Stellar lineup at TechSparks 2026; How Jagriti is helping women build digital businesses

TechSparks 2026, YourStory's flagship startup-tech summit, will run October 13 to 15 in Bengaluru under the theme "The New Tech Order," bringing together founders, investors, technologists, and policymakers to discuss how AI and new technologies are reshaping industries and India's startup ecosystem.

The conference will feature speakers including Sridhar Vembu, Chief Scientist and Co-founder of Zoho Corp; Ambarish Kenghe, Group CEO of Angel One; Mukund Jha, Founder and CEO of Emergent; and Chandrika Deb, Country Manager at Canva India. State officials will also participate: Priyank Kharge, Karnataka's Minister for Home Affairs and Information Technology, and Krishna Byre Gowda, Minister for Greater Bengaluru Development, will address technology policy and infrastructure.

In parallel, Jagriti Sewa Sansthan, a grassroots organization working in eastern Uttar Pradesh, has built a model to help women discover agency and economic potential through its Women's Centre of Excellence. Per YourStory, the organization operates a 7M framework—Mobilisation, Mentorship, Market Connect, Money, Miscellaneous Services, Mahol (an enabling environment), and Mitra (a support network)—to support entrepreneurship. Beyond vocational training and incubation, Jagriti has developed centers of excellence across seven sectors: Digital, Women, Bioregional, Agro, Handicrafts, Healthcare, and Rural Urbanisation. The focus on digital businesses specifically targets women's economic participation in regions with limited access to traditional employment.

The TechSparks summit reflects India's ongoing push to position itself as a tech innovation hub, with conversations centered on how policy, infrastructure, and technology can enable the next phase of startup growth. The choice of Bengaluru—India's established tech capital—underscores the city's role in shaping the country's technology agenda, while the inclusion of state officials signals closer alignment between government and the startup ecosystem on supporting innovation and digital infrastructure.