120 Indian startups, 500 investors gather in France for Bharat Innovates 2026

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron inaugurated Bharat Innovates 2026 in Nice, France, marking the largest Indian deep-tech showcase outside India. The three-day event brings together 120 Indian startups, 15 higher education institutions, and over 500 investors to accelerate technology partnerships and research collaboration. Modi emphasized India’s transformation through innovation, calling the event a ‘landmark initiative’ to connect Indian startups with global investors. He highlighted India-France relations as unique, driven by shared vision in areas like clean energy and artificial intelligence. The partnership includes initiatives like the India-France Year of Innovation, launched in February 2026. Bharat Innovates 2026 showcases India’s deep-tech ecosystem across 13 sectors, including advanced computing, biotechnology, and space technology. Startups and institutions like IITs are participating to explore opportunities in R&D, scaling, and cross-border investments. Macron praised India’s role in global technology, noting its production of over one million engineers annually and its influence in frontier technologies. The event aligns with Modi’s broader Europe tour, aimed at expanding bilateral and multilateral cooperation in tech and innovation. The conference seeks to position India as a global contributor to solutions in AI, climate tech, and defense innovation, reinforcing its status as a hub for next-generation technologies.