At a time when the Hon’ble Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, is leading India’s global innovation outreach through the prestigious “Bharat Innovates” initiative in Nice, France, a parallel movement to nurture India’s next generation of innovators is taking shape in the nation’s capital.
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Policy makers, industry, academia and innovation leaders unite to launch hackFront India, accelerating Bharat’s innovation decade and empowering the next million innovators
The hackFront India Leadership Forum, being hosted at the Constitution Club of India, New Delhi, marks the official launch of hackFront India, a nationwide innovation league designed to identify, nurture and accelerate student innovators, entrepreneurs and technology creators from across the country. hackFront India is the initiative of leading innovation tech startup Where U Elevate.
The timing of the event is particularly significant. As India showcases over 120 deep-tech startups, premier institutions and breakthrough innovations before global investors and industry leaders through “Bharat Innovates” in France, hackFront India seeks to strengthen the grassroots innovation pipeline that will produce the next generation of such success stories.
Inspired by the Vision of “Bharat Innovates”
hackFront India draws inspiration from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s consistent call for building an innovation-led India where technology serves humanity, entrepreneurship drives prosperity and young minds become creators rather than consumers of technology.
The launch of hackFront India reflects the spirit of PM Modi’s vision of transforming India into a global innovation powerhouse by connecting talent, technology, academia, industry and government.
Building Bharat’s Innovation Decade
Organized by Where U Elevate, the hackFront India Leadership Forum brings together leaders from industry, academia, startups, government and the investment ecosystem to deliberate on the future of innovation, entrepreneurship and emerging technologies in India.
The initiative aims to create a structured, pan-India league of hackathons, innovation challenges, startup accelerators and mentorship programs that will empower students and young entrepreneurs to solve real-world problems through technology and innovation.
Leadership Driving the Movement
hackFront India is spearheaded by Mr. Rishab Ilwadi, Co-Founder & CEO of Where U Elevate, whose vision is to create a nationwide platform for innovation, entrepreneurship and youth leadership. He is supported by an accomplished Executive Council comprising leaders from academia, industry, technology, startups and public policy.
The initiative is guided by an esteemed Advisory and Mentorship Council that includes industry veterans Mr. Amresh Khar and Mr. Dhiraj Tripathi, Founder & CEO of AutoBridge Ventures, Academic Leader Dr. Alok Nikhil Jha, Coordinator & Head, Innovation, IIIT Delhi. Together, they bring strategic expertise, industry insights and mentorship to help nurture India’s next generation of innovators.
Leadership Voices
Speaking at the launch, the distinguished Guests of Honour and thought leaders attending the forum—including Dr. Vinod Bind, Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha), Shri Anshoo Pandey, Director, Ministry of Mines, Dr. Pankaj Tripathi, Thought Leader, Shri Vinit Goenka, Secretary, Centre for Knowledge Sovereignity and Ms. Malgorzata Wejsis-Gołębiak, Director, Polish Institute, New Delhi – emphasized that India’s innovation journey cannot be built solely in boardrooms and research laboratories. It must be powered by millions of young minds across schools, colleges, universities, and startup ecosystems.
They underscored the critical need to bridge the gap between academic learning and industry requirements by enhancing youth employability, fostering entrepreneurship, and creating pathways for meaningful careers in both the corporate and public sectors.
The industry and academia leaders including Mr. Manish Gurnani, CTO, Ksolves India Limited, Mr. Praveen Dwivedi, VP-Public Sector, iLink Digital, Mr. Bhavesh Kataria – CEO, Telio Talent, Mr. Mukesh Bansal, Deputy General Manager – Renewable Energy, Havells, Mr. Om Prakash Maurya, Delivery Head, Ksolves India Limited , Dr. Rajesh Pathak, Vice Chancellor, Metro University, Imran Yusuf, COO, Electropreneur Park – STPI, Dr. Sunita Yadav, Dean, Computer Science, Inderprastha Engineering College, Dr. Anjani Kumar Bhatnagar, Additional Director – Placements, Amity University, Dr. Abhinav Juneja, Director, CRPC, KIET University, also highlighted the importance of providing structured mentorship, incubation support, industry exposure, and investor access to promising innovators emerging from the six-month hackFront India Innovation League. The initiative aims not only to identify talent but also to help transform innovative ideas into scalable ventures, employment opportunities, and nation-building solutions.
“While Bharat Innovates is showcasing India’s innovation excellence to the world, hackFront India aims to discover, nurture, and empower the innovators who will represent India on such global platforms in the years ahead. By strengthening employability, entrepreneurship, and incubation support, we are contributing to the creation of a future-ready workforce and building Bharat’s Innovation Decade.“
Event Details
Event: hackFront India Leadership Forum
Date: 13 June 2026
Venue: Constitution Club of India, New Delhi
Theme: Building Bharat’s Innovation Decade – A National Dialogue on Talent, Technology and Entrepreneurship
The forum witnessed participation from distinguished leaders representing industry, academia, startups, government institutions, investors and innovation ecosystems from across India.
About hackFront India
hackFront India – an initiative of Where U Elevate – is a national innovation league dedicated to nurturing young builders, entrepreneurs and technology innovators through hackathons, innovation challenges, mentorship, incubation support and industry engagement. The initiative seeks to create a nationwide platform that transforms ideas into impactful ventures and contributes to India’s emergence as a global innovation leader.
