• Strengthen Pune’s creator ecosystem
• Open doors for collaboration among brands, creators & entrepreneurs
• Provide insights from leading industry voices
• Educate & inspire the next generation of digital talent
• Highlight Pune as a rising cultural hub for creators

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This biennial competition is designed to identify, nurture, and reward India’s most talented youth, preparing them to represent the nation on international stages such as the WorldSkills Competition (WSC) 2026, which is the largest international skills competition for young professionals in the world, showcasing the skill and expertise of young people in more than 60+ Skills. The competition aims to inspire young people to pursue careers in vocational education and to recognize the importance of skilled work in today’s economy.

The competition is open to all Indian nationals, with participants required to meet specific age criteria. The minimum age is 16 years, and the maximum age limit is 25 years. In general, participants must be born on or after 1 January 2004. For certain advanced technology skills, such as Cyber Security, Mechatronics, Aircraft Maintenance, among others, participants must be born on or after 1 January 2001.

IndiaSkills 2025 follows a structured, multi-tiered selection process. Each participant can apply for only one skill. The competition unfolds across two primary tracks. Track I involves State-level competitions conducted by State Skill Development Missions (SSDMs), while Track II is led by Sector Skill Councils (SSCs) for skills not opted by the states/UTs. Both tracks will feed into Regional Skill Competitions (RSCs), followed by boot camps and the final national competition. The competition includes both individual and team-based skills, closely aligned with the categories identified by WorldSkills International.

Regional competitions will be hosted across five zones— North, South, East, West, and Northeast—while the final IndiaSkills National Competition will be organized centrally by MSDE. Winners of the national competition will receive extensive training and mentorship to represent India at the WorldSkills Competition 2026 and other international forums.

For additional details, visit- www.skillindiadigital.gov.in.

Registration Link-

https://www.skillindiadigital.gov.in/account/register?returnUrl=%2Findia-skills-2025&utm_source=BannerClicks&utm_medium=Web&utm_campaign=IndiaSkills

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PUNE: GTT Data Solutions, a BSE-listed firm and leading technology enabler known for its proprietary Dual Intelligence solutions combining specialised human expertise and advanced AI-driven technology, has announced the launch of GAIN (GTT Data AI Accelerator Network) — a strategic initiative that is at the core of GTT Data’s growth strategy. With a mission to stay at the forefront of technology and accelerate digital transformation, GAIN is an ecosystem-building platform designed to foster collaboration, innovation, and funding support for emerging AI businesses in India. GAIN is GTT Data’s flagship effort to empower a new generation of AI companies that prioritise human impact while solving real-world challenges.

GTT Data envisions GAIN as a collaborative platform for potential funding support, mentorship, and business advisory services, as well as go-to-market enablement through joint offerings and strategic partnerships across various industries and verticals, including technology services, healthcare, engineering, pharmaceuticals, retail, legal, and real estate. These startups bring cutting-edge solutions across trending niche technologies, including: Intelligent Automation (encompassing Cognitive Process Automation and advanced Natural Language Processing), Advanced Healthcare AI (including AI-powered medical imaging), and Vision AI (covering AI for DLOps and visual data processing). Over the next six months, more than 100 startups are expected to benefit from the GAIN initiative, which may include potential investments from Sangli Miraj Commercial Ventures.

“We have never had an AI-first approach at GTT Data; we truly believe in the collaboration between human entities and AI to create dual intelligence. With GAIN, we’re creating a launchpad for India’s AI businesses not just to survive, but to lead with purpose. We believe the future of AI must be shaped by partnerships, not silos. And its impact must be measured not just in productivity gains, but in how it uplifts human potential. GAIN is our commitment to making India a formidable, collaborative force in the global AI movement — where machines serve mankind, and not the other way around,” said Srikumar Kumar, President, GTT Data Solutions.

The initiative’s formal rollout commenced in Pune, where 22 AI companies and 45 founders, co‑founders, and key leaders deeply entrenched in technology innovation presented their innovations, shared their vision, and explored strategic collaborations. The congregation of over 40 founders, co-founders, and senior technologists was led by GTT Data’s leadership team, reinforcing the company’s commitment to fostering industry-wide transformation. These companies also received mentorship from GTT Data’s experts, showcasing both the rising interest in AI and GTT Data’s active commitment to nurturing emerging technologies.

Sarang Kamalakar, Founder, Parentheses and Humac, said: “GAIN – by GTT Data is a congregation of the AI community. It is a unique convergence of technologists sharing emerging technology. AI startups collaborate with leaders in Digital Transformation aka GTT Data. Mentoring, collaboration, and shared passion bring the alike together here. GTT DATA is driving “cumulative success” with a vision of enhancing Indian Tech.

Amit Ananpara, Founder, Innoplexus, added: “GAIN by GTT data was a remarkable showcase of cutting-edge AI innovation where companies demonstrated how AI advancements are driving real business value across diverse use cases. The event delivered invaluable insights into breakthrough technologies, highlighting the collaborative spirit and transformative impact of AI across industries.”

Rajesh Purshotam, Founder, Transcend Discoveries, shared: “We proudly participated as a partner in GAIN’25, the GTT Data AI Accelerator Network’s flagship event held at Novotel, Viman Nagar, Pune. The event brought together leading minds in data science, AI, consulting, and emerging technologies to explore the future of data intelligence and collaborative innovation, and we at Transcend found that we can navigate into the landscape with collaboration as a key lever to pivot to the next level.”

Despite being the world’s third-largest startup ecosystem, India continues to face challenges around startup survival and scalability. India’s AI startup landscape is expanding rapidly, with over 4,500 ventures, 40% of which have emerged in just the last three years. Yet, industry data paints a sobering picture: nearly 90% of startups don’t make it, and 7 out of 10 shut down within a decade. GAIN addresses this by nurturing collaboration over competition, encouraging adjacent businesses to join forces, and helping AI entrepreneurs move beyond isolated, linear growth paths.

GTT DATA invites all stakeholders passionate about India’s AI-led future to be part of this landmark moment, where human-centred technology meets opportunity, and collaboration becomes the catalyst for national progress.

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PUNE: Tata Technologies, a global product engineering and digital services company, today announced the launch of the 3rd edition of its flagship engineering innovation hackathon, InnoVent, in collaboration with Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS). Building on the success of previous editions, InnoVent 2026 offers engineering students across India an inspiring platform to develop pioneering solutions that address real-world challenges across the mobility value chain. This year’s theme – Innovating the future of Smart Mobility invites engineering students across India to harness advanced technologies such as AI, Generative AI, Agentic AI, IoT, Embedded Software, Cloud Computing, Digital Twins, and AR/VR to develop impactful solutions addressing the most pressing challenges in the mobility sector. The project submissions for the hackathon could cover all key aspects of mobility, including software-defined vehicles, AI-powered embedded intelligence, autonomous AI agents for mobility systems, Agentic AI-based vehicle decision frameworks, sustainable mobility, intelligent manufacturing systems, connected and secure communications, and immersive driving experiences.

The hackathon is open to 3rd and 4th year engineering students across India and encourages inclusive participation, inviting entries from women engineers and differently abled team members. The evaluation process will consist of three stages: initial reviews, virtual Proof of Concept (PoC) presentations, and final demonstrations. Tata Technologies will empower the top project team/s with the innovation tools and technologies needed to develop scalable innovations. The Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) from Tata Technologies will mentor and guide the top-performing project team/s to scale their projects, while AWS will offer the top team/s exclusive access to AWS cloud technologies and facilitate hands-on workshops to upskill the top teams on how to leverage the platform and develop innovative solutions. Projects will be assessed based on diversity, novelty, feasibility, and impact, with a special focus on physical prototypes. Special emphasis will also be placed on projects that showcase the capabilities of agentic systems in real-time decision making, adaptive learning, and collaborative task execution within a mobility environment.

Top-performing teams stand a chance to win cumulative cash prizes worth INR 4.5 Lakhs, paid internship opportunities at Tata Technologies, and special recognition awards for the most creative projects and innovative physical prototypes. More details of the InnoVent program are available at https://www.tatatechnologies.com/innovent/, and the last date for project submission is 30^th July 2025.

Commenting on the launch of the 3^rd edition of Tata Technologies InnoVent, Warren Harris, MD and CEO of Tata Technologies, stated, “Tata Technologies InnoVent underscores our continued commitment to engineering a brighter, smarter, and sustainable future. Through this collaboration with AWS, we are fostering an ecosystem where young engineers can innovate for smarter, cleaner, and more connected mobility. I am looking forward to the extraordinary ideas that this year’s edition will bring to life.”

Satinder Pal Singh, Head, Solution Architecture, AWS India and South Asia, commented, “We are pleased to collaborate with Tata Technologies on the third edition of InnoVent, a hackathon that provides young innovators in India with the opportunity to address real-world mobility challenges. By providing access to AWS cloud technologies and expert guidance, we aim to empower students to build transformative, scalable solutions, as well as develop technical skills—from IoT to artificial intelligence—to prepare them for the evolving demands of the industry. We look forward to the innovative smart mobility solutions that will be presented by this year’s participants.”

Santosh Singh, President & Global Head of Marketing and Business Excellence at Tata Technologies, expressed his enthusiasm on the launch of InnoVent 2026, “InnoVent offers young engineering students a platform to upskill on modern technologies and empower them with skills needed to innovate solutions that address the biggest challenges being faced by the mobility industry. This year’s focus on innovations that will shape the future of smart mobility highlights the importance of nurturing fresh ideas from young minds. We are excited to see how students leverage technologies like Agentic AI to innovate autonomous and intelligent solutions that redefine the boundaries of smart mobility.”

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NEW DELHI: Amazon India today announced Auric, ISAK Fragrances, and Fix My Curls as the winners of Amazon’s Propel Global Business Accelerator Season 4. This program has been designed to provide dedicated support to emerging Indian brands in the direct-to-consumer (D2C) space to reach customers around the world using e-commerce exports. Auric, founded by Deepak Agarwal, ISAK Fragrances, founded by Vidushi Vijayvergiya, and Fix My Curls by Anshita Mehrotra, collectively awarded a $100K equity-free grant from Amazon to support their international growth ambitions. Building on the program’s success, Amazon India also announced the launch of Propel S5. The applications for the program are currently open and will close on 15^th July, 2025. Propel S5 will support up to 100 high-potential D2C brands.

As part of Propel Global Business Accelerator S5, Amazon has put together a dedicated mentorship board comprising Amazon leaders, VC partners, and seasoned industry experts. This board will work closely with emerging D2C brands, offering personalized resources, one-on-one mentorship, and workshops covering global demand trends and strategies for building a successful e-commerce export business. In addition, Amazon will host peer learning sessions featuring experienced entrepreneurs and Propel alumni, giving participating D2C brands a chance to connect, exchange insights, and grow within a thriving support network. The program will conclude with a demo day, where participants will have the opportunity to present their business ideas to top venture capital firms and potentially secure funding to scale their operations.

Srinidhi Kalvapudi – Head, Amazon Global Selling India said, “I would like to congratulate all the winners and finalists of Propel Global Business Accelerator Season 4. It’s inspiring to see such innovation and ambition to build global brands from across India, a testament to the rapid adoption of e-commerce exports. We are grateful for our partners’ support in creating this opportunity for Indian entrepreneurs. We will continue to empower businesses of all sizes to reach customers worldwide. Propel began with a vision to help emerging companies create globally recognized brands; over four years, we’ve supported over 120+ Indian D2C brands, including Minimalist, Sirona, Shumee, PLIX, Butterfly edu, Confec, among others. With Propel S5, we plan to support up to 100 Indian D2C brands launching globally this year, a key part of our commitment to drive $80 billion in e-commerce exports from India by 2030.”

Propel Global Business Accelerator Season 4 was launched in May 2024 in association with VC (venture capital) firms Amazon Smbhav Venture Fund, Peak XV Partners, Fireside Ventures, DSG Consumer Partners, IPV, V3 Ventures, and Elevation Capital. The fourth season got an overwhelming response with 900+ applications by D2C and emerging brands from 15+ cities across India. 54 D2C brands were selected as finalists, including brands like Auric, Isak Fragrances, Fix My Curls, and Lattooland, amongst others.

One of the winners of Propel Global Business Accelerator Season 4, Vidushi Vijayvergiya – Founder, ISAK Fragrances, said – “Amazon’s marketplace has been crucial to our vision in India, and the Propel program was the perfect guide for our global expansion. It truly has been the most wonderful opportunity to take our products worldwide. Propel helped us navigate every aspect of global selling, connecting us with industry leaders, VCs, and peers. These invaluable insights into global business and diverse customer preferences have given us the confidence to scale into multiple new international markets in the coming years.”

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Founded by Dr. Neelima Vemula, under the esteemed guidance of Apex Chairperson Smt. Satyavathi Prasanna Madipadige (MMN – Meeting Millions Network), Dewi was co-founded by Dr. Kalyani Guduguntla (Vice Chairperson), Dr. Sowmya Kolli (Co-founder), and Shri Madipadige Raju ( Advisor ). This empowering initiative aims to create a thriving platform for women from diverse professional and entrepreneurial backgrounds to connect, collaborate, and grow.

“Dewi is more than just a collective; it’s a movement to inspire, uplift, and unite women from every walk of life,” said Dr. Neelima Vemula, Founder Chairperson.

Open to women from a broad spectrum of professions—including entrepreneurs, corporate leaders, doctors, legal professionals, financial advisors, jewellers, boutique owners, foodpreneurs, artisans, and weavers—Dewi is committed to promoting inclusivity, empowerment, and shared growth.

The official grand launch of Dewi will take place on June 27, 2025, in a unique and symbolic gathering of 108 members, graced by the presence of esteemed celebrities and dignitaries.

Membership is currently open, and interested women are encouraged to apply via the official Google form or by reaching out to the team directly at the provided contact numbers.

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PUNE:  CavinKare, in association with the Madras Management Association (MMA), has invited nominations for the 14^th Edition of the ChinniKrishnan Innovation Awards 2025. The prestigious awards celebrate India’s disruptive and most impactful innovations from startups and MSMEs across the country. Companies with an annual turnover of not more than ₹50 crores in FY 2023-24 are eligible to apply. Nominations can be submitted online at www.ckinnovationawards.in or by giving a missed call to +91 63746 03433. The last date for entries is 1^st July 2025.

Instituted in memory of Late Shri R. ChinniKrishnan, the visionary father of the sachet revolution, the awards aim to honour innovations that are not unique and scalable but also sustainable and socially impactful.

Commenting on the occasion, CK Ranganathan, Chairman and Managing Director of CavinKare, said, “At the heart of this award is innovation that meaningfully impacts everyday life. The ChinniKrishnan Innovation Awards celebrate and empower emerging entrepreneurs who demonstrate the courage to challenge conventions and the vision to create inclusive, transformative growth, serving as a launchpad for change-makers of tomorrow.”

The ChinniKrishnan Innovation Awards will recognise winners across three distinct categories, based on the nature and impact of the innovation. In addition to a cash prize of ₹1 lakh, winners will receive holistic business development support, including– marketing, branding, and packaging support, guidance on patent filing and R&D, financial advisory and HR consultancy, direct access to industry experts for a full year, strategic linkages to banks and funding institutions.

Since its inception in 2011, the awards have recognized and nurtured over 50 entrepreneurs, building a legacy of encouraging purpose-driven innovation across India.

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INDIAN: ACCA’s (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) latest annual Global Talent Trends Survey 2025 alerts employers to changing perspectives among accountancy and finance professionals, providing a unique view of how people feel about their life at work and future career aspirations

Now in its third year, this is the largest annual talent survey of accountancy and finance professionals across the world. Over 10,000 individuals from 175 countries including India responded to our survey on issues ranging from career ambitions, hybrid working and inclusivity practices to upskilling, mental health and employability issues. The India Talent Trends 2025 report gives full details on findings from the country.

Many respondents see accountancy as a gateway for entrepreneurial ambitions and skills. With 63% saying   they have career ambitions to be entrepreneurs, it’s clear that many see accountancy as a natural springboard to eventually their own businesses in the future.  This could also be good news for employers – there’s a growing need for accountants to use their entrepreneurial mindsets in many finance and business job roles where skills such as commerciality and innovation are prized attributes.

Md. Sajid Khan, Director-India, ACCA, said, ‘This year’s Global Talent Trends Report reveals a pivotal moment for the Indian finance profession. With a remarkable 63% of professionals aspiring to become entrepreneurs and 75%  valuing hybrid work options, it’s clear that talent priorities are shifting rapidly.  At the same time, a growing number, especially from emerging markets like India, are looking beyond borders, with 85% of respondents intending to work in another country. These insights underline the urgent need for employers to reimagine workplace culture, one that encourages flexibility, nurtures ambition, and builds clear paths for internal growth. Those who listen, adapt, and invest in the evolving needs of their people will be best positioned to lead in a competitive and increasingly global talent landscape.’

This year’s emerging key themes from India are as follows:

1. 63% see accountancy as a springboard to running their businesses. This entrepreneurial mindset is highly valued by employers. 
2. Demand for sustainability-related careers is flying high, with 74% interested in pursuing accountancy careers focused on environmental issues. Globally, 48% of wider leadership roles below board level and 35% of middle management roles in finance currently include sustainability responsibilities.
3. Employability confidence is high,h with 80% expecting to move roles in the next two years and 67% expecting their next career role to be outside their current organisation – a retention challenge for employers.
4. Over 75% want hybrid working arrangements, yet 41% of respondents are still working in the office full time.
5. The recognition of older employees tops the list of diversity concerns, with 55% saying their organisation focuses more on certain aspects of diversity than others.
6. The cost-of-living crisis continues to top our ‘workplace fear’ index, with 67% of respondents expecting a pay rise in the next year.
7. 54% of respondents are concerned they’re not developing the skills required for the future workplace, and only 37% say their organisation is providing opportunities to learn AI-related skills.
8. Mental health indicators are improving slightly compared to previous years’ data, but remain challenging, with 51% of respondents agreeing their mental health suffers due to work pressures.
9. The ‘side hustle’ is on the rise. 32% across all generations suggest they’re now engaged in additional employment to their main jobs – another challenge for employers in terms of engagement and retention.
10. Accountancy remains a valued passport to global careers, with 85% of Indian respondents citing a desire to pursue career opportunities abroad at some point in their career.

Jamie Lyon FCCA, Global Head of Skills, Sectors, Technology at ACCA said: ‘Our 2025 data continues to show a workplace in transition, but one of the exciting themes emerging this year is how accountancy training can be a brilliant early career pathway for building entrepreneurial skills. There’s no doubt this in part reflects how career ambitions continue to transform at work.’

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The collaboration brings together VU Dynamics’ innovation-led aerospace engineering with PATH Group’s proven executional expertise in large-scale infrastructure. By uniting complementary strengths – deep-tech product development and robust implementation capabilities, the two organizations aim to deliver high-performance, indigenous aerial systems for strategic applications, contributing to the national vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat.

Founded by Prof. Subrahmanyam Saderla, Associate Professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at IIT Kanpur, and Dr. Sravanthi Saderla, VU Dynamics specializes in the design and manufacturing of next-generation aerial systems for defence and civilian use. These platforms are embedded with proprietary technologies that ensure long endurance, operational simplicity, and cost efficiency developed entirely in India.

Commenting on this development, Prof. Manindra Agrawal, Director, IIT Kanpur, stated, “It is a matter of great pride that a startup incubated on campus by a young faculty member, Dr. Saderla, has attracted significant investment due to its innovative solutions in the UAV space. I am sure that this partnership will achieve great success, contributing towards our goal of creating impactful technological solutions.”

Prof. Subrahmanyam Saderla, Co-founder, VU Dynamics, remarked, “Our collaboration with PATH marks a pivotal step in scaling our aerial technologies for real-world impact. PATH’s operational depth and commitment to nation-building make them an ideal partner as we work toward strengthening India’s indigenous aerospace capabilities.”

Nitin Agarwal, Managing Director, PATH Group, said, “We’ve always admired the innovation emerging from institutions like IIT Kanpur. Taking these innovations to production scale is a major achievement. We are proud to support VU Dynamics and contribute to the national goal of technological self-reliance in defence.”

Anurag Singh, CEO, SIIC, IIT Kanpur, added, “This collaboration exemplifies the transformative potential of partnerships between startups and industry leaders. It is a powerful demonstration of how deep-tech innovation can be channelled into strategic national assets.”

This partnership, anchored by the support of SIIC, IIT Kanpur, one of India’s premier technology business incubators, demonstrates the potential of academia-industry collaborations in scaling deep-tech solutions to meet national priorities.

The PATH Group, led by Nitin Agarwal (Managing Director), Nipun Agrawal (Director), and Saksham Agrawal (Director), is a prominent player in India’s infrastructure sector. The company’s portfolio spans traditional EPC projects to modern Public-Private Partnership (PPP) models, including BOT, DBFOT, OMT, Annuity, and HAM. With operations rooted in Central India, PATH’s expertise covers the complete infrastructure lifecycle from planning and design to construction, IT integration, and long-term maintenance.

With this alliance, VU Dynamics and PATH Group are poised to drive forward the indigenization of critical defence technologies, laying the groundwork for a self-reliant, innovation-led future in Indian aerospace.

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This appointment was announced by Ghanshyam Ojha, National President of Laghu Udyog Bharati, in the presence of Dr. Uday Samant, Industry Minister, Government of Maharashtra, during the recently concluded National Working Committee and Executive Committee meeting and the Entrepreneurs’ Conference at Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini, Thane.

Amit Ghaisas is the Managing Director of the renowned Yashprabha Group in Pune and has previously served as the Vice President of Laghu Udyog Bharati’s Maharashtra state unit. Ghaisas is also a member of the Board of Directors at Janata Cooperative Bank.

On this occasion, the new office bearers of the Maharashtra state unit of Laghu Udyog Bharati were also announced. Their term will be 2 years, from April 2025 to March 2027. The list of new office bearers is as follows:

Amit Ghaisas (President), Ashish Chandarana – (Vice President), Maruti Kulkarni – (Vice President), Ashok Kale – (Vice President), Harish Hande – (General Secretary), Gaurav Joshi –  (Joint Secretary), Mandar Lele – (Joint Secretary), Praveen Kale – (Joint Secretary), CA Naveen Dedhia – (Treasurer).

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