The STPI Electropreneur Summit 2026 brought together government officials, academics, industry leaders, investors and technology innovators at IIIT-Delhi to discuss India’s growing ambitions in Electronics System Design and Manufacturing (ESDM). The summit focused on strengthening collaboration and creating greater opportunities for startups and entrepreneurs in electronics and deep-tech.
A major highlight of the summit was the launch of the Open Challenge Programme (OCP) under the STPI Electropreneur Park. The initiative aims to identify promising technology solutions and startups working in the ESDM sector and provide them with access to incubation, mentorship, infrastructure and industry support.
The programme is part of STPI’s broader effort to expand India’s electronics innovation ecosystem and help emerging companies convert innovative ideas into commercially viable products.
MoUs were also exchanged between AIC STPINEXT INITIATIVES and partner Spoke Centres, along with investors including Indian Angel Network Services Private Limited (IAN) and Solara VC. The partnerships are intended to deepen collaboration and expand the reach of the Electropreneur ecosystem across North India.
EP 2.0 to Reach More Innovators
The STPI Electropreneur Park 2.0 initiative is designed to extend ESDM incubation beyond major technology hubs and create opportunities for innovators in Tier-II and Tier-III cities.
The network includes institutions and incubation centres across Chandigarh, Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Partners include ACIC RISE, CEC Landran, NSUT Incubation and Innovation Foundation, KR Mangalam Incubation & Entrepreneurship Centre, Manav Rachna University, IIT Mandi Catalyst, NewGen IEDC–Business and Innovation Centre at the University of Kashmir, MNIT Innovation and Incubation Centre, AKGEC Skills Foundation, Sharda Launchpad Federation, Swami Rama Himalayan University, UPES Council for Innovation & Entrepreneurship and Runway Incubator.
Through these Spoke Centres, innovators will be able to access incubation facilities, mentoring, infrastructure, industry connections and other ecosystem resources closer to their regions.
MeitY Highlights India’s Technology Opportunity
The inaugural session began with the ceremonial lighting of the lamp following welcome remarks by Vandana Srivastava, Director, STPI-Noida.
Opening addresses were delivered by Pradeep Gupta, CMD of CyberMedia; Ashok Chandak, President of IESA and SEMI India; and Prof. Sandeep Sen, Director of IIIT-Delhi.
Delivering the special address, K.K. Singh, Joint Secretary, MeitY, underlined the importance of innovation and entrepreneurship in accelerating India’s ESDM ambitions.
He said India’s technology journey was entering a new phase by combining its established strength in software with an intensified focus on ESDM and semiconductors.
Singh highlighted the achievements of Electropreneur Park 1.0, which nurtured 59 startups, supported 66 patent filings and generated more than ₹640 crore in startup valuation.
He said EP 2.0 would raise the ambition to 500 startups, while expanding its reach to Tier-II and Tier-III cities. According to him, a key measure of success would be transforming India’s talent pool into commercialised intellectual property and globally competitive products.
Electronics Production Records Strong Growth
Arvind Kumar, Director General, STPI, highlighted the transformation taking place in India’s electronics and technology landscape.
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He noted that while India had historically built a major software services export industry, electronics manufacturing had comparatively lagged. The situation, he said, had changed significantly over the past decade.
According to Kumar, national electronics production increased around sevenfold, from less than ₹2 lakh crore to more than ₹13 lakh crore, while electronics exports grew elevenfold to ₹4.24 lakh crore.
He also outlined the achievements of Electropreneur Park 1.0, which has produced 129 products, 27 trademarks and 66 patent filings, besides generating ₹150 crore in cumulative revenue.
With EP 2.0, STPI aims to build an interconnected ESDM innovation ecosystem across North India and support the growth of 500 startups.
Kumar also pointed to opportunities emerging through government programmes, including GPU access under the India AI Mission and the ₹1.275 lakh crore India Semiconductor Mission 2.0 scheme.
Government-Academia-Industry Collaboration
The afternoon programme featured a technical address by S.K. Marwah, Advisor, R&D Electronics Division, MeitY.
This was followed by a panel discussion titled “Bridging the Gap: Accelerating ESDM Innovation through Government-Academia-Industry Synergies.” The session was moderated by Dr. Anuj Grover, Associate Professor at IIIT-Delhi.
Panel participants included Dr. Amjad Hussain, Director-HCIE, SRHU-Dehradun; Rajoo Goel, Secretary General, ELCINA; and S.K. Marwah.
The discussion examined how stronger partnerships among policymakers, universities, industry and investors can accelerate research, product development, commercialisation and startup growth in the ESDM sector.
Building India’s Deep-Tech Future
The STPI Electropreneur Summit serves as a platform for entrepreneurs, innovators, startups, investors, policymakers, academia and industry leaders to exchange ideas, develop partnerships and identify opportunities in electronics and deep-tech.
An electropreneur refers to an entrepreneur who builds and scales businesses centred on electronics and hardware-driven technologies.
With the launch of the Open Challenge Programme, the expansion of Spoke Centres and the ambitious EP 2.0 targets, STPI is positioning the Electropreneur ecosystem as a key platform for nurturing indigenous electronics innovation and helping Indian startups compete in global technology markets.
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