Rajasthan DigiFest × TiE Global Summit 2026 Concludes Day Two with High-Impact Dialogues on Leadership, AI, Deep Tech, Skills and Capital

Jaipur, Rajasthan Jan 06: The second day of the Rajasthan DigiFest × TiE Global Summit 2026 concluded with a series of high-energy fireside chats and panel discussions that brought together global leaders from sports, technology, finance, public policy, and creative industries. The sessions reflected the Summit’s core focus on leadership, innovation, emerging technologies, skills development, and long-term capital for India’s growth story.

At the Summit, senior leaders underscored the importance of cooperative federalism and policy certainty. Shri Mohan Yadav, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, highlighted the need for healthy competition alongside collaboration among states, while Shri Prem Chand Bairwa, Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister of Rajasthan, outlined the state’s vision of becoming a job-creating economy through digital transformation. Shri Sanjay Dubey, Additional Chief Secretary, Government of Madhya Pradesh, emphasised the state’s predictable and performance-driven policy framework, reinforced by industry and startup voices on the ease of doing business across both states.

Smt. Smriti Z. Irani, Former Cabinet Minister, Government of India, highlighted the importance of risk-taking leadership and women-led entrepreneurship, including her SPARK initiative supporting one lakh women entrepreneurs. Subsequent discussions on MSMEs, future cities, and global innovation hubs brought together policymakers and global leaders, reinforcing the Summit’s role as a platform for shaping conversations on inclusive growth, investment, and India’s future-ready economy.

The second half of the day featured a fireside chat titled “No Fear, No Limits: Lessons from the World’s Most Aggressive Opener,” hosted by Mr. Mahavir Pratap Sharma, Convener, TiE Global, with former Indian cricketer Mr. Virender Sehwag. Mr. Sehwag spoke about founding the Sehwag International School to provide young people with the resources needed to grow in sports and shared his journey as a startup investor. Reflecting on his investments in a fintech venture and an organic products company, he highlighted how overcoming the fear of risk can lead to strong returns, encouraged greater support for startups, and stressed the importance of access to guidance and knowledge for young entrepreneurs.

A session on “AI and Youth,” moderated by Mr. Sameer Jain, MD, Primus Partners, featured Shri Vasudev Devnani, Speaker of Rajasthan Vidhan Sabha; Dr. Ajay Data, Managing Director, Data Group of Industries; and Prof. Ramesh Raskar, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. During the session, Shri Vasudev Devnani said,

“The Rajasthan Government is actively promoting AI and will continue to do so, but with due caution. Our objective is to ensure that technology reaches the grassroots and remote regions, turning the state’s vast geography into an opportunity.”

Another panel discussion on “Algorithms with Soul: Creativity in the Age of AI,” moderated by Dr. Ajay Data, Managing Director, Data Group of Industries, featuring Mr. Breno Melo, Co-Founder, Genspark (Palo Alto), and Mr. Raj Jaswa, CEO, Dyno explored the evolution of AI from the early days of the internet to today’s advanced automated agents, highlighting its growing impact on daily life and business. Speakers emphasised the importance of equipping the younger generation with AI skills and discussed how AI-driven backend innovations are enabling startups to solve real-world problems more efficiently and at scale.

A fireside chat on “Designing for Growth in an Age of Disruption,” hosted by Mr. Madan Padaki, Co-Founder and Director, Sylvant Advisors, featuring Mr. Alexandr Osterwalder, Founder & CEO, Strategyzer centred on business model innovation, adaptability, and building organisations for sustained growth in rapidly evolving markets. Emphasising the importance of execution and trust, Mr. Osterwalder noted that hard work means going to the field, demonstrating value to stakeholders, and earning their trust by building solutions that truly work for them.

The Summit also featured a panel discussion on “Heirloom to High Fashion: How Heritage Inspires Global Creative Expression,” moderated by Ms. Harsha K. Singh, Resident Editor & Bureau Chief, NDTV Rajasthan, with Mr. Chuck Collins, Multidisciplinary Artist & Fashion Designer, who spoke about how identity is something we carry with us, not something we leave behind.

One of the most anticipated sessions of the day was the fireside chat “The Race for the Internet of AI Agents: India’s Moment,” hosted by Mr. Praveen Tailam, Past Chair, TiE Global, with Prof. Ramesh Raskar, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The conversation highlighted how AI agents have the potential to transform payments, knowledge access, and a wide range of services, reshaping everyday life and business. Prof. Raskar spoke about ongoing collaborations with multiple stakeholders, including initiatives such as Join39.org and Project Nanda. Emphasising India’s deep talent pool and entrepreneurial strength, the session underscored the need for India to chart its own path in the agentic AI era by building open protocols that allow entrepreneurs to innovate and create solutions on top of them.

A fireside chat on “Bridging Silicon Valley and Bharat Through Deep Tech,” hosted by Ms. Anita Manwani, President Chair of the Board of Directors, TiE Silicon Valley, featuring Mr. Shanker Trivedi, Senior Vice President, NVIDIA highlighted the deepening collaboration between global technology hubs and India’s deep-tech ecosystem, driven by India’s digital public infrastructure, including IndiaStack. Mr. Trivedi emphasised the role of talent, capital, and cross-border innovation, with NVIDIA reiterating its commitment to partner with and support Indian startups through its Inception platform.

A panel discussion titled “Skills Are the New Currency: Preparing Youth for the Digital Economy,” hosted by Ms. Charu Malhotra, Co-Founder & Managing Director, Primus Partners, featured Shri Kuldeep Ranka. ACS, Higher & Technical Education, Government of Rajasthan and Shri Sanjeev Gupta, CEO, Karnataka Digital Economy Mission, Government of Karnataka. The session discussed the need to move beyond rigid degree-based models towards flexible, industry-driven skilling, where employers define curricula, training partners, and trusted certifications. Speakers emphasised that effective skilling requires strong public–private collaboration to fund and deliver job-ready skills directly to learners, helping bridge the trust deficit in the skilling ecosystem.

Another panel discussion titled “India at an Inflection Point: Economy, Technology & Trust,” hosted by Mr. Amit Gupta, Group CEO & Founder, Ecosystm Group and Past Chair, TiE Global, featured Mr. Pramod Bhasin, Chairman, ICRIER & Founder, Genpact and Mr. Faisal Hammoud, Director – Business Development, Dubai Internet City. The session discussed how entrepreneurship has evolved from being viewed as a risky choice to a mainstream aspiration, enabled by supportive institutions, pragmatic taxation, and facilitative regulation. Speakers noted that despite progress, startups especially smaller firms continue to face compliance and regulatory friction, underscoring the need for further reforms to enable global scaling.

Further, a panel discussion titled “Capital for the Long Term: Investing in India’s Growth Story,” hosted by Mr. Sandeep Jain, Co-Founder, Tradeswift Broking, featured Mr. Navneet Munot, MD & CEO, HDFC Asset Management Company Limited and Mr. Nilesh Shah (MD, Kotak Mahindra Asset Management Co. Ltd. The session discussed growing geopolitical tensions and their implications for long-term investment, while highlighting India’s potential to attract sustained capital and foster entrepreneurship.

Concluding the day, the sessions collectively reinforced the Summit’s role as a platform for cross-sector dialogue, bringing together policymakers, industry leaders, investors, technologists, and creatives to shape India’s future-ready growth narrative. The Day Two discussions laid a strong foundation for continued collaboration, innovation, and policy-led momentum in the days ahead.