Technological development today is determined not only by founders and engineers; politics, global institutions, and industry leaders also play a vital role in this process. The flagship startup and technology summit by YourStory, which will take place as part of TechSparks 2026, will discuss a wide range of topics, including policy, deep tech, artificial intelligence, fintech, aerospace, mobility, and digital infrastructure.
The event, themed 'The New Technological Order,' will examine how artificial intelligence, deep technologies, and new digital infrastructure are transforming methods of creating and scaling technologies. The three-day conference is scheduled for October 13-15 in Bangalore. Speakers announced include Priyank Kharge, Minister of Home Affairs, IT, BT, and e-Governance of the Government of Karnataka, and Krishna Bayre Gowda, Minister of Urban Development of the Government of Karnataka.
Additional TechSparks 2026 Speakers
A number of prominent figures will also be part of the TechSparks 2026 participants. Dr. Angela Honegger, CEO and Consul General of Switzerland and India at the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, based in Bangalore, is associated with Swissnex in India—a network of Swiss science and technology connections. Her experience covers work in Switzerland, India, and the USA, as well as entrepreneurship, innovation, and research.
Himatsingh Revant, known as 'Food Pharmer,' is the founder of Only What's Needed, a food and beverage enterprise focused on transparency. He has attracted widespread public attention by emphasizing reading product labels and critically analyzing packaged food marketing. The company develops a brand based on transparency together with consumers, and Himatsingh himself publicly shares information about products and business.
Peter Winter-Schmidt, Consul General of the Danish Consulate General in Bangalore at the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, represents the relationship between India and Denmark at the conference. His recent activities have focused on strengthening ties between Denmark and Karnataka in the fields of technology, investment, and innovation, as well as establishing contacts between startups, companies, and investors from India and Denmark.
Manu Sale, Managing Director and CEO of Mercedes-Benz Research and Development India, leads the organization in Bangalore that provides engineering and digital capabilities for Mercedes-Benz's global operations. His public work focuses on people, technology, and AI, including implementing an AI-centric approach across MBRDI. At TechSparks, Sale will discuss how AI and advanced technologies are changing the product creation process from an automotive engineering perspective.
Dip Agarwal, Head of Payments at PhonePe, is involved in developing and scaling the company's payments business. His work includes expanding access to digital payments, such as launching UPI 123Pay for users with basic phone functions, as well as developing digital payment and financial service products.
Priya Narasimhan, Chief Business Officer of Indus Appstore, is involved in creating PhonePe's own application marketplace. Indus Appstore is designed for diverse audiences and developers in India, simplifying app discovery and distribution. She has also participated in discussions on competition in the mobile application ecosystem, touching upon app store choice, developer economics, and the role of alternative stores in India.
Radhika P, founder and CEO of Pinaka Aerospace, previously worked as a scientist at DRDO on electronic warfare and communication systems before founding Pinaka Aerospace in 2007. This Bangalore-based company operates in the defense and aerospace sector, focusing on software verification, equipment maintenance, and manufacturing. Pinaka Aerospace was later acquired by ZETWERK.
Rajagopal Menon, Vice President at WazirX, will bring experience from the cryptocurrency and digital asset industry to the TechSparks program, participating in a broader discussion on the underlying technologies and infrastructure.
Narendra Babu, CTO of PayU, is a technology leader with experience building and managing large-scale technology teams and systems. His recent work at PayU included transforming engineering and applying AI in payment verification within the fintech environment, where security, authentication, fraud prevention, and large-scale payment systems increasingly rely on AI.
Sneha Roy, co-founder of Murf AI, is part of the team behind the voice AI company that develops products based on synthesized speech and voice technologies. She is also the company's COO and has extensive experience in building and scaling businesses, including working at Urban Ladder before co-founding Murf AI in 2020. Murf AI has since entered international markets, and Roy focuses on growing the business around voice AI.
Prasun Kumar, founder and CEO of Oppex AI, addresses post-software deployment challenges. His company creates an AI-powered incident management stack designed to reduce the time taken to detect, investigate, and resolve production failures. Kumar has over twenty years of experience in technology and product development, including time at Capillary Technologies and CommerceIQ. At Oppex AI, he applies this experience to production operations using a native AI-based approach.
The TechSparks 2026 lineup also includes Srividya Srinivasan, CTO of Amagi; Pramoda Varma, co-founder and chief architect of Networks for Humanity; Samira Nigam, founder and CEO of PhonePe; Pratyay Amrit, Chief Secretary of the Government of Bihar; Aniruddha Singh, General Partner at Avataar Venture Partners; and Rajiv Rastogi, VP of Machine Learning at Amazon.
TechSparks 2026 will take place in Bangalore from October 13 to 15. Registration is open for participation in discussions shaping the new technological order.