At Bengaluru startup summit, AI, patient capital and ‘Bharat’ priorities shape the next phase
A high-powered startup summit in Bengaluru on Thursday delivered a clear message: India’s startup engine is shifting from blitzscaling to building durable businesses, with artificial intelligence moving from pilot projects to mission-critical deployments and a renewed focus on serving “Bharat,” not just metro India.
AI’s present-day impact ran through multiple sessions. Irina Ghose, India managing director at Anthropic, said enterprises are already deploying AI at scale. She noted that India is now the company’s second-largest user base globally and that what stands out is the depth of usage, with companies moving toward mission-critical applications and agentic AI systems.
founder Ankush Sabharwal underscored that the next phase of innovation must be language-led and context-aware to address the needs of “Bharat, not just India.” Participants described the ecosystem as being at an inflection point. Shweta Rajpal Kohli of the Startup Policy Forum pointed to maturing founders, more frequent liquidity events and stronger institutional participation.
Aditya Shukla of Bain & Company said the next leg will hinge on patient capital, talent availability and enabling infrastructure. Investors echoed the call for longer horizons. Mohit Bhatnagar of Peak XV Partners argued that downturns often create the best opportunities and urged founders to measure success over five to ten years, not five or six quarters.
Pranav Pai of 3one4 Capital said AI is fundamentally changing how value is defined, adding that the focus should be less about 2021 and more about what 2035 looks like. Even as innovation accelerates, monetisation challenges persist. PhonePe co-founder Rahul Chari cautioned against assuming digital payments are a solved problem in India, citing low penetration and structural monetisation gaps.
Beyond the metros, entrepreneurs such as Satyajit Singh of Shakti Sudha Industries and Pranav Kapoor of PKapo Perfumes highlighted how localized products are scaling globally, helped by rising aspirations and better access. Policy voices emphasized competitiveness among states and the need to broaden beyond capital.
Karnataka minister Priyank Kharge said states are now “fiercely competitive” in attracting investment, but the focus must extend to skills, knowledge, collaboration and co-creation. Industries minister M.B. Patil added that the state is pushing beyond IT into aerospace, electronics, semiconductors and green energy.
Repeat founders reinforced the case for discipline over hype. Wakefit’s Chaitanya Ramalingegowda and Optimist’s Ashish Goel stressed patience, alignment and ground-level learning as easy capital fades. The overarching takeaway: India’s startup ecosystem has moved past proving potential.
The coming decade, speakers said, will be defined by execution, resilience and building globally relevant, large-scale businesses.