chairman, Aavishkaar Group.
“Our job is to bring them the capital, markets and institutions to turn a good idea from a small town into a national company,” he added.
Strengthening Uttar Pradesh’s startup ecosystem
Aavishkaar Foundation’s programmes currently cover 25 districts in eastern Uttar Pradesh and have reached more than 30,000 students across over 500 government schools and colleges.
Through its Entrepreneur Investment Programme, the foundation has backed 40 first-generation entrepreneurs, 80% of whom are women. Its supported ventures include Pravidhaan Farmer Producer Company in Gorakhpur, which works with 2,000 farmers, and Shiksha Saathi in Varanasi, which connects more than 237 schools and 6,700 learners.
Young entrepreneurs supported through the programme will present their businesses before a jury of investors, policymakers and experienced founders during the summit.
Connecting entrepreneurs with capital
Sankalp Bharat will include sessions on impact investing, venture capital, capital markets and corporate social responsibility. The programme will also feature an angel-investing primer for Uttar Pradesh, an NSE-led Social Stock Exchange masterclass and a UN Women ARISE workshop focused on helping women-led small and medium enterprises access finance.
“What is exciting is the problems these entrepreneurs are choosing to solve,” said Lisa Rodricks, CEO, Aavishkaar Foundation.
“They are building businesses around real needs in manufacturing, agriculture, skilling and livelihoods. Sankalp Bharat gives us a chance to put these stories and their potential on a larger stage,” she added.
Climate, culture and technology
The summit’s central theme will examine how climate action, cultural context and digital infrastructure can work together to create more inclusive growth.
GIZ and Intellecap will host a closed-door roundtable on financing climate adaptation, focusing on innovation, funding and implementation opportunities. Another discussion will explore climate-responsive and culturally relevant urban planning as Uttar Pradesh prepares to develop 100 new townships over the next five years.
Sessions led by EkStep Foundation, Caret Capital and JanAI will examine how open digital infrastructure, job-matching platforms and local-language voice AI can expand access to identity, employment and public services beyond metropolitan centres.
“Climate, culture and compute may seem like three different conversations, but they are deeply connected in Bharat,” said Syna Dehnugara, Director, Sankalp.
“How we build our cities, preserve livelihoods and deploy technology will determine whether India’s next phase of growth is truly inclusive and sustainable,” she added.
Through the summit, Aavishkaar Foundation and Intellecap aim to create stronger links between entrepreneurs from smaller cities, investors and institutions, while highlighting businesses building solutions for Bharat and taking them to wider markets.
By: Sejal Thakur
