The second day of Startup Mahakumbh showcased innovation zeal in the area of Health and Bio-Tech Pavilion, featuring the implications of technology on future of healthcare. The other parts of the day’s activities included rigorous pitching contests, lively panel debates, as well as success-story lectures about the interrelationship among technology, public policy, and entrepreneurship in India’s health-tech industry.
Lightning Pitches: A High-Octane Showcase of Innovation
The first event of the day was “Lightning Pitches: The 10 Minute Challenge,” a health-tech entrepreneur pitching contest wherein they were offered to pitch their ideas before adjudicating judges. They structured the entire competition around time; therefore, each startup was pitched to make their case within a ten-minute window. Startups were given ten minutes to make their carve a niche within the wall. The judges shared constructive comments with the participants claiming that they should focus more on product development and business model structure for receiving better funding options in future. From advanced diagnostics to preventive preemptive measures, right down to health care apps, startups clustered their solutions in a rush of innovation.
Public-Private Partnerships: Cooperative Model for Healthcare Provisioning
Collaboration between the private and public sectors and its impact on healthcare delivery was another compelling area of discussion. In the session “Public-Private Partnerships for Scale Impact,” Mayank Sharma, Senior Program Officer at PATH, discussed the transforming impact of cooperative models in healthcare in India. He lauded the achievement of digital initiatives such as e-Sanjeevani and the implementation of large-scale insurance programs like PM-JAY. These developments illustrate public-private partnerships (PPPs) directed by digital innovation toward the achievement of quality and accessible healthcare services at scale.
AI in Healthcare: Exploring Possibilities and Issues
The introduction of new technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) has the capacity to transform the health sector, and this is what was discussed most. Shibu Vijayan, in his role as Chief Medical Officer, Global Health, Qure.ai, has presented an enticing talk on “AI in Healthcare: Challenges & Opportunities.” He analyzed AI’s role in the streamlining of diagnostics, improving treatment outcomes, and overall operational efficiency in healthcare. Also, as part of the discussion, consideration was given to the numerous governance issues, ethical dilemmas, and practical challenges associated with applying AI technologies in healthcare, highlighting the need for thoughtful and responsible policy creation as technology develops.
Addressing Obesity: A Multi-faceted Approach
A very notable panel session was dedicated to “Obesity – A Metabolic Disorder: Impact on Health, Economy, and Gut Health.” This session discussed the need to understand obesity thoroughly as a complex illness which needs medical attention at multiple levels and policy scrutiny. Dr. Harshal Ramesh Salve (AIIMS New Delhi) and Dr Ritesh Bansal discussed about the gut issues, nutrition tailored to personal needs, and the potential use of GLP-1 and prebiotics among other things. The panel was chaired by Pariksha Rao, Director- Nutrition and Medical Affairs, The Good Bug.
Emerging Technologies in Industrial Services: Transforming Government Operations
Much attention was also devoted to technology’s role in the functioning of the public sector. The panel “Emerging Technologies in Industrial Services – Transforming Government Procurement and Operations” led by Ashutosh Bhargava (IOCL) brought out the ways in which public sector units are using tools such as AR/VR, blockchain, and AI for better procurement and safety operational drills. C.B. Smita (Mahanadi Coalfields Limited), Mohammad Salimuddin (ONGC), Shri Prakash Mirani (GeM), and Udaya Arun Panigrahi (NTPC Limited) were other speakers.
Empowering Startups: Offers From State Level Procurement Opportunities
The panel as “Enhancing Procurement of States Through Startups” Identified concerns pertaining to the market entry for startups. Warmth foster, along with incentive provision and easing onboarding were discussed for procurement from state-level contracting with innovative startups. It had Muralidharan A.V (Government e Marketplace – GeM), Ankita Anand IAS (DM), Deepak Murari (Startup Uttarakhand Cell), Rajat Jain (Sunfox Technologies), Vicky Nanda (Niramai Health Analytix).
Central Government Support: Market Access Concession
With the theme “Unlocking Opportunities – Startups & Central Government Buyers” a session was devoted to discuss what steps the central government does to provide the startups with market access. Moderated by Sagar Sachdeva -GeM, the participants included GeM’s Sh…Aditya Chauhan, Ashish Saxena, Samarth Sharma, and Vishal Singh, who spoke on initiatives such as Startup Runway aimed at easing market entry procurement for government contracts with startups.
Category Based Procurement: Improving Inclusivity and Government Procurement Efficiency
The last panel of the day, ‘Business Opportunities for Startup Growth Through Gem Categories’, discussed the inclusive and efficiency aspects of government procurement in relation to category-based procurement. The session was co-moderated by Shri. Y.K Pathak and Shri. Ayush Agarwal, both from GeM, and included Anagh Dutt from GeM, Dr. Makhan Kumar from Mylab Discovery Solutions, and Shri. Sumedh Bhoj from Spruce Up Industries as speakers.
An Expanding Ecosystem: Prospects Of Health-Tech Industry In India
On day two at the Health and Bio-Tech Pavilion at Startup Mahakumbh, India’s health-tech ecosystem is vibrant and full of promise even with significant challenges. The showcase underlined the role of collaboration, innovation, and even disruptive thinking as some of the traditional approaches toward the future of healthcare. As Startup Mahakumbh continues, so too does the momentum of the revolution in India’s health-tech industry.
