ETSA 2026: A secret circle, cosmic sparks and the night tech elite got goosebumps
The Closed-door Manifesto The unscripted room where minister Goyal’s call to arms met Bengaluru’s spirit, inspiring a tech elite primed for global dominance.
An unexpected and intimate meeting between commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal and the winners of the 12th Economic Times Startup Awards left the tech elite in awe. The award ceremony, known for its surprises, provided a perfect setting for this impromptu gathering. The circle of influential startup founders sat attentively as the minister shared his thoughts on trade, yoga, and the importance of capital investment in the startup ecosystem.
Goyal stressed the need for open conversations to bridge the gap between Bengaluru's spirit and Delhi's intent. He challenged the founders to reinvest profits into emerging startups and urged family offices to back domestic entrepreneurs. The startup crowd was thrilled with the conversation, finding it refreshing and insightful.
Pallavi Mohadikar, co-founder and CEO of Palmonas, one of this year's ETSA winners, shared her key takeaway: simplicity. She emphasized the importance of sorting things out in one's head without complicating matters further. Mohadikar also expressed her admiration for Goyal's vision of India becoming a global brand.
The evening's conversation took on a deeper tone as the focus shifted towards deeptech. ETSA, now in its 12th edition, reflects the evolution of India's startup scene, moving from consumer tech to areas like space, semiconductor, robotics, and AI. However, one area lagging behind was AI startups, according to Wingify co-founder Paras Chopra. He emphasized the need for entrepreneurs to address this gap in the startup ecosystem.
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.
