Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) and IIT Madras Alumni Association (IITMAA) organized ‘Sangam 2025’, the sixth edition of the flagship global innovation and alumni summit, at Bengaluru this year on 4th and 5th July 2025.

The event featured global leaders in the field of AI and Innovation including Ms. Aparna Chennapragada, Chief Product Officer, Experiences & Devices, Microsoft and Mr. Srinivas Narayanan, VP of Engineering, OpenAI, which released ChatGPT (both of whom work in the US and came to India for this Summit) besides Mr. Tarun Mehta, Co-Founder and CEO, Ather Energy, all three of whom are IIT Madras alumni.

Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Artificial Intelligence were the focus areas of this edition, which brought together over 500 participants, including distinguished alumni, faculty members, entrepreneurs, investors, and students, from all over the world.

Another highlight of the event was ‘Startup Pitchfest’ on Friday
(4th July 2025), which provided a platform to 20 Deep Tech and AI Startups to pitch to 250+ Investors and Venture Capitalists. Besides funding support, the selected start-ups would also get support from the IIT Madras Innovation Ecosystem which has nurtured over 500 start-ups in the past decade.

Shri Piyush Goyal, Hon’ble Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Government of India, graced the summit, which also saw Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, Prof. Preeti Aghalayam, Director-in-charge, Zanzibar campus, IIT Madras, Ms. Shyamala Rajaram, President, IITMAA, Prof. Ashwin Mahalingam, Dean (Alumni and Corporate Relations), IIT Madras and many other stakeholders from the IIT Madras ecosystem.

Addressing this gathering of eminent academics, entrepreneurs, and IIT Madras Alums, Shri Piyush Goyal, Hon’ble Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Government of India, said, “I have seen the passion, the enthusiasm, the bright ideas and the willingness to explore the unknown, the spirit of inquiry that all of you have demonstrated, it truly makes all of us proud of your work, so much that now, having committed the entire first tranche of ‘Fund of Funds’ of Rs. 10,000 Crore in the last budget, now another Rs. 10,000 Crore has now been provided as Tranche 2. And this time around, it is largely going to support Deep Tech ecosystem. We have just formulated the guidelines and our effort is that this money goes to promote innovation, absorption of newer technologies and development of newer technologies in contemporary fields. Only in the last Cabinet on Tuesday, we have approved $12 Billion (Rs. 1 Lakh Crore), which will be provided to the Department of Science and Technology as a ‘Zero Interest 50 year loan’...It is truly a grant but the idea behind this was that it gives us more flexibility to provide equity support, grant support, low-cost support and to roll that support as technologies get fine-tuned and becomes successful and get back some money so that it goes to somebody else , help more and more technologies develop. When we work on new technologies in India, our cost is nearly one-sixth, one-seven of what it would cost in Switzerland or America. in US. UK Europe.”

Shri Piyush Goyal added, “Today, our policies are structured around a future-ready India, an India that absorbs technologies, an India accepts newer ways of working, newer ways of living and an India that is at the forefront of Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, computing and data analytics. We believe these new technologies will help us as we go up the growth chart.”

Shri Piyush Goyal said, “We all have to contribute to make India a developed Nation. As articulated by our Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Viswas aur Sabkaa Prayas’. When all of us work together as a team, when we look upon the journey towards ‘Viksit Bharat’ as our journey and when we all contribute in that journey, when we look upon this as our duty to contribute towards making India a developed Nation, truly that is when we can really see the Indian economy grow from a $4 Trillion economy today to a $32 Trillion Economy by 2047, which is our slated mission, which is what every potential growth curve shows us if 1.4 billion Indians get together... As the Nation progresses, every child in this Nation should get the opportunity to progress for a better quality of life.”

Further, Shri Piyush Goyal said, “It is not a mean achievement that from the 11th largest GDP in the world, we are today the fifth largest. By the end of Calendar year 2025, or maybe anytime during the year, we will be the fourth largest GDP in the world. By 2027, we will be the third largest GDP in the world, rapidly growing on the strength of the work all of you are doing and the strength of our driving desire of a youthful India.”

The theme of this year’s conference is centered around Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Sangam 2025 spotlighted not only the IIT Madras ecosystem and the entrepreneurial journeys of its alumni but also transformative startups, cutting-edge research and bold innovations from across India, driving progress and placing India at the forefront of global innovation.

Speaking earlier, Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, said, “IIT Madras is committed to playing a pivotal role in shaping ‘Viksit Bharat 2047’. At the forefront of its agenda are innovation and entrepreneurship, which are key drivers for National progress. The upcoming ‘Sangam 2025’ event embodies this vision, with a series of thoughtfully curated events designed to empower India to emerge as a nation of entrepreneurs and a global leader in product innovation.”

Further, Prof. V. Kamakoti said, “Through the diverse events organized under ‘Sangam 2025’, thought-provoking discussions and collaborations will take place, laying a strong foundation and a roadmap for India’s transformation into an entrepreneurial and product-driven Nation by 2047.”

Some of the other eminent personalities who addressed the event include Mr. Kris Gopalakrishnan, Chairman, Axilor Ventures & Co-founder, Infosys, Dr. S. Somanath, Vikram Sarabhai Professor & Former Chairman, ISRO, both of whom are IIT Madras Alumni and Shri Tejasvi Surya, Hon’ble Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha), Bengaluru South.

Calling upon the alumni community to remain engaged with the Institute, Ms. Shyamala Rajaram, President, IITMAA, said, “Sangam 2025 is the powerful confluence of IIT Madras and its global alumni — sparking bold conversations on innovation and entrepreneurship. From AI and Deep Tech to founders and investors, alumni across spheres come together to inspire and lead.”

Thanking the IIT Madras alumni community for the support to their alma mater over the years, Prof. Ashwin Mahalingam, Dean (Alumni and Corporate Relations), IIT Madras, said, “IIT Madras is ranked No. 1 in the NIRF rankings. Our faculty excel in scientific research and drive innovation across diverse fields, and we have a thriving innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem. None of this would be possible without the unwavering support of our alumni community. Sangam 2025, true to its name, embodies the power of an inspired community uniting to place IIT Madras and our nation at the pinnacle of the global stage.”

The Start-up Pitchfest was held on 4th July 2025 featuring start-ups from AI, climate tech, health and education drones to robotics, IoT, AI, biotech, semiconductors, logistics & mobility, cybersecurity and quantum computing. The ideas showcased the entrepreneurial strength emerging from the IITM ecosystem.

The Top 3 winners of Sangam 2025 PitchFest are

1. Folium Sensing - Fiber-optic sensing systems for real-time monitoring of critical infrastructure

2. Q-axis Motors - India's first sub-100µrad precision gimbals for defense, drone & surveillance

3. Zentor Medtech - Patented world's first solid state laser technology for eye surgery

Sangam 2025 also witnessed the launches of

O ‘Entrepreneurship Course for IITM Alumni’ by Mr. Ramesh Srinivasan, Partner, McKinsey in collaboration with IIT Madras

O ‘The Co-Intelligence Revolution: How Humans and AI Co-Create New Value’ book launch by Krishnan Narayanan & Prof. Venkat Ramaswamy (ROSS school)

O ‘Marketing Mixology: Four Essential Ingredients for Marketing Success’ book launch - by Ambi Parmeswaran

ABOUT IITMAA

IITMAA connects over 65,000 alumni across the globe, fostering community, collaboration, and impact for IIT Madras and Beyond. Established in 1964, IITMAA promotes alumni engagement and leadership through its philosophy of “Give Inward, Sideways, and Outward” With over 45 chapters across 4 continents, it stands amongst India’s leading alumni networks.