The World Agri-Tech Summit 2024, held in Dubai on December 9-10, brought together global leaders, innovators, and key stakeholders to explore the future of agriculture and sustainability. This prestigious summit, hosted by Rethink Events, featured 300 delegates, 76 speakers from 37 countries,; along with representation from iHub - AWaDH, a Technology Innovation Hub established under the National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS) by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India at Indian Institute of Technology Ropar and is also supported by Startup India, DST NIDHI, and MeitY. This initiative aligns with the Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of leveraging emerging technological solutions for addressing critical global challenges and enabling the deeptech startup ecosystem.

Mukesh Kestwal, Chief Innovation Officer, participated as a jury member and speaker in the Startup Showcase session, where he evaluated four groundbreaking startups from India, Singapore, Kenya, and Morocco. His insights and feedback to the founders underscored AWaDH’s commitment to fostering innovation and supporting the global startup community.

As part of its mission to support startups, iHub - AWaDH has incubated  114 startups, that have raised over ₹96 crore in external funding and invested ₹16 crore directly. At the World Agri-Tech Summit, two of its incubated startups showcased their innovations: CropRover, founded by Priyan Shah and Taha Malik, presented its pioneering robotic crop management technology, while Mkelly BioTech, co-founded by Dr. Vipasha Sharma, shared impactful advancements in agricultural biotechnology.

Strengthening Global Partnerships In line with its mandate for fostering global collaborations, IIT Ropar (iHub - AWaDH) formalized two key partnerships during the summit. ESG WEISE: A Dubai-based sustainability advisory firm providing strategic guidance to corporates and SMEs and  PRYM Solution Private Limited (Salam Kisan): A Maharashtra based startup, focused on promoting rural resilience and sustainable development.

The summit highlighted IIT Ropar (iHub - AWaDH's) crucial role in driving deep-tech innovations in agriculture and water management. Under the leadership of Dr. Pushpendra P. Singh, Dean R&D, IIT Ropar continues to lead advancements in AgriTech, ClimateTech, and Sustainability through two key initiatives: the Center of Excellence (CoE) for AI in Agriculture (By the Ministry of Education) and the Technology Innovation Hub for Agriculture and Water (By DST’s NM-ICPS)

Speaking about the event, Mukesh Kestwal said, “Our mission is to build a future defined by innovation, sustainability, and impactful collaborations. Through our startups, technology vertical and partnerships, we aim to address critical challenges for deeptech in agriculture and beyond.”

Engaging with the Global Community In addition to the summit, Mukesh Kestwal represented IIT Ropar at the IIT Delhi Alumni Summit, where he engaged with venture capitalists, corporates, and key members from the Dubai region. During brainstorming sessions, discussions centered on the role of AI in fostering deep-tech startups, further solidifying AWaDH’s position as a leader in the deep-tech ecosystem.

As the summit concluded, IIT Ropar reaffirmed its vision of creating transformative solutions for a sustainable future, contributing significantly to global advancements in deep-tech innovation.

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