New Delhi, April 5, 2025 — The Health and Bio-Tech Pavilion at Startup Mahakumbh came alive on Day 2 with an electrifying mix of high-stakes pitching, insightful panel discussions, and powerful knowledge sessions that highlighted the sector’s growing synergy between technology, public policy, and startup innovation.
One of the day’s most electric moments came early on with Lightning Pitches: The 10-Minute Challenge—a high-octane session where health-tech entrepreneurs pitched their groundbreaking ideas to a jury. Each startup had just ten minutes to make their case, receiving direct feedback on product improvement, business model refinement, and funding opportunities. The room buzzed with innovation, with solutions ranging from diagnostics to preventive care and digital health.
In the session on Public-Private Partnerships for Scale Impact, Mayank Sharma, Senior Program Officer, PATH, highlighted how collaborative models between the government and private sector are revolutionizing healthcare delivery. From digital platforms like e-Sanjeevani to large-scale insurance schemes under PM-JAY, technology-driven PPPs are enabling accessible, quality care at scale.
Shibu Vijayan, Chief Medical Officer, Global Health, Qure.ai, led an engaging session on AI in Healthcare: Challenges & Opportunities, where he addressed the potential of AI to streamline diagnostics and improve outcomes, while also cautioning about the regulatory, ethical, and implementation challenges that come with rapid adoption.
A critical highlight of the day was the panel on Obesity – A Metabolic Disorder: Impact on Health, Economy, and Gut Health, which urged recognition of obesity as a disease requiring medical and policy attention. The session focused on the role of gut health, personalized nutrition, and interventions like GLP-1 and prebiotics. Moderated by Pariksha Rao, Director- Nutrition and Medical Affairs, The Good Bug, the expert panel included Dr. Harshal Ramesh Salve, Additional Professor Centre for Community Medicine, AIIMS New Delhi, Dr. Ritesh Bansal, Diabetologist and Founder, Saroj Diabetes & Research Centre, Ishi Khosla, Founder, Whole Foods India, Revant Himatsingka, Certified Health Coach and Influencer, Shubhda Bhanot, Chief Diabetes Educator, Max Healthcare Hospital, and Dr. Brij Mohan Makkar, Physician, Diabetologist, Obesity Specialist. Imm. Past President of RSSDI.
The role of technology in transforming public sector operations was explored in the panel Emerging Technologies in Industrial Services – Transforming Government Procurement and Operations, moderated by Ashutosh Bhargava, IOCL. Panelists discussed how public sector units are leveraging AR/VR, blockchain, and AI to make procurement smarter and operations safer. Speakers included C.B. Smita, Manager (MM), Mahanadi Coalfields Limited, Mohammad Salimuddin, Manager (MM), ONGC, Shri Prakash Mirani, Chief Marketplace Officer – Services, GeM, and Udaya Arun Panigrahi, Additional General Manager (Contracts and Material), NTPC Limited.
The conversation deepened with a panel on Enhancing Procurement of States Through Startups, where discussions centered around trust, ease of onboarding, and incentives for state-level procurement to catalyze innovation. The panel featured A.V Muralidharan, Chief Buyer Officer (States/UT), Government e Marketplace (GeM), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India, Ankita Anand IAS, District Magistrate (DM), North West District, GNCTD, Dr. Deepak Murari, Joint Director Industries & Team In-Charge, Startup Uttarakhand Cell, Directorate of Industries, Govt of Uttarakhand, Rajat Jain, Founder and CEO, Sunfox Technologies Private Ltd, and Vicky Nanda, Chief Operating Officer, Niramai Health Analytix.
A special focus was given to the central government’s efforts to unlock market access for startups in the panel Unlocking Opportunities – Startups & Central Government Buyers. The session was moderated by Shri. Sagar Sachdeva, Director – Buyer Management (Central Ministries & CPSEs) and featured key officials from GeM—Shri. Aditya Chauhan, Director – Buyer Management (Central Ministries & CPSEs), Government e Marketplace (GeM), Shri. Ashish Saxena, Dy. CEO – Buyer Management (Central), Government e Marketplace (GeM), Shri. Samarth Sharma, Director – Buyer Management (Central Ministries & CPSEs), Government e Marketplace (GeM), and Shri. Vishal Singh, Director – Buyer Management (Central Ministries & CPSEs), Government e Marketplace (GeM)—who discussed how initiatives like Startup Runway are simplifying procurement processes and onboarding over 10,000 startups into government contracts.
The final panel of the day, Business Opportunities of Growth for Startups through Categories on GeM, underscored how category-based procurement is boosting inclusivity and efficiency by enabling startups to align better with government buyer needs. The session was co-moderated by Shri. Y.K Pathak, Addl. CEO & Chief – Product Categories Officer, Government e Marketplace (GeM), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India, and Shri. Ayush Agarwal, General Manager – Category Management (Product), Government e Marketplace (GeM), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India. Speakers included Anagh Dutt, Director, Government e Marketplace (GeM), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India, Dr. Makhan Kumar, Assistant General Manager – R&D, Mylab Discovery Solutions Pvt Ltd, and Shri. Sumedh Bhoj, Co-Founder, Spruce Up Industries Pvt. Ltd.
Day 2 at the Health and Bio-Tech Pavilion demonstrated that the future of healthcare lies in bold partnerships, breakthrough technologies, and the willingness to reimagine traditional systems. As Startup Mahakumbh continues, the momentum around India’s health-tech revolution is only getting stronger.