Overview

On July 2, 2026, the Bombay Chamber of Commerce & Industry, in partnership with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), hosted the inaugural Namaste Mumbai Conclave 2026 alongside The Grand CivicTech Fund Quest. The day‑long event convened senior government officials, industry leaders, academicians, creative professionals, investors and entrepreneurs to outline a roadmap for positioning Mumbai as a globally recognised creative capital and innovation hub.

Key Addresses

  • Sudhanshu Vats, President of the Bombay Chamber and Managing Director of Pidilite Industries, highlighted the Chamber’s 190‑year legacy in Mumbai’s evolution and called for balanced investment in infrastructure, culture, tourism and quality of life.
  • Ashwini Bhide, IAS, Municipal Commissioner of BMC, delivered the keynote, asserting that while Mumbai is undergoing one of the country’s largest infrastructure transformations, its future growth must equally prioritize cultural vibrancy, public spaces and avenues for creative expression. She referenced ongoing projects such as the Coastal Road and Metro network, urging that these investments also generate new civic spaces.

Panel Discussions

1. Branding Mumbai – One City, Many Identities – moderated by Priyanka Sinha Jha, COO of Screen Academy; Indian Express Screen Foundation. Panelists included Ashwini Bhide, actor‑producer Jamnadas Majethia, Ajit Andhare, COO of Viacom18 Motion Pictures, and filmmaker Gajendra Ahire. The discussion focused on building a unified global brand through heritage, theatre, cinema, public spaces and cultural infrastructure.

2. Mumbai 3.0 – The Creative Capital Opportunity – moderated by Latha Venkatesh, Executive Editor, CNBC‑TV18. Participants were Vishwas Mote, Deputy Municipal Commissioner (Zone III, BMC), Dr. Indu Shahani, Founding President & Chancellor of ATLAS SkillTech University, Rajiv Jalota, Retd. IAS, former Chairperson of Mumbai Port Authority, and Uday Khanna, Past President of the Bombay Chamber and former Independent Director of Kotak Mahindra Bank, Castrol India, Pfizer and Pidilite Industries. The session underscored integrating infrastructure with culture, education, tourism and industry partnerships.

The Grand CivicTech Fund Quest

The Fund Quest was designed to bridge CivicTech startups with investors and civic leaders. Shashi Bala, Chief – Business Development and Director of the SMILE Council – CivicTech Incubator of BMC, presented the vision of the Society for Mumbai Incubation Lab to Entrepreneurship (SMILE) Council, which nurtures entrepreneurs by allowing them to test technologies in real‑world civic environments. SMILE currently supports 24 startups and has 17‑18 additional startups in the pipeline.

Ten shortlisted startups pitched to a jury of investors and industry leaders, evaluated on Opportunity, Scalability, Capability and Monetisability. The outcomes were:

  • Champion: Niramai Health Analytix Pvt. Ltd. (led by Dr. Geetha Manjunath)
  • First Runner‑up: EcoBio Consulting Pvt. Ltd.
  • Second Runner‑up: Saltech Design Labs Pvt. Ltd.

The top three receive cash prizes and structured mentorship from industry leaders to accelerate growth and market adoption.

Closing Remarks

The conclave and Fund Quest together projected a unified vision where creativity, culture, innovation and entrepreneurship collectively shape Mumbai’s next chapter as a liveable, globally competitive, and culturally vibrant metropolis.

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