The 12th edition of the IVCA Conclave, the flagship event of the Indian Venture and Alternate Capital Association (IVCA), took place recently in Mumbai. The objective of the Conclave 2023 was to provide a platform for the Indian alternate investment community to gather and exchange ideas and discuss the trajectory of the industry to transform India as the go-to investable destination in the world.

Commenting on the overall scenario and the vision of the Conclave, Karthik Reddy, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Blume Ventures and chairperson, IVCA said, “India’s meticulous compounding of infrastructure and economic liberalization since the 90s has positioned it perfectly for this 4th post-independence phase leading to 2047. As IVCA’s vision is to foster a vibrant investing ecosystem that resonates with the idea of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ and India@100, through the 12th IVCA Conclave, we intend to usher in progress that is robust, sustainable, anchored, and inclusive – all core Indian principles.”

During the two day event several insightful panel discussions, keynote speeches and fireside chats took place, enlightening the attendees on topics ranging from climate change to real estate to India’s current economic landscape.

“The investment opportunities in climate is a whole spectrum and all of it is essentially public policy led, whether you look at renewable or solar energy, battery storage, EVs transforming, hydrogen and get back to the entire supply chain following it,” Dhruba Purkayastha, India Director, Climate Policy Initiative and Director, USICEF, had mentioned during an engaging panel discussion.

“It is not surprising that when the economy opened up, the rich were left with a lot of savings, and the poor were left with a lot of debt. Now, as if some dam had been opened, the moment you open restrictions, that money starts to flow. So, what you’re going to see is that the lower income segment starts to see income growth, and that is exactly what is happening. Economists like me, who have been tracking the economy for many years, had almost given up on India’s manufacturing skill sets, that India would ever be able to do well in manufacturing. Guess what? We have now started to show remarkable progress! I’ll just give you some numbers. On mobile phone exports, we did 45 thousand crores in FY 22 and are likely to do 75–80 thousand crores this year and 1 lakh 40 thousand crores in FY 24,” said Neelkanth Mishra, Managing Director, Co-Head of Equity Strategy, Asia Pacific, Head of India Securities Research, Credit Suisse, while talking about the current economic landscape in India.

Of course, one of the most awaited sessions was the fireside chat with Narain Karthikeyan, India’s first Formula One Driver and the Founder and CEO of DriveX, conducted by Ashley Menezes, COO and Partner, ChrysCapital, and Vice Chairperson, IVCA. On the similarities and differences between Narain the racer and Narain the entrepreneur, Karthikeyan had said, “Formula One has given me a lot of exposure in the auto world and the entire auto ecosystem. It was natural that I did something in this space. There are a lot of similarities in terms of being an entrepreneur and sport in general. Having been exposed to the business of Formula One at a pretty early stage in my career, it seemed quite natural to become an entrepreneur.”