Bengaluru Tech Summit-2025

By R Anil Kumar

• The summit is expected to welcome over 1 lakh attendees, including more than 20,000 startup founders and 1,000 investors, from over 60 countries.

Bengaluru. With a legacy spanning more than 27 years, the Bengaluru Tech Summit enters a bold new chapter in 2025, from November 18 to 20, at a brand-new venue: the Bangalore International Exhibition Centre (BIEC).

This strategic move reflects the event’s transformation into a large-scale, business-focused global platform. Bigger in scale, sharper in vision and firmly focused on outcomes.

The 28th edition of BTS is an initiative of the Department of Electronics, IT, BT, Govt. of Karnataka, in partnership with industry stakeholders, and brings the world of technology and business together.

This is where innovation meets investment, startups meet buyers, and global players forge high-value partnerships.

The Karnataka government has begun preparations for the 28th edition of the Bengaluru Tech Summit (BTS) 2025, scheduled to take place from November 18 to 20 at the Bangalore International Exhibition Centre (BIEC), marking the summit’s first time at the eco-conscious, large-scale venue.

To promote the summit globally, the electronics, IT, and biotechnology department hosted a Global Innovation Alliance (GIA) Meet in Bengaluru on July 21. The event drew representatives from over 35 partner countries, including Germany, Australia, the UK, the US, Japan, Israel, France, South Korea, and others, along with Indian government officials and trade missions.

The Global Innovation Alliance (GIA) was launched in 2017 to build partnerships with top innovation ecosystems worldwide. Since its inception, the alliance has grown from 10 member nations to over 35 by 2025.

The meet focused on fostering deeper international cooperation and encouraging GIA partner countries to actively participate in BTS 2025 through country delegations, national pavilions, and focused sessions. Dr. Ekroop Caur, IAS, secretary to the state government (electronics, IT, biotechnology and science and technology), said. Dr. Caur emphasized the summit’s significance in showcasing advancements in emerging technologies, fostering global collaboration, and promoting Karnataka’s innovation leadership.

“The Bengaluru Tech Summit is now one of Asia’s premier platforms for technology and innovation. With BTS 2025 set to take place at BIEC for the first time, we invite our partner nations to leverage this opportunity to exhibit their innovations, engage with Indian startups and industries, and explore joint initiatives in research, technology, and policy,” Dr. Caur stated.

This year’s edition is expected to attract over 1,00,000 attendees, including 20,000+ startup founders, 1,000+ investors, 600+ speakers, and 15,000+ delegates, along with participation from 60+ countries and all 36 Indian States and Union Territories.

With the central theme ‘Futurise’, BTS 2025 will feature 10 conference tracks covering areas such as DeepTech, Semiconductor Technology, Biotech, Digital Health, AI, Fintech, Defence & Spacetech, and Climate Tech. The Future Makers Conclave will highlight changemakers from various fields including entrepreneurship, spirituality, art, and exploration, attracting over 2,000 startup leaders.

The Startup Springboard initiative will offer high-growth ventures access to investor pitching, mentorship clinics, global networking, and international exposure. A dedicated Startup Pavilion, thematic sessions on scaling and fundraising, and the prestigious Startup Awards will further strengthen startup engagement.

Additional programmes such as the Rural IT Quiz, Bio Quiz, Bio Posters, and Exhibitor & Innovation Awards, along with a Global Leaders’ Reception, will enrich the summit experience.

“Bengaluru Tech Summit has grown into one of Asia’s leading platforms for innovation and global technology exchange,”  Caur, said.

Reflecting on the growth of the GIA initiative, she added, “We started out in 2018 with about 10 countries, grew up to 15 by 2020 when COVID-19 hit. While the world was grappling with the pandemic, we saw our GIA partnership increase with about 20 countries. In the last three years, we have increased our engagement to over 30 countries.”

With the theme ‘Futurise’, BTS 2025 will feature 10 conference tracks, covering areas such as IT and deep tech, electro-semicon, digital health and biotech, the startup ecosystem, India–US tech conclave, global collaboration, AI universe, defence and space tech, Finverse, and My Planet, My Future, focused on climate tech.

A major attraction will be the Future Makers Conclave, a platform spotlighting changemakers, spiritual leaders, artists, entrepreneurs, and pioneers. Over 2,000 startup founders are expected to attend this special segment.

The summit will also feature the Startup Springboard programme, which aims to connect promising startups with global investors, mentors and markets. It includes investor pitching sessions, one-on-one mentoring clinics, a startup pavilion, sessions on scaling and fundraising, and startup awards.

Since its launch in 2017, the GIA initiative has expanded from 10 to over 35 countries, strengthening global ties in research, innovation, skilling and emerging technologies.