Kumar Bahukhandi
India’s next generation of entrepreneurs is emerging from its smaller cities, towns and villages, building businesses that solve local problems and serve national markets. Bringing this ecosystem together, Aavishkaar Foundation and Intellecap will host the third edition of Sankalp Bharat on October 28 at Clarks Avadh, Lucknow.
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A delegation from Aavishkaar Group and Intellecap, led by Vineet Rai and U.K. Sinha, met the UP Chief Minister during the 2nd Sankalp Bharat Summit in Lucknow on Dec. 12, 2025
Themed “The Bharat Story: Climate, Culture & Compute”, the summit will convene over 600 founders, investors, institutions and policymakers to explore the opportunities shaping India’s next growth story.
Entrepreneurs building Bharat
The summit opens with Manu Nair, founder of reusable-rocket company EtherealX. Bharat Bol, the founder series, will feature Surya Prakash Yadav (UnORG, Lucknow), Tanutejas Saraswat (ShopKirana, Indore, acquired by Udaan), Divya Hegde (Baeru, Udupi), Prof. Nagaraja Prakasam (Nativelead, Madurai), Mausmi Ambastha (Shifu Foundation, Patna) and Tushar Suhalka (Regrip, Jaipur/Gurugram).
Vineet Rai, Founder and Vice Chairman, Aavishkaar Group, said, “The people closest to a problem are building India’s best solutions, in climate, space tech, AI and livelihoods alike. Our job is to bring them the capital, markets and institutions to turn a good idea from a small town into a national company.”
Rooted in Uttar Pradesh’s entrepreneurial ecosystem
Aavishkaar Foundation’s programmes across 25 districts of Eastern Uttar Pradesh have reached 30,000+ students in 500+ government schools and colleges. Its Entrepreneur Investment Programme has backed 40 first-generation entrepreneurs, 80% women, including Pravidhaan Farmer Producer Company in Gorakhpur, supporting 2,000 farmers, and Shiksha Saathi in Varanasi, connecting 237+ schools and 6,700+ learners.
At Sankalp Bharat, the EIP’s young entrepreneurs will also present their ideas before a jury of investors, policymakers and established founders.
Lisa Rodricks, CEO, Aavishkaar Foundation, said, “What is exciting is the problems these entrepreneurs are choosing to solve. 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 as we create the next phase of India’s entrepreneurial growth.”
Making capital flow
Sessions spanning impact investing, venture capital, capital markets and CSR will examine how appropriate financing can reach underserved enterprises, particularly women-led businesses.
The programme includes an angel investing primer for Uttar Pradesh, an NSE-led Social Stock Exchange masterclass, Ajay Sharma of Edelweiss Public Alternatives speaking on “The Two Indias: Which One Are You Building?”, and a UN Women ARISE workshop helping women SME owners access finance.
Climate, Culture & Compute
Climate: GIZ and Intellecap will convene government and financial institutions for a closed-door roundtable on Financing Climate Adaptation, identifying opportunities for GIZ’s i-Adapt: The Climate Adaptation & Innovation Hub, which connects adaptation innovation, financing and implementation.
Culture: A mainstage discussion, Climate-Informed, Culturally Relevant: Building Liveable Cities for All India, will examine climate-responsive, culturally rooted urban planning, particularly as Uttar Pradesh plans 100 new townships over five years.
Compute: EkStep Foundation, Caret Capital and JanAI will explore how open digital infrastructure, job-matching platforms and local-language voice AI can expand access to identity, employment and services beyond metropolitan India.
Syna Dehnugara, Director, Sankalp, said, “Climate, culture and compute may seem like three different conversations, but they are deeply connected in Bharat. How we build our cities, preserve livelihoods and deploy technology will determine whether India’s next phase of growth is truly inclusive and sustainable. These are the questions we want Sankalp Bharat to confront.”
Together, these conversations will examine how innovation, capital and opportunity can reach entrepreneurs building solutions for Bharat and taking them to the world.
The detailed summit agenda is attached and can also be accessed here
About Intellecap
Intellecap, a part of the Aavishkaar Group, is a pioneer in building enabling ecosystems and channeling capital to create and nurture a sustainable & equitable society. Founded in 2002, Intellecap works across critical sectors like Agriculture, Livelihoods, Climate Change, Clean Energy, Financial Services, Gender & Inclusion, Healthcare, Water and Sanitation, and has delivered over 800+ global engagements across 70+ countries and syndicated investments of over USD 2 Billion USD in Capital. Intellecap, through its presence in India and Africa, provides a broad range of Consulting, Research and Investment Banking Services, to Multilateral Agencies, Development Finance Institutions, Social Enterprises, Corporations, Investors, Policy Makers and Donors. Our common action platform, Sankalp Forum, one of the largest global inclusive development platforms, brings together the ecosystem to shape the way markets work for delivering the SDGs 2030. For more details please visit www.intellecap.com
About Aavishkaar Foundation
The Aavishkaar Foundation is the Aavishkaar Group’s Section 8 arm, focused on mass entrepreneurship in Eastern Uttar Pradesh. We currently work across 25 districts, taking entrepreneurship education into government schools and colleges. The Foundation’s belief is that focused intervention in a concentrated geography will help build a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem in a shorter time and deliver measurable impact. aavishkaarfoundation.in
