The ET Startup Awards 2026 special
Entrepreneurs, investors and policymakers came together in a star-studded event to honour the best of Indian entrepreneurship at the ET Startup Awards 2026 in Bengaluru.
The ET Startup Awards 2026 took place in Bengaluru, honoring Indian entrepreneurship. Union commerce minister Piyush Goyal spoke during a fireside chat, arguing that tighter access to US H-1B visas could boost India's startup ecosystem. Goyal stated that Indian companies and talent wouldn't be impacted by the visa changes, as there are already many Indian businessmen in the US.
The event highlighted that work is increasingly moving to Bengaluru, Noida, Mumbai, and Hyderabad due to global capability centres. Pandemic-related remote work has made this shift more feasible. The awards recognized several startups, including Groww (Startup of the Year), Manu Chandra (Midas Touch) from Sauce, Armatrix and Social Enterprise Varaha (Best on Campus), Pallavi Mohadikar, Palmonas and Pallavi Shrivastava (Woman Ahead) from Progcap, Mukund Jha (Comeback Kid), Theranautilus (Top Innovator), and Habuild (Bootstrap Champ).
Meesho CEO Vidit Aatrey discussed early IPOs instead of private capital. He noted that in the US, small IPOs are rare, but in India, both small and large listings are occurring. This shift in perception is influencing founders' decisions about fundraising. Aatrey stated that Meesho and Groww, both listed in 2023, have continued to innovate while meeting public-market expectations.
Groww CEO Lalit Keshre emphasized that the company's working style remained unchanged post-listing, focusing on long-term goals while executing in the short term.
Written by urgent.news from Economic Times Tech's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
