30-plus countries to participate in Bengaluru Tech Summit starting tomorrow

The Karnataka government's annual global Bengaluru Tech Summit (BTS) will begin on Wednesday, bringing together tech leaders, startups, investors and research labs from 30-plus countries.

Organised by the Karnataka's government's Department of Information Technology and Biotechnology along with the union government's Software Technology Parks of India, the three-day 26th BTS, with the theme 'Breaking Boundaries', will be inaugurated by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah at Palace Grounds here.

Kazakhstan's Minister of Digital Development, Innovations and Aerospace Industry Bagdat Mussin and Semiconductor company AMD's EVP & CTO Mark Papermaster will be among the VIP dignitaries present at the inauguration.

A recorded message from Finland's Minister of Science and Culture Sari Multala as well as one from Germany's Minister of Digital Affairs and Transport Volker Wissing will be relayed at the opening event.

Key figures from Indian industry, including Rishad Premji, Executive Chairman of Wipro Limited; Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Chairperson, Vision Group on Biotechnology, and Executive Chairperson of Biocon Ltd; S Gopalakrishnan, Chairman, Vision Group on IT and Co-founder of Infosys; and Prashanth Prakash, Chairman, Vision Group on Startups, and Founding partner of Accel Partners India will be a part of BTS.

A fireside chat on the topicm 'Legend, Legacy & Leadership,' featuring Infosys Founder N R Narayana Murthy in conversation with Zerodha Co-founder Nikhil Kamath, and another featuring Union Minister of State for Electronics & Information Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar are a part of the event.

Some of the key speakers addressing this year's BTS include Former Director General of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Dr R A Mashelkar and Nobel Laureate American Biologist Dr H Robert Horvitz, among others.

BTS 2023 will feature a variety of events, including a multi-track conference on IT & electronics, deep tech, start-ups & biotech, an international exhibition on 'Global Innovation Alliance', India-USA Tech conclave, R&D-Lab2Market, B2B meetings, STPI IT Export awards, Smart Bio awards, VC awards, ATF awards, Rural IT quiz, Bio quiz and Bio posters.

One of the highlights of this year's BTS is the Chandrayaan 3 ISRO-Industry Pavilion, symbolising India's significant presence in space exploration.

The pavilion not only showcases ISRO's achievements but also emphasises the contributions of SMEs, startups, and private industries in ensuring the success of the Chandrayaan-3 mission, organisers said.

Also, in a specially erected geodesic dome, using AR/VR (Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality) technology, an immersive experience is created to learn about lunar missions, space science, and technology behind Chandrayaan, they added.

The BTS Exhibition - the tech marketplace -- will include country pavilions as well as those of IT & Biotech majors, unicorns, startups, R&D labs, and educational institutions.

According to organisers, BTS has committed to achieving Net Zero in the upcoming years. This ambitious goal involves integrating eco-conscious practices in procurement to minimise waste generation and establishing a 'sustainability advisory' for various stakeholders.

The summit promises over 75 sessions, 400-plus speakers, 350-plus startups, 600-plus exhibitors, and 20,000-plus business attendees.