Kumar Bahukhandi
Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), a Fortune Global 500 company and a Maharatna PSU, has been recognised by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and Mind the Bridge as one of the Top 100 Corporate Startup Stars (CSS) worldwide. BPCL is the only Indian organisation featured in this prestigious global list of CSS, which is a celebration of the world’s most exemplary corporate champions of startup collaboration.
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L to R: Marco Marinucci, Founder and CEO Mind the Bridge, Arun Jhawar, Deputy General Manager (Finance) (Strategy-CVC), BPCL and Santosh N Kale, General Manager (Maintenance) MR, BPCL
The announcement was made at a ceremony held at the International Chamber of Commerce headquarters in Paris. The Corporate Startup Stars Awards 2025 recognized 100 top companies from the Forbes Global 2000 and Fortune Global 500 that demonstrate outstanding commitment to open innovation, startup engagement, and ecosystem development.
Commenting on the recognition, Shri Sanjay Khanna, Chairman and Managing Director, BPCL, said, “We are honoured to be recognised among the 2025 Top 100 Corporate Startup Stars. This global accolade is a testament to Bharat Petroleum’s commitment to building an open innovation ecosystem that fosters entrepreneurship in the country. Through our startup initiative ‘Ankur’, we are catalysing breakthrough solutions that will make energy cleaner, smarter, and more sustainable. As BPCL marks its 50th year of shaping the future of energy, we remain committed to partnering with startups to advance technologies that will accelerate India’s energy transition and strengthen BPCL’s position as an integrated energy company of the future.”
Since its launch in 2016, ‘Ankur’ has supported 30 startups offering innovative solutions in Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Asset Integrity, Industrial IoT, Inspection, Predictive Maintenance, Safety Technologies and other emerging domains. The ‘BPCL Ankur Fund’ has been established to invest in promising early-stage startups aligned with BPCL’s strategic priorities and future roadmap.
Congratulating the winners, John W H Denton AO, Secretary General, ICC, said, “Innovation remains the cornerstone of global economic growth. ICC is proud to support businesses that drive meaningful impact through collaboration from emerging startups to established corporations working together to shape the future of global commerce.”
Alberto Onetti, Chairman, Mind the Bridge, added, “BPCL is a strong case of how a large corporation can strategically drive innovation by partnering with startups and investing in them. Through Project Ankur, BPCL has developed a platform that accelerates the adoption of new technologies, while nurturing early-stage entrepreneurs in India’s evolving energy sector through initial grants. To further this goal, BPCL launched the BPCL Ankur Fund, which enables strategic investments in startups by providing equity funding. This approach allows startups to scale their solutions within the BPCL ecosystem.”
About Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (BPCL)
Fortune Global 500 Company, Bharat Petroleum is the second largest Indian Oil Marketing Company and one of the integrated energy companies in India, engaged in refining of crude oil and marketing of petroleum products, with presence in the upstream and downstream sectors of the oil and gas industry. The company attained the coveted Maharatna status, joining the club of companies having greater operational & financial autonomy.
Bharat Petroleum’s Refineries at Mumbai, Kochi and Bina have a combined refining capacity of around 35.3 MMTPA. Its marketing infrastructure includes a network of installations, depots, fuel stations, aviation service stations and LPG distributors. Its distribution network comprises over 23,500+ Fuel Stations, over 6,200+ LPG distributorships, 500+ Lubes distributorships, 80 POL storage locations, 54 LPG Bottling Plants, 79 Aviation Service Stations, 5 Lube blending plants and 5 cross-country pipelines.
Bharat Petroleum is integrating its strategy, investments, environmental and social ambitions to move towards a sustainable planet. The company has Electric vehicle charging stations at 6500+ Fuel Stations. With a focus on sustainable solutions, the company is developing an ecosystem and a road-map to become a Net Zero Energy Company by 2040, in Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions. Bharat Petroleum has been partnering communities by supporting several initiatives connected primarily in the areas of education, water conservation, skill development, health, community development, capacity building and employee volunteering. With ‘Energising Lives’ as its core purpose, Bharat Petroleum’s vision is to be an admired global energy company leveraging talent, innovation & technology.
About International Chamber of Commerce (ICC)
The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) is the institutional representative of more than 45 million companies in over 170 countries. ICC’s core mission is to make business work for everyone, every day, everywhere. Through a unique mix of advocacy, solutions and standard setting, we promote international trade, responsible business conduct and a global approach to regulation, in addition to providing market-leading dispute resolution services. Our members include many of the world’s leading companies, SMEs, business associations and local chambers of commerce.
For more info: iccwbo.org | @iccwbo.
About Mind the Bridge
Mind the Bridge is a global innovation advisory firm that empowers economies through entrepreneurship and innovation. Headquartered in Silicon Valley with offices in Barcelona, Seoul, Tel Aviv, New York and Milan, it has been working as an international bridge at the intersection between startups and corporates since 2007. Mind the Bridge scouts, filters, and works with 10,000+ startups a year supporting global corporations with open innovation initiatives that translate into curated deals with startups (POCs. procurement, investments, and/or acquisitions). It also provides corporates with advisory services and benchmarking on innovation strategies and structures. Mind the Bridge developed MTB Ecosystem, an AI-powered open innovation matching platform for innovation ecosystem hubs and corporates. Mind the Bridge, in collaboration with the International Chamber of Commerce, annually runs the “Corporate Startup Stars”, which recognize the world’s most startup-friendly global corporates, and “Startup Ecosystem Stars” Awards, that aims at identifying the public and private organizations focused on supporting Innovation in their respective ecosystems.
For more info: mindthebridge.com | @mindthebridge.
