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Amazon to invest more than $35 Bn in India by 2030

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Amit Agarwal, SVP, emerging markets at Amazon

Amazon, the world’s largest online retailer, raised its investment commitment for India to $35 billion on Wednesday. This move builds on the $15 billion pledge that chief executive Andy Jassy announced in 2023, and Amazon allocated approximately $12.7 billion of that amount to AWS’ cloud infrastructure.

With this expansion, the Seattle-headquartered company has committed a cumulative $40 billion to India since 2010. The company stated that it will deploy the new capital to scale up its artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities and to reinforce its logistics network.

Moreover, the online retailer decided to inject additional funds at a time when it intensified its focus on 10-minute deliveries, a segment that had hit the company hard within online commerce. In this category, the company competes with Eternal-owned Blinkit, Swiggy’s Instamart, Nexus Venture Partners-backed Zepto, Tata Digital’s BigBasket, and Flipkart Minutes.

The fresh infusion highlights how the company is accelerating its India strategy while quick-commerce players such as Swiggy and Zepto scramble to secure public-market funding amid ongoing cash burn.

Additionally, it earlier announced that it was adding two dark stores a day across Bengaluru, Delhi-NCR, and Mumbai to expand its quick-commerce footprint, with a target of reaching 300 stores by year-end. Meanwhile, Meesho—Amazon’s rival in the tier-II and beyond ecommerce segment—listed on the stock exchanges on Wednesday following a $600-million initial public offering (IPO) at a $5.9-billion valuation, and its shares opened with a 45% rise.

Amit Agarwal, SVP of emerging markets at Amazon, said in a statement, “We have invested at scale in growing the physical and digital infrastructure for small businesses in India, creating millions of jobs.”

Furthermore, Amazon India reduced costs in the previous fiscal year to narrow its losses. All four major businesses—Amazon Seller Services, Amazon Transport Services, Amazon Wholesale, and Amazon Pay—reported substantial reductions in FY25, largely due to lower advertising and employee expenditures. Revenue from operations at Amazon Seller Services grew 19% year-over-year to Rs 30,139 crore in FY25, compared with 14% growth in FY24. Although the growth rate has improved from 3% in FY23, it remains lower than during the pandemic years, when growth reached 49% in FY21 and 32% in FY22.

Last week, the online retailer reaffirmed that it was on track to complete the $12.7 billion AWS investment and that it will “bring the benefits of AI to over 15 million small businesses.”

Additionally, Amazon’s push into AI and domestic cloud expansion aligns with similar moves by US technology majors. Microsoft, in a statement on Tuesday, announced a plan to invest $17.5 billion in India between 2026 and 2029 to accelerate AI adoption at a national scale. This commitment adds to the $3-billion investment it declared in January 2025.

BYT Capital launches Rs 180-Cr fund to back deep-tech startups

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Amit Chand, Founder & Managing Partner, BYT Capital

BYT Capital, founded by early-stage investor Amit Chand, launched an Rs 180 crore deep-tech-focused fund on Thursday, and the firm expects to close it by Q3 2026.

Moreover, Chand said that the fund has already crossed 50% subscription. Out of the Rs 180 crore, the firm has created a green shoe option of Rs 80 crore, and if investor interest continues to grow, it may increase the total corpus by an additional Rs 30–Rs 40 crore.

The fund plans to deploy capital across 18–20 deep-tech ventures, issuing cheques of Rs 3 crore to Rs 6 crore for early-stage rounds, ranging from pre-seed to Series A.

Furthermore, BYT Capital intends to back companies that fall between Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 3 and TRL 7, ensuring that the core science behind their products is already validated. TRL 3 indicates that startups have confirmed scientific feasibility and are ready for deeper development, while TRL 7 means that they have demonstrated a system prototype in a real operational environment.

The firm can deploy up to Rs 15 crore in follow-on rounds and has earmarked 55% of the total fund for additional capital infusion into promising portfolio companies.

At present, the firm’s limited partner base consists of domestic ultra-high-net-worth individuals, HNIs, and family offices.

Additionally, BYT Capital will prioritize startups working in space-tech and aerospace, defence technology, clean and alternative energy, AI for science and drug discovery, synthetic biology and life sciences, quantum technology, and photonics. Chand noted, “As of now, our current focus lies in these sectors, but over a period of the next two years, you might see a lot of other technology evolve. That’s the beauty of deep tech. You can’t channel everything into one technology. So we will keep researching these sectors, which are up and coming.”

The VC firm is finalizing its first set of cheques and is holding late-stage discussions with a space-tech company, a drug discovery venture, a clean-energy firm, and a robotics startup. Chand chose not to reveal the names since discussions are still underway.

For exits, BYT Capital plans a straightforward strategy—retain equity and seek exits around Series D or Series E. Chand expects that in the next four to five years, several deep-tech companies will pursue IPOs, thereby strengthening the broader ecosystem.

Chand has backed early-stage deep-tech startups for more than six years as an angel investor. His portfolio includes electric bike maker Ultraviolette Automotive, climate-tech startup Uranus Labs, and energy storage venture The Energy Company.

He has recorded notable exits as well. He exited battery-swapping firm Battery Smart in 2021 with a 25X return, and he secured a partial exit from defence-tech venture Big Bang Boom Solutions, generating a 2.5X return.

Earthful raises Rs 26-Cr in pre-Series A funding round

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Veda and Sudha Gogineni, co-founders, Earthful

Clean-label plant-based nutrition brand Earthful has raised Rs 26 crore in a pre-Series A funding round led by Fireside Ventures and V3 Ventures, with participation from Atrium Angels, it said in a media release on Wednesday.

Moreover, the company, founded by sisters Veda Gogineni and Sudha Gogineni, operates in the preventive nutrition and supplements space with a focus on clean-label formulations and women’s health.

Earthful offers plant-based multivitamins, protein products, and targeted nutrition solutions, including customised multivitamins for menopausal women. Additionally, the company stated that it will use the fresh capital to expand its product portfolio—particularly in women’s health—and to strengthen its team and operations across Hyderabad and Mumbai.

Furthermore, Earthful has built a customer base of over 2 lakh consumers in the past two years, driven significantly by repeat purchases. Its portfolio currently spans daily multivitamins, plant-based protein, and nutrition solutions for skin, hair, and sleep.

The company previously appeared on Shark Tank India and raised around $1 million from angel investors and family offices. Earthful also said it recorded over three-fold growth in the last financial year, supported by repeat demand and strong word-of-mouth traction.

Virtusa acquires SmartSoC Solutions to strengthen engineering capabilities

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Nitesh Banga, CEO of Virtusa

Product and platform engineering services company Virtusa on Wednesday announced that it has acquired Bengaluru-based SmartSoC Solutions, a semiconductor engineering and integrated circuit design services provider, while keeping the deal value undisclosed.

Moreover, the Massachusetts-headquartered firm stated that this strategic acquisition positions it at the forefront of AI and chip design innovation to address accelerating global demand for advanced silicon.

Furthermore, it emphasized that the integration of SmartSoC’s capabilities in silicon design, verification, and embedded systems engineering enables the company to fully capitalize on the rising need for sophisticated silicon solutions.

“The acquisition of SmartSoC is transformational for Virtusa,” Nitesh Banga, chief executive officer of Virtusa, said in a statement. “It immediately establishes us as a key player in the high-growth semiconductor engineering space, completing our vision for a full-stack offering that can serve clients from the foundational silicon layer all the way through to the customer application.”

Additionally, Banga noted that as AI models increase in complexity and global data centre investments accelerate, possessing in-house chip design expertise will remain essential.

Consequently, the acquisition establishes Virtusa’s semiconductor engineering footprint in India and strengthens its worldwide delivery network by integrating SmartSoC’s engineering teams across Bengaluru, Hubli, and Hyderabad.

WelcomHeritage strengthens portfolio with new Akashganga Heritage Hills Resort & Spa

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WelcomHeritage announces the launch of the WelcomHeritage Akashganga Heritage Hills Resort & Spa in Ratanpur (Dungarpur District), Rajasthan. Moreover, this newly unveiled property in Bhehana, Bichhiwara, aims to elevate luxury, comfort, and multipurpose hospitality by offering an exceptional retreat set against the picturesque heritage hills of the region.

The resort features 41 tastefully designed rooms, including 16 expansive Forest Studios and 25 refined Ellwood Cottages, all crafted to seamlessly merge traditional aesthetics with contemporary convenience.

Additionally, the WelcomHeritage Akashganga Heritage Hills Resort & Spa intends to emerge as a distinctive culinary and entertainment destination through its varied food and beverage experiences. Guests can dine at Thikree, the all-day café serving global classics, or savour crafted desserts at DEE-LISH. Nirvana delivers bold Indian flavours inspired by Rajasthani, North Indian, and coastal cuisines. Furthermore, MIRAGE provides panoramic views, craft cocktails, and an energetic atmosphere for evening gatherings. Soon, Tarang (poolside bar) and Verandah (open-air dining) will introduce additional refined spaces for relaxation.

In addition, the resort fully supports corporate needs and personal rejuvenation through its extensive event and wellness facilities. It offers well-equipped venues ideal for weddings, corporate meetings, and intimate gatherings, including Bandhej (Banquet Lawn)—25,000 sq. ft., Ratna Vatika (Convention Lawn)—4,000 sq. ft., and Sammelan (Conference Hall)—1,500 sq. ft. Guests can also enjoy the expansive swimming pool, cycling pathways, indoor and outdoor games, and the relaxing gazebo lounge. A dedicated spa & wellness center will soon open to deliver complete physical and mental revitalisation.

Furthermore, WelcomHeritage Hotels marks an important expansion milestone with this launch. Ashutosh Chhibba, CEO, WelcomHeritage Hotels, stated, “The opening of WelcomHeritage Akashganga Heritage Hills Resort & Spa marks a significant milestone in our expansion across Rajasthan. We are confident that this property will become a landmark destination for travelers seeking luxury, wellness, and unforgettable experiences amidst the heritage hills of Ratanpur.”

India’s Growth Engines Awarded: Most Preferred Workplaces 2025 Set New People-Centric Benchmarks

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10th December 2025, Mumbai: Team Marksmen Network is set to host its highly anticipated 4th edition of Most Preferred Workplaces, 2025-26 – Manufacturing and Healthcare, Pharma & Biotech, a flagship initiative celebrating organisations that continue to redefine the contours of workplace excellence, innovation, and human-centric leadership across India’s most vital industries.

Scheduled to take place on 11th December 2025, Thursday, the event aims to bring together senior leaders from Manufacturing, Pharmaceuticals, Biotech, Healthcare, and allied sectors to recognise and honour, those reshaping the future of work in an era of transformation and opportunity.

With manufacturing contributing roughly 17–18% to India’s GDP and Healthcare, Pharma & Biotech forming one of the world’s fastest-growing life sciences ecosystems, this recognition celebrates workplace cultures that are driving national progress with innovation, resilience, and human-centric leadership.

The Most Preferred Workplaces—Manufacturing & Healthcare, Pharma & Biotech 2025–26 is set to address this transformation by convening 150+ senior leaders and 25+ prominent speakers to share research-backed insights and celebrate workplace excellence across the healthcare ecosystem.

A Celebration of People-Powered Transformation

The premium platform honours companies that have excelled in:

* Building future-ready talent and leadership pools

* Driving and adopting technology, digital transformation, and innovation

* Embedding employee well-being, inclusion, and empowerment

* Creating ethical, sustainable, and resilient work cultures

* Balancing performance with empathy and scale with sustainability

This recognition is grounded in extensive culture audits, employee feedback, and research-led evaluations conducted by Marksmen’s insights team.

The ceremony will be graced by Shri Subhash Desai, former minister for Industries & Mining, Government of Maharashtra, as the Guest of Honour, as he highlights the nation as well as Maharashtra’s industrial momentum, commending the awardees for their commitment to building India’s future.

Expressing his best wishes, Shri Desai said, “Manufacturing and healthcare are not just sectors—they are the backbone of India’s growth story. The organisations honoured at the platform not only exemplify how innovation and human values can come together to create workplaces that are truly world-class but also harness an ecosystem of collaboration and building resilience.”

Speaking on the significance of the initiative, Sharad Gupta, Co-Founder & Managing Director, Team Marksmen Network, said, “The organisations celebrated today represent the gold standard of excellence. They are showing India—and the world—that people-first cultures are not just good practice but strategic advantages.” He reaffirmed that the 2025 cohort reflects the very best of cross-sector innovation, resilience, and culture-building.

The platform will feature high-impact conversations with leading healthcare executives such as Gautam Khanna, CEO, Hinduja Hospital; Dr. Sujit Paul, Group CEO, Zota Healthcare Limited; Rupam Singh, Senior Vice President- Corporate HR Head, JSW Group; Sarika Gore, Head HR & GM, Artsons Limited, A Tata Enterprise; Sheetal Arora, Head Human Resources & IR, Mobility Group India, Eaton; Tapan Bagwe, Head HR- India & South Asia, Barry Callebaut Group; Namita Patwari, CHRO, Alembic Pharmaceuticals; Purushottam Kaushik, Head, Centre for Fourth Industrial Revolution, The World Economic Forum India Liaison Office, World Economic Forum Dr. Jagmohan Singh Rishi, Global Head – Learning & Digital Business Excellence, Wockhardt; and Mandar Dani, Director – People & Organization (Health Industries), PwC among various prominent others.

Shaping India’s Growth Decade

The honored organizations span critical sectors that will power India’s economic acceleration in the coming years. By fostering cultures rooted in trust, empathy, innovation, and continuous learning, they are paving the way for a future where talent thrives and industries evolve.

About Most Preferred Workplaces

Most Preferred Workplaces by Team Marksmen Network is a research-backed initiative that recognises organisations creating exemplary work environments built on purpose, people, and performance. The platform highlights India’s most admired workplaces through rigorous evaluation and industry insights.

About Team Marksmen Network

Team Marksmen Network is a leading knowledge-driven media and insights organisation committed to empowering business leaders through research-based recognitions, events, thought leadership, and strategic content that shape meaningful conversations about the future of work, innovation, and growth.

Cashew Research targets the $90B market research industry with AI

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Addy Graves, co-founder and CEO of Cashew Research

Cashew Research operates in the $90 billion market research industry and aims to transform it using AI. The company identifies how brands can present themselves effectively to potential customers, yet traditional market insight remains costly and slow. Therefore, Cashew Research intends to change this by applying AI to the entire workflow.

Based in Calgary, Alberta, Cashew develops AI-driven market research plans and surveys for brands depending on the insights they need—such as measuring brand recognition among a defined group or determining how a marketing tagline resonates with consumers. Furthermore, the platform distributes surveys to real respondents and uses AI to summarize and interpret the results.

Cashew Research earned recognition as one of 200 startups selected for a major global startup competition and won the Enterprise Stage pitch track in 2025.

“You can use an LLM to try to do deep research and get answers to your questions, or you could use a firm that’s going to be really expensive,” Addy Graves, co-founder and CEO of Cashew, said while describing the current market research landscape. “Now there’s Cashew that exists in the middle. It creates custom, fresh data to answer your question instead of you just using an LLM that’s surfacing the same recycled pool of data that everybody’s finding on the internet.”

Graves brings more than a decade of market research experience, and she developed the idea for Cashew after facing a recurring challenge: Clients repeatedly asked her to deliver full research projects—complete with real human data—within just a few days.

For years, Graves considered that timeline impossible to meet while preserving research quality because the supporting technology simply did not exist. “That was definitely the aha moment,” Graves said. “And it wasn’t until the onset of AI that we were actually able to automate these processes that we use as researchers, best practices, these data science-backed methodologies, as well as the formatting of reports that we know that everybody wants.” Moreover, she noted that automation reduces cost, making Cashew accessible to small and medium-size brands that previously could not afford traditional market research services.

Graves founded Cashew in 2023 with Rose Wong, chief operating officer, initially focusing on consumer packaged goods, particularly food and beverage.

She believes Cashew will differentiate itself within the crowded AI marketing tools category because the platform does not rely on full automation. Cashew delivers fresh human data for each project, and that approach demands genuine market research expertise, Graves said.

Cashew’s competitive advantage may strengthen further as the company grows. The team anonymizes all collected real-world data and stores it in a proprietary database, which can add deeper insights to future research work.

The company has raised C$1.5 million in pre-seed funding and now prepares to launch a seed round in early 2026, targeting up to $5 million. Cashew will invest that capital in advancing its technology platform.

Heading into next year, Graves said the company will prioritize strengthening its U.S. presence and expanding its B2B customer base. “The people who are already buying research—that’s already a massive category—but that doesn’t even include all the people that could be buying research but just can’t afford it or can’t do it right now because they don’t have the timelines,” Graves said. “We’re actually creating this new category for marketers to gain access to answers to these questions that they’ve had.”

Cross-border payments platform Skydo raises $10Mn led by Susquehanna Asia VC to power India’s USD 2Tn export ambition

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L-R: Srivatsan Sridhar and Movin Jain, co-founders, Skydo

Bengaluru, India | 10 December 2025: Skydo, India’s leading cross-border payments platform for exporters, has raised USD 10 million in Series A funding led by Susquehanna Asia Venture Capital, with participation from existing investor Elevation Capital.

The Bengaluru-based company serves over 30,000 Indian MSMEs, freelancers, and startups across 50+ cities, processing payments in 32+ currencies. Skydo was among the first to receive the Reserve Bank of India’s In-Principle authorization as a Payment Aggregator—Cross Border (PA-CB).

Rapidly Growing Exports, Broken Payments

India aspires to export services and goods worth USD 2 trillion by FY30, fuelled by hundreds of thousands of ambitious MSMEs, freelancers, and startups. Yet, these exporters often lose 3-7% of their revenue to hidden forex markups and opaque fees. Client payments take days, while subsequent documentation and compliance can extend into weeks and months.

Skydo is building the financial operating system for Indian exporters—Skydo customers can collect payments locally from clients across countries. These payments are then processed at zero forex fees, transparent flat-fee pricing, and 24-hour settlement. The platform instantly generates compliance documents like FIRA and provides a full suite of accounts receivable tools like invoicing, payment reminders, and accounting integration.

“Indian exporters are second to none in their global ambition. Skydo aims to enable them with world-class payment infrastructure built from India for the world,” said Srivatsan Sridhar, co-founder and CEO of Skydo. “This funding fuels our mission to build the financial operating system for global commerce—from collections, payouts, card acceptance, compliance automation, and accounting reconciliation.”

Until now, the only options for an Indian MSME exporter to receive payments have been traditional banks or global platforms like PayPal, Wise, or Payoneer. Banks charge opaque fees and have lengthy, manual processes for compliance, while global platforms deduct up to 10% of invoice values as fees and aren’t natively built for Indian exporters’ needs.

“Skydo has simplified our cross-border payments and cut our finance costs dramatically. Their fixed fees and mid-market rates give us full predictability and better value than any bank we’ve worked with,” said Sushant Yadav, founder of marketing agency Optimite.

“I started using Skydo shortly after their launch, and I’ve been a fan ever since. Skydo saved me from haggling with banks on FX rates every time I received a payment, and we’ve saved thousands of hard-earned dollars since switching,” said Abhishek Agarwalla, co-founder and CEO of AI interviewing company Fabric. “What really stands out, though, is how customer-obsessed they are. I still remember the entire Skydo team, including Movin and Srivatsan, showing up at our office to listen to our problems firsthand. Most products make money, but Skydo has earned something far rarer: customer trust.”

Scaling to USD 5 Bn and Beyond

Skydo grew 4X in the past year and is targeting USD 5 billion in annualized payment volume within two years.

“We’re demonstrating that India has the talent, compliance muscle, and regulatory clarity to build global financial infrastructure from here, for the world,” said Movin Jain, co-founder of Skydo. “With this round, we aim to expand our global footprint and secure payment licenses in key geographies.”

According to Bhavanipratap Rana, Investment Advisor to Susquehanna Asia VC, “India’s evolving cross-border payment landscape, with the introduction of the new PA-CB framework, demands high-quality, focused players with a technological edge. Skydo’s focus on solving the real costs of cross-border transactions—opacity, time, compliance risk, and working capital blockage—is a clear differentiator. We are excited to partner with a company that meets the high bar for technological and risk capabilities set by the regulator, and we believe their model is perfectly suited to capturing high-volume B2B business.”

Talking about the investment, Mridul Arora, Partner, Elevation Capital, said, “Since partnering with Skydo at their inception, we have been incredibly impressed by the team’s speed, execution, and unwavering product focus. They have done a stellar job scaling the platform 4X in the last year alone, building what is truly a customer-centric international payments powerhouse. We are thrilled to support this next phase of growth as Skydo continues to dismantle barriers and make global trade friction-free and seamless for Indian exporters.”

What This Round Unlocks

The new capital will unlock:

● Geographic expansion: Local collections across 20+ countries in Latin America, Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East

● Global licensing: regulatory licenses in key international markets

● Card infrastructure: Scaling InstaLinks to enable card acceptance for more exporters at half the cost of legacy gateways

● Deeper compliance suite: Enhanced reconciliation and reporting tools to reduce back-office overhead

● Developer platform: APIs and webhooks for SaaS companies, marketplaces, and fintechs to embed Skydo’s global payment rails

About Skydo

Skydo is a Bengaluru-based cross-border payments platform that simplifies global money movement for businesses. Its unified stack spans global collections, payouts, card acceptance, compliance automation, and developer-first APIs. Skydo is an empanelled Amazon Global Selling PSP, one of the first to receive RBI’s in-principle PA-CB approval, and holds SOC 2 and ISO 27001 certifications.

About Susquehanna Asia VC

Susquehanna Asia VC is the Southeast Asian and Indian venture capital arm of the Susquehanna International Group of Companies, a global proprietary trading and investment firm founded in 1987. As part of SIG, we have access to flexible and patient capital to grow with our investments. We support founders from their early days through each stage of growth and, together with our China team, have achieved 70+ IPO/M&A and other exits among 350+ portfolio companies in enterprise and consumer technology over the last 18 years. These portfolio companies include Agora, Bytedance, Kumu, Inshorts, Lentra, Mobile Premier League, Wakefit, Musical.ly, Paidy, PayMaya, and RedDoorz. For more information about Susquehanna Asia VC, please visit www.sig-asiavc.com.

Edtech startup Uolo raises USD 7 Mn in funding

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[L-R] Pallav Pandey and Ankur Pandey, Co-founders of Uolo

Edtech startup Uolo has secured USD 7 million (about INR 63 crore) in a funding round led by Australian venture capital firm Five Sigma. Moreover, existing investors, including Blume Ventures, Morphosis, and Alicorn, also joined the round.

Furthermore, the Gurugram-based startup intends to deploy the new capital to broaden its network of partner schools, build generative AI-driven learning companions, and enhance its overall product suite. Uolo, which Pallav Pandey, Ankur Pandey, and Badrish Agarwal founded in 2013 as a school communication platform, initially collaborated with 150 schools, according to the YS media platform.

By 2020, a new venture named Uolo Edtech acquired the business, repositioned the company, and appointed Pallav Pandey as co-founder and CEO. Under this renewed strategy, the startup now partners with schools to deliver textbooks across subjects such as English, mathematics, computer science, and general knowledge, while it also offers a home-practice app for students. At present, Uolo claims to serve over 2,500 schools across India and reports more than 1.1 million paying students.

Previously, Uolo had raised USD 22.5 million in a Series A round led by UAE-headquartered Winter Capital (along with Blume Ventures and Morphosis) in 2022, in addition to an earlier seed round in November 2020.

Additionally, the latest funding arrives at a moment when India’s edtech industry is displaying renewed momentum. For instance, Vedantu recently raised USD 11 million in a convertible equity round to accelerate expansion and strengthen its adaptive content and AI capabilities.

Meanwhile, PhysicsWallah has become the first large Indian edtech company to list publicly. In the domestic school-focused edtech ecosystem, Uolo competes with firms such as Unacademy, Toppr, Vedantu, and upGrad, all of which operate within overlapping categories of K–12 learning, online schooling, or test preparation.

DEI Symposium 2025 to Unveil India’s First Structured DEI Ranking: The DEI 100

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Mumbai, December 2025: As Indian enterprises accelerate toward global leadership, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) is emerging as a defining business priority. Far from being a compliance metric, DEI now shapes innovation, talent strength, and organizational resilience. Yet the gap between ambition and implementation persists across industries.

The DEI Symposium 2025, hosted by Team Marksmen Network on December 10 at Novotel Mumbai International Airport, aims to bridge this gap by convening 150+ CXOs and 35+ speakers for a day of strategic dialogue and actionable insights.

At the heart of the event is the launch of the DEI 100 – India’s Structured Ranking of Organisations Leading in Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Excellence, developed in collaboration with EY. This is India’s first-ever systematic, data-backed DEI benchmark, designed to evaluate organizations on policies, culture, representation, accessibility, and leadership accountability.

The DEI 100 methodology and evaluation process were developed and overseen by the EY team, led by Alpana Dutta, Partner – People Consulting, EY India.

At the symposium, leading CHROs, including Chetana Patnaik, CHRO, LTIMindtree; Renu Jethani, Global HR Leader – India & South Africa, Sutherland; Aditya Tiwari, Regional Head – HR, Asia Pacific, KeraKoll Group, and Trupti Patkar, Head – Human Resources, Eaton will join the forum to share best practices and frontline perspectives on translating DEI into measurable business impact.

The symposium will also feature high-impact conversations with prominent CEOs such as Vishal Sharma, Executive Director & CEO, Godrej Industries – Chemicals; Feroze Azeez, Joint CEO, Anand Rathi Wealth, Manish Jain, Founder & MD, Cilicant; Sachin Seth, Regional MD, CRIF, India & South Asia and Kartik Nagarajan, CEO, Datamatics Business Solutions, who will discuss how inclusive leadership strengthens brand equity, investor confidence, and long-term competitiveness.

Sessions will include a special “Voices from Bharat” segment led by Shri Kripashankar Singh, spotlighting the importance of regional inclusion, multilingual engagement, and skilling initiatives across Tier II and III India.

Rishi Kapoor, CEO, Team Marksmen Network, said: “Launching the DEI 100 is a landmark moment for India Inc. This is the country’s first structured, credible framework that quantifies inclusive excellence. It provides organisations with clarity, accountability, and a blueprint for meaningful progress. The DEI Symposium is not merely a gathering, it is a nationwide movement to convert inclusion into strategic advantage.”

As India positions itself for the next phase of economic growth, the organisations that operationalise inclusion will lead the way. The DEI Symposium 2025 and the debut of the DEI 100 mark a pivotal step toward a future where inclusion is measurable, actionable, and central to sustainable business success.

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