Karnataka’s capital Bengaluru will host a three-day event, known as the India Startup Festival (ISF) next month, which will give startup founders an opportunity to connect with peers and investors. It will be hosted by the Indian Startup Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation supporting the growth and development of the Indian startup ecosystem, from August 10 to 12 at Muddanahalli. This will be second edition of ISF with the theme ‘Innovation at Bottom of the Pyramid’ with a focus on rural empowerment and innovations.
More than 10,000 startups from Indian, the UK and Japan will take part in ISF. About 500 investors are also expected to be present.

“With a vision to reimagine the start-up landscape in India, we are committed to empowering entrepreneurs and fostering a startup community that will enable them to unleash their full potential. This festival will be a vibrant hub of entrepreneurial energy and innovation,” JA Chowdary, chairperson and convenor of the ISF, said in a statement.
The ISF organisers said that 100 startups will be chosen as finalists and given a chance to pitch on the grand stage. The top 10 of them will be given cash awards and provided with mentors in the form of sector specific industry leaders.

The ISF is focussing on rural India to minimise the challenges in the sector. It also seeks to promote rural entrepreneurship and create leaders in agriculture, food security and skilling.

“For India to flourish, the fruits of the startup ecosystem must reach rural India, ushering in new opportunities and employment prospects,” said Mr Chowdary. The first edition of the ISF was held last year, in which more than 2,000 startups participated.

The guests include Madhusudan Sai, founder of Sathya Sai University for Human Excellence, Meenakshi Lekhi, minister of state for external affairs and culture, Priyank Kharge, minister of information technology and bio technology, Karnataka, and N S Boseraju, minister of minor irrigation from Water Resources Department of Karnataka.