New Delhi, April 5, 2025: Startup Mahakumbh kicked off today, uniting entrepreneurs, investors, policymakers, and industry leaders to propel India’s startup ecosystem forward. The opening day featured thought-provoking discussions, insightful masterclasses, and key initiative launches aimed at shaping the future of innovation and entrepreneurship.

The second day began on a high note with a panel discussion titled ‘Systemic Challenges in Indian Mobility and Solutions’, moderated by Chintan Daftardar, Program Head, Transport, WRI. Panelists included Uttam Digga, Co-founder and CEO, Porter, Adrian Smith, CEO and Co-founder, Sarla Aviation, AK Singh, Chief General Manager of Research & Development, Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL), Mayank Jain, CEO – New Auto, CarDekho Group, Dr T Surya Kiran, Executive Director, ASRTU, and Priya Singh, Co-founder and Director, Chalo.

The panelists stressed the need for homegrown innovation in terms of vehicle designs and localized supply chains, along with decentralized infrastructure like battery swapping. Dr T Surya Kiran made an open call to startups to innovate for public bus transportation, adding that ASRTU is working on a mechanism that will ensure startups have business opportunities with STUs without going through the tendering process.

While discussing trends and realities, and what lies ahead in this sector, Mayank Jain posited, “We have roughly about a million STEM graduates coming out of India every year. That’s the envy of the world, right? I mean, only China is ahead of that in terms of number. So, there is no reason why India should not be leading, and we are the forefront of these AI technology and tools.”

The day also featured an impactful panel titled ‘Accelerating EV Adoption in Last-Mile Mobility’. Moderated by Varun Agni, CTO and Co-founder, Bounce, the panel included Kunal Mudra, Founder, Astranova, Chintan Daftardar, Program Head, Transport, WRI, Pulkit Khurana, Co-founder and CEO, Battery Smart, Sameer Aggarwal, Founder and CEO, RevFin, Abhishek Bansal, Co-founder, Shadowfax, and Anubhav Sharma, Co-founder Baaz Mobility.

The panel discussed how EVs are transforming urban logistics and hyperlocal delivery is becoming the testing ground for EV adoption, and agreed that unique challenges remain in financing, vehicle design and operational models. Speaking about the challenges that yet remain, Varun Agni said, “A lot of the OEMs are still quite small, not scaled, and there is obviously that risk coming from the larger, more traditional OEMs. So that’s one. There are other challenges, right? So, infrastructure, by which I mean, it’s not just about charging, but it’s also about spare part availability, after sale service support. Where do you get your vehicle repaired?”

The third engaging panel of the day, The Electrification of Mobility and the Impact on the Climate, was moderated by Adrian Schmidt, CEO and Co-founder, Sarla Aviation. On the panel with him were Gagan Agarwal, CEO and Co-founder, Planet Electric, Mahua Acharya, Founder and CEO, INTENT, Feroz Khan, Head of Government Relations, Policy Advocacy and Global Regulations, Hero MotoCorp, Vaibhav Tyagi, CTO, Kazam, and Himanshu Sharma, Associate VP, Theia Ventures.

Feroz Khan emphasized the crucial role the government played in fostering innovation and supporting the EV startup ecosystem but suggested that it was now time for the industry to give back to the government. “The government has been doing its part. I really compliment the government for doing all these things on the demand side, also on the supply side. On the supply side, we have PLI of 26,000 crores allocated to the auto sector, along with the additional ACP. So, while everything is so far so good, I think now quality of the product – that’s where the government is, of course, focusing – but I think more strength is required so that the high quality products come into the market, a sense of satisfaction is given to the consumers, and overall, it helps in encouraging the consumers to move towards the electric movement. And I think this has been happening in the segment of two and three wheelers, because these are the two segments which have been driving the electrification journey of India. What needs to be happening on the four-wheeler side, the buses and other things.”

Beyond discussions, the Mobility Pavilion showcased several innovative startups, presenting their cutting-edge solutions to investors, industry experts, and attendees. Among them, standout startups—Porter, Baaz and Karishma Global Ventures among others—represented breakthroughs in the Mobility sector.

As Day 2 concluded with more impactful discussions, networking opportunities and meaningful conversations, Startup Mahakumbh only highlighted how India’s mobility sector is poised to take off.