Gathering Gujarat's entrepreneurial community in the Innovation Dialogues hosted by our foundation, aiming to boost the pace of inclusive entrepreneurship and growth in Small and Medium Businesses.

Gathering Gujarat's entrepreneurial community in the Innovation Dialogues hosted by our foundation, aiming to boost the pace of inclusive entrepreneurship and growth in Small and Medium Businesses.

The Wadhwani Foundation, in partnership with GESIA, TiE, and other ecosystem leaders, is organising a four-day Innovation Dialogue Series in Gujarat from August 5 to 8, 2025. The event, held across Vadodara and Ahmedabad, aims to activate Gujarat’s entrepreneurial ecosystem by bringing together founders, MSME leaders, student innovators, incubators, academic institutions, industry associations, and government stakeholders.

Empowering Entrepreneurs Across India

Meetul Patel, President of Entrepreneurship & Government Digital Transformation at the Foundation, emphasised the goal of the series: to empower students, startups, and SMBs across India to grow with confidence, capability, and ecosystem support. The programs offered during the series are entirely free and with no equity, ensuring accessibility and impact at scale.

Co-creating Actionable Solutions

The series agenda focuses on co-creating actionable solutions to drive startup scale-up, increase MSME competitiveness, and promote innovation-led job creation. It integrates ecosystem players from students and early-stage startups to growth-ready MSMEs and enablers such as incubators, policy institutions, and digital platforms.

Highlighted programs include flagship entrepreneurship initiatives like Ignite, Liftoff, and Accelerate, supporting various stages of entrepreneurial growth. The series culminates with the Dewang Mehta IT Awards on August 8, where Meetul Patel addressed students and emerging tech leaders, signaling the event’s emphasis on youth and technology leadership.

Impact on Startups and MSMEs

The Innovation Dialogue Series aims to foster an inclusive, connected ecosystem linking innovators, mentors, investors, and policymakers. It helps startups and MSMEs scale by identifying and overcoming growth challenges collaboratively. The series also enhances competitiveness through innovation and digital transformation, bridges gaps among academia, industry, and government, and empowers student innovators and emerging entrepreneurs with access to networks and skill-building initiatives.

A Strategic Approach to Entrepreneurial Growth

Pranav Pandya, Honorary Director of GESIA IT Association, stated that the Foundation's initiative brings clarity and action orientation to Gujarat's startup landscape. The Foundation is working in close partnership with key players in the Gujarat ecosystem, including GESIA IT Association, GCCI, AMA, TiE Ahmedabad & Vadodara, IIM Ventures, and several industrial associations across ODAV, Naroda, and Vatwa.

The Foundation believes scalable impact begins with inclusive access to innovation, mentorship, and digital tools. Its goal is to build an India where students, startups, and SMBs can grow without barriers.

The Series in Action

The Innovation Dialogue Series in Vadodara started with a student-focused event co-hosted by The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, TiE Vadodara, and the Foundation. The series will culminate at the Dewang Mehta IT Awards on August 8, with Meetul Patel serving as Guest of Honor.

On August 6, the series moves to Ahmedabad with two targeted sessions: Founders Forward at DevX and MSME Growth Dialogue at AMA. Founders Forward addresses startup bottlenecks and pathways to scale, while the MSME Growth Dialogue spotlights tech adoption, skilling, and competitiveness for small businesses.

Maulik Bhansali, President of TiE Vadodara & CEO of NetWeb Software, expressed that the dialogue with the Foundation is timely for Vadodara's growing startup scene. The series in Vadodara also included a closed-door Ecosystem Roundtable for academic-industry-government collaboration.

Gujarat has long been a hub of enterprise, and through these Innovation Dialogues, the Foundation is catalyzing meaningful partnerships across the state. The series aims to activate Gujarat's entrepreneurial ecosystem, bringing together various stakeholders to co-create actionable solutions that drive startup scale-up, MSME competitiveness, and innovation-led job creation.

Startups and MSMEs in Gujarat can reach out directly to the Foundation's local team in Ahmedabad for access to program support, guidance, and ecosystem connections. The Wadhwani Foundation's four-day Innovation Dialogue Series in Vadodara and Ahmedabad is a significant event for startups and MSMEs in the region, demonstrating a strategic, ecosystem-driven approach to catalyse entrepreneurial growth and inclusive job creation.

1. The Wadhwani Foundation, in tandem with GESIA, TiE, and other ecosystem leaders, will organize a four-day Innovation Dialogue Series across Vadodara and Ahmedabad, Gujarat, from August 5 to 8, 2025.
2. The series aims to energize Gujarat’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, bringing together founders, MSME leaders, student innovators, incubators, academic institutions, industry associations, and government stakeholders.
3. Meetul Patel, President of Entrepreneurship & Government Digital Transformation at the Foundation, underscores the series' goal of empowering students, startups, and SMBs across India.
4. The programs offered during the series are free and come with no equity, ensuring accessibility and impact at scale.
5. The series agenda is focused on co-creating actionable solutions to drive startup scale-up, increase MSME competitiveness, and promote innovation-led job creation.
6. It integrates ecosystem players from students and early-stage startups to growth-ready MSMEs and enablers such as incubators, policy institutions, and digital platforms.
7. Highlighted programs include flagship entrepreneurship initiatives like Ignite, Liftoff, and Accelerate, supporting various stages of entrepreneurial growth.
8. The series culminates with the Dewang Mehta IT Awards on August 8, where Meetul Patel will address students and emerging tech leaders.
9. The Innovation Dialogue Series’ goal is to foster an inclusive, connected ecosystem that links innovators, mentors, investors, and policymakers.
10. Startups and MSMEs can scale by collaboratively identifying and overcoming growth challenges through the series.
11. Innovation and digital transformation are proven to enhance competitiveness, bridging gaps among academia, industry, and government.
12. The series empowers student innovators and emerging entrepreneurs with access to networks and skill-building initiatives.
13. Pranav Pandya, Honorary Director of GESIA IT Association, stated that the Foundation's initiative brings clarity and action orientation to Gujarat's startup landscape.
14. The Foundation works closely with key players in the Gujarat ecosystem, including GESIA IT Association, GCCI, AMA, TiE Ahmedabad & Vadodara, IIM Ventures, and several industrial associations across ODAV, Naroda, and Vatwa.
15. The Foundation believes scalable impact begins with inclusive access to innovation, mentorship, and digital tools.
16. Its goal is to build an India where students, startups, and SMBs can grow without barriers.
17. The Innovation Dialogue Series in Vadodara started with a student-focused event co-hosted by The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, TiE Vadodara, and the Foundation.
18. On August 6, the series moves to Ahmedabad with two targeted sessions: Founders Forward at DevX and MSME Growth Dialogue at AMA.
19. Maulik Bhansali, President of TiE Vadodara & CEO of NetWeb Software, stated that the dialogue with the Foundation is timely for Vadodara's growing startup scene.
20. The Series in Vadodara also included a closed-door Ecosystem Roundtable for academic-industry-government collaboration.
21. Gujarat has long been a hub of enterprise, and through these Innovation Dialogues, the Foundation is catalyzing meaningful partnerships across the state.
22. The series aims to activate Gujarat's entrepreneurial ecosystem, bringing together various stakeholders to co-create actionable solutions that drive startup scale-up, MSME competitiveness, and innovation-led job creation.
23. Startups and MSMEs in Gujarat can reach out directly to the Foundation's local team in Ahmedabad for access to program support, guidance, and ecosystem connections.
24. The series will impact numerous industries, including industry, finance, entrepreneurship, lifestyle, fashion-and-beauty, food-and-drink, family-dynamics, small-business, home-and-garden, business, careers, banking-and-insurance, data-and-cloud-computing, sustainable-living, technology, relationships, pets, travel, cars, books, education-and-self-development, personal-growth, shopping, car-maintenance, social-media, movies-and-tv, electrica vehicles, entertainment, celebrities, policy-and-legislation, music, politics, pop-culture, sci-fi-and-fantasy, general-news, crime-and-justice, accidents, learning, sports, football, champions-league, wnba, baseball, hockey, golf, European leagues, basketball, mlb, nhl, racing, premier-league, nba, grand-prix, Laliga, tennis, auto-racing, mixed-martial-arts.
25. The series will impact numerous sectors, including digital transformation of government, fashion industry, food services, real estate, education, personal services, automotive, publishing, self-help, retail, maintenance, media, transportation, sports, entertainment, policy, music, politics, culture, science, news, law, education, and technology.
26. The Digital Transformation of Government will be a key focus during the series.
27. Entrepreneurs in the fashion-and-beauty and food-and-drink industries can find opportunities to scale their businesses through the series.
28. The series will also features sessions on family dynamics and small-business management, offering insights on growing a small business into a successful enterprise.
29. At the heart of the Innovation Dialogue Series is a commitment to create opportunities and support the growth of businesses and entrepreneurs across various industries and sectors, ultimately driving job creation and economic growth in Gujarat.

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