Nordic India Startup Summit

Where Nordic Innovation Meets Indian Scale

We are bridging the gap between Nordic and Indian start-up ecosystems by fostering cross-border collaboration.

Copenhagen | 26th – 27th August 2026

Meet the Presenters

Rasmus Abildgaard Kristensen

Ambassador of Denmark to the Republic of India

Manish Prabhat

Ambassador of India to the Kingdom of Denmark

Søren Nedergaard

Chief Portfolio Officer at Novo Nordisk Fonden

Amit Kakar

Managing Partner at Novo Holdings Asia

Peter Winther-Schmidt

Consul General, Head of Trade and Innovation, Consulate General of Denmark in Bangalore at ICDK, Bangalore

Dr Pramod Varma

Co-Founder & Chief Architect at Networks for Humanity

Khushboo Verma

Founder & CEO of vCare Denmark

Anirudha Jalan

Cofounder & Chief Strategy Officer of Recykal

Sanjeev Sharma

CEO of ExcelDots AB

Madan Padaki

President of TiE Bangalore

Jakob Bejbro Andersen

Co-founder & CEO of MASH Makes

Satya Prakash Singh

Chief General Manager of SIDBI

Sandeep Nagabhushan Aithal

Mergers, Acquisitions and Investments at Infosys Innovation Fund

Nikhil Tambe

CEO at The Energy Consortium, IIT Madras

Kavitha Iyer Rodrigues

Founder & CEO at Zumutor Biologics

Ayush Mathur

Co-Founder at BorderPlus

Thomas Sehested

Head of Project at Next Step India

Geeta Schmidt

General Partner at Seed Capital Denmark

Sanmit Ahuja

Managing Director & CEO at Bharatia

Jakob Williams Ørberg

Senior Advisor at Novo Nordisk Fonden

Jose Jacob

Chairman at Future ICT Forum & TIA Summit

Rohit Yadav

Strategic Investment Leader at Big Book of VC

Eske Bo Knudsen Rosenberg

Team Lead, Cleantech at Invest in Denmark

Mette Hoberg Tønnesen

CEO at The Link

Ashish Kumar Singh Arya

Counsellor at Embassy of India

Drishya Nair

Scientific Manager at Novo Nordisk Foundation

Md. Alam Ansari

Deputy Director at DPIIT (Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India

Meet the Moderators

Zenia Worm Francke

Director of CVX ventures

Christina Brinch Clark

Founder, Executive Advisor, Program Director of Convergence - Advancing Healthcare Innovation

Julia Abrams

CCO at Hedia

Nicolaj Geller Christensen

CEO at Digital Hub Denmark

2025 Program

August 27th

*Access to the program on 27th of August is for the holders of TechBBQ tickets only

12:15 - 12:45
Building the Open Foundations – How DPI Unlocks Frictionless Innovation

Explore why Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) thrives as essential building blocks, enabling interoperable ecosystems and combinatorial innovation.

12:50 - 13:20
Venture India: Insights from Asia-Pacific’s Second-Largest VC Market

Dive into the dynamics of India’s rapidly growing venture capital market – now the second-largest in Asia-Pacific. Explore trends, investor appetite, and opportunities for cross-border collaboration.

13:25 - 13:55
Build for scale & impact: Founders' & Corporate Stories from India

Hear from founders and corporate leaders who are solving large-scale challenges in Lifesciences, AgriTech and more. A session on scaling sustainably and driving real-world impact.

14:00 - 14:30
CVC as Catalyst: Nordic-India Startup Partnerships Driving Global Innovation

Explore how Corporate Venture Capital (CVC) is evolving in the Nordics and India to drive innovation, strategic growth, and market access.
Hear from leading corporates and VCs on navigating cross-border investments and building scalable partnerships.
This session will spotlight real-world CVC strategies shaping the future of global innovation.

15:00 - 15:30
Networking & Pop-Up Zone

An informal space to exchange ideas and deepen connections with investors, founders, and policy leaders. Drop by to discover collaborations waiting to happen.

August 28th

10:35 - 11:10
Nordics–India Startup Bridge

Policy visionaries set the stage for deeper innovation ties between India and the Nordics.

11:10 - 11:40
The Next Opportunity: Why India Is VC’s Bright Spot

Veteran GPs and senior VC partners unpack India’s venture evolution and the next decade of growth — and reveal how global and local capital are reshaping the playbook.

11:40 - 12:15
MATHCMAKER I: Indian Investors & Startups (Room 7)

An open networking session with Indian VCs, bringing together founders, investors, and ecosystem partners from India and the Nordics.
A space to exchange ideas, explore opportunities, and spark new collaborations across emerging and established markets.

11:40 - 12:15
Scaling Beyond Borders: Indian Founders Building the Next Global Business Wave (Room 5,6)

Hear from Indian founders growing companies in sectors such as circular economy, health tech, and biotech.
Learn how their models align with Nordic priorities around sustainability and business innovation.
This session explores what it takes to build and scale across borders.

12:15 - 14:00
MATCHMAKER II - Nordic Investors & Startups (Room SILO)

An open networking session bringing together founders, investors, and ecosystem partners from India and the Nordics.
A space to exchange ideas, explore opportunities, and spark new collaborations.

12:15 - 14:15
Lunch

Enjoy lunch and connect with fellow attendees, investors, and innovators.

14:30 - 14:50
The Ecosystem Engine: Fueling Cross-Border Startup Success

A high-level discussion on building connective tissue between innovation ecosystems in India and the Nordics.

14:50 - 16:10
Venture Sparks: Nordic-India Founders Pitch

A cross-border pitch presentation where five Nordic and five Indian startups unveil their breakthrough products for growth and collaboration.

16:10 - 16:40
Networking & Coffee Break

16:40 - 17:15
Beyond the Summit: Connecting the Dots for Shared Innovation Futures

A collective look at what’s emerging across startups, capital, and partnerships — and how to carry momentum forward.A space to exchange ideas, explore opportunities, and spark new collaborations.